DBT for ADHD Counseling in Gainesville Florida

I work with adults and teens who feel overwhelmed by how intense emotions can get with ADHD, especially under stress.

My approach uses DBT-informed skills to help slow things down and make emotional responses feel more manageable in daily life.

I’m Joseph Brooks. I offer therapy focused on DBT for ADHD in Gainesville, with telehealth available across Florida.

Scheduling Info->
Cozy table with coffee, notebook, grounding stone, and blanket, representing calm coping tools for anxiety and ADHD.

DBT for ADHD in Gainesville: Is This a Good Fit for You?

“DBT gives me something I can actually remember when I’m overwhelmed.”

I’m Joseph Brooks. I work with adults and teens who are navigating ADHD and feeling overwhelmed by how intense emotions can get. You can learn more about my background and approach here.

If you’ve been searching for DBT for ADHD near me, this page explains how I incorporate DBT-informed skills as part of a broader, well-rounded approach to ADHD therapy.

In my work, DBT-focused ADHD counseling is often a good fit when people notice things like:

  • Emotions that escalate quickly and take a long time to settle

  • Freezing or shutting down when things feel overwhelming

  • Tasks fall apart under pressure, even when you know what to do

  • Harsh self-talk or negative thought patterns after mistakes

  • Tension or conflict in relationships when reactions come out fast

Many of the people I work with aren’t just dealing with focus challenges. They’re managing emotional overload, shutdown, or reactions that feel hard to handle once they start.

DBT for ADHD at a glance chart showing emotional overwhelm, impulsivity, shutdown, and DBT skills for regulation and follow-through.

What Sessions Feel Like

In sessions, I aim to keep things:

  • Warm

  • Structured

  • Practical

  • Non-judgmental

  • Skills-based

Sessions typically involve:

  • Identifying one current pattern connected to ADHD symptoms

  • Practicing one or two DBT skills together

  • Planning how to use those skills during the week

  • Reviewing what helped and adjusting as needed

The focus is not perfection. It’s helping emotional regulation and reducing overwhelm in real, everyday situations.

I see adults and teens in person in Gainesville, and I also offer secure telehealth sessions anywhere in Florida, with a practical focus on emotional regulation skills you can actually use during real-life ADHD stress.

If you’re curious whether this approach might be a fit, you’re welcome to review pricing and scheduling when you’re ready.

Scheduling Info->

Why DBT Is Often the Missing Piece for ADHD

In my work, I often meet people with ADHD who already know what they’re “supposed” to do.

They’ve tried planners, apps, routines, or productivity advice. The challenge usually isn’t lack of insight.

DBT focuses on those moments when emotions get in the way of using what you already know.

Rather than asking you to think your way out of emotional overload, DBT offers practical skills that can help with:

  • staying grounded when emotions spike

  • reducing shutdown or urgency

  • responding to negative thoughts without spiraling

  • regaining enough emotional balance to choose your next step

DBT for ADHD is not just mindfulness

DBT is a practical, skills-based approach that focuses on what happens in real time when emotions rise.

For ADHD, that often means learning simple tools you can use during the moments that typically derail you, like frustration spikes, shutdown, or reacting faster than you meant to.

It’s not just “think positive” or “calm down.” For many people, DBT becomes the bridge between knowing what helps and actually being able to use it when ADHD symptoms are activated.

In therapy, we practice these skills slowly and apply them to the situations that are actually showing up in your week.

Cluttered versus minimal desk comparison showing ADHD distraction, gaming overuse triggers, and focus-supporting environment changes.

DBT Skills I Draw From in ADHD Counseling

These are the DBT-informed skill areas I commonly integrate when supporting ADHD-related overwhelm, shutdown, and quick emotional reactions.

  • Mindfulness skills
    Help you notice urges, emotions, and body signals without reacting immediately.

  • Emotion regulation skills
    Supportive tools to help emotional intensity and recover more quickly after stress.

  • Self-judgment and shame responses
    Helps you respond to harsh inner criticism in a more balanced, workable way.

  • Interpersonal effectiveness skills
    Help with communication, boundaries, and repair after conflict.

  • Distress tolerance
    Offers short, in-the-moment options for getting through overwhelm without making things worse.

I don’t expect you to memorize a long list of techniques. We keep skills simple, practice them gradually, and adapt them to the situations you actually deal with.

If you’d like examples of what that can look like, you can also read my DBT skills guide for ADHD.

How DBT helps when overwhelmed infographic showing emotional spike, DBT skills, and stress recovery with calming visuals.

What the First Session Is Like

In the first session, my goal is to help things feel a little less heavy, not to push you to explain everything at once.

We usually focus on three simple steps:

  1. Getting a sense of what’s been hardest recently, in whatever way feels easiest to share

  2. Clarifying what you’d like support with right now

  3. Identifying one small goal to work towards, if and when you’re ready

You don’t have to share anything you’re not comfortable talking about. I’ll help guide the conversation, slow things down when needed, and focus on what feels most useful for you in that moment.

How to Get Started

Getting started is meant to feel simple and low-pressure.

I offer DBT for ADHD in Gainesville, Florida, with telehealth individual therapy available statewide. Sessions are private, supportive, and focused on practical skills for emotional regulation and real-life challenges.

If you’ve been searching for DBT for ADHD near me or DBT for ADHD in Gainesville, I am here to help.

Booking Link->

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Not necessarily. Some people come for short-term support around a specific concern, while others choose to stay longer as they work through patterns more gradually. We can check in along the way and adjust based on what feels helpful for you.

  • Yes. Telehealth DBT for ADHD is available anywhere in Florida.

  • No. Many clients seek support for ADHD symptoms and emotional regulation before pursuing an evaluation.

  • No. DBT skills are often used to support emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and impulsivity in daily life, including for people with ADHD.

  • Yes. DBT includes skills for working with negative thought patterns and reducing emotional flooding.

Further Reading

If you’d like a deeper look at how I work, these articles explain the thinking behind the approaches I use in sessions. DBT is for the emotional regulation side and CBT is for the organization and thinking part of ADHD therapy.

  • DBT Skills for ADHD ->
    An overview of the DBT tools I often draw from in individual counseling, and why I prioritize skills that are simple enough to remember and use when emotions are high.

  • CBT Skills for ADHD ->
    A closer look at how I use cognitive and behavioral strategies to support planning, follow-through, and working with negative thought patterns in a realistic, non-shaming way.

Some people like to read more before reaching out. Others prefer to talk it through together. Either approach is okay.