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Welcome! I provide specialized ADHD therapy for adults in Los Angeles who struggle with focus, organization, and executive functioning challenges. My approach combines evidence-based techniques with practical tools to help you manage ADHD symptoms and build strategies that actually work in your daily life. Schedule a free 20-minute consultation to discuss your specific needs and treatment goals.
Your Los Angeles ADHD Therapist In The News
As an ADHD Therapist, I was asked to contribute to The Huff Post and shared
some of my thoughts on 'tossing' - a tendency for some people with ADHD to want to get rid of everything and start over, rather than sort through things that are cluttering our homes and offices.
Read the full article in the HuffPost here.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or ADHD is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders within the child and adolescent population and represents one of the most prevalent mental conditions in this age range. Previously, it was believed that ADHD symptoms diminish as individuals transition into adulthood, aligning with the gradual maturation of the brain. However, it is now widely recognized that ADHD often persists into adulthood and if this goes undiagnosed it increases the risk of developing other conditions like anxiety, depression, and substance use disorders.
Who I Help: Adults with ADHD and Parent Coaching
I provide specialized ADHD therapy for adults in Los Angeles and parent coaching for caregivers of teens and tweens with ADHD.
Adults I work with come in with issues such as time-blindness, executive function challenges, emotional reactivity, and the stress of late diagnosis.
Parent coaching focuses on routines, school collaboration, and communication at home so you’re not doing this alone.
I see clients in person in West Hollywood and by telehealth across California (West Hollywood, Beverly Grove, Fairfax, Hollywood, Beverly Hills).
Common concerns I address:
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Adults struggling with time management and chronic lateness
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Recently diagnosed adults adjusting to their ADHD identity
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Parents learning ADHD-supportive parenting techniques
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Professionals managing workplace executive functioning demands
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Couples where ADHD impacts relationship dynamics
Whether you're an adult with ADHD or a parent seeking coaching, therapy provides practical tools for daily challenges.
My Approach — Skills-Focused, Affirming ADHD Therapy
My skills-focused, neurodiversity-affirming ADHD therapy combines CBT, ACT, and executive function training with ADHD-friendly habit design. Sessions start weekly to build momentum, then shift to biweekly as you develop consistent strategies. We create practical homework between sessions that works with your brain, not against it. This approach honors your neurodivergent wiring while building real-world skills.
"I help clients design systems that match their ADHD brain patterns rather than forcing neurotypical solutions"
Session components include:
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Task batching exercises to reduce transition fatigue
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Body-doubling practice for accountability without shame
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Time-blocking with visual cues and alarms
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Values clarification through ACT techniques
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CBT tools for emotional regulation spikes
This structured approach helps you move from understanding your ADHD to actually managing daily life with less stress.
Oliver Drakeford Therapy offers both in-person sessions in West Hollywood and telehealth throughout California.
Results You Can Expect (Focus, Routines, Relationships)
Most adults with ADHD notice steadier focus, clearer routines, and less relationship friction within 9-12 weeks through executive function skills training. You'll move from missed deadlines to time-boxed weekly plans. Decision fatigue transforms into clear next actions. Emotional spikes during conflicts become manageable through pause skills that keep conversations constructive.
"Executive functioning challenges—not hyperactivity—are the primary struggle for adults with ADHD,"
Typical progress markers:
• Week 1-2: Identify your highest-impact blockers and practice one skill weekly
• Week 3-6: Refine task systems and regulate start-stop transitions
• Week 7-12: Stress-test routines during busy periods, reducing shame
• Missed deadlines become manageable through single capture lists
• Home chaos shifts to repeatable morning and evening routines
These changes stick because we're addressing core executive function deficits with concrete tools, not just discussing problems.
Oliver Drakeford Therapy combines CBT and DBT with practical ADHD strategies for sustainable improvement in West Hollywood.
ADHD Therapy: Hyperactivity To Executive Functioning Issues
The progression of ADHD from childhood to adulthood often involves a significant shift in how symptoms manifest, particularly transitioning from the more overt hyperactivity seen in children to subtler yet complex executive functioning issues in adults.
It becomes less about constant physical motion and more about internal restlessness and struggle with self-regulation in cognitive tasks. Perhaps you can relate to this if you're noticing any cognitive challenges that your neuro-typical friends don't seem to have, like difficulties with organization, planning, and decision-making. These are 'executive functions', which are critical mental skills for managing everyday life. With or without medication, these often become the primary areas of struggle for adults with ADHD, impacting both their personal and professional worlds.
This is where ADHD therapy and treatment for ADHD can be extraordinarily helpful, so please book a free consultation call with me to discuss your specific needs and hopes and outcomes of treatment.
Core Executive Function Symptoms in Adult ADHD
Barkley and Murphy's study identifies nine key symptoms that are instrumental in the assessment of ADHD in adults, reflecting significant executive functioning issues, and behavioral mental health. These include:
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Impulsivity in decision-making.
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Challenges in halting ongoing activities or behavior when necessary.
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Tendencies to commence tasks without adequate direction-following.
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Poor adherence to promises or commitments.
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Difficulties in sequencing tasks properly.
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Proneness to excessive speeding while driving.
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A tendency to daydream during activities requiring concentration. These symptoms not only highlight executive functioning deficits but also suggest a nuanced understanding of ADHD in adults, emphasizing cognitive processes over physical hyperactivity.
The findings suggest that these executive function symptoms are more prevalent and discriminating in adults with ADHD compared to control groups. This underscores the importance of executive functioning issues in distinguishing adult ADHD reporting mental health concerns, aligning with Barkley's theory that posits executive functioning as a core construct in understanding ADHD.
Time Management and Organization
One of the most evident manifestations of executive functioning difficulties in adults with ADHD is in time management and organization which an cause significant mental health concerns. The transition from childhood hyperactivity to adult challenges such as a distorted sense of time leads to struggles like chronic lateness or misjudging the duration of tasks. Organizational skills, including task tracking and maintaining orderly spaces, become daunting due to these executive function deficits. This struggle is a fundamental attribute of adult ADHD, deeply rooted in executive functioning rather than mere inattentiveness or disinterest.
Decision-Making Difficulties
For adults with ADHD, decision-making processes are often impeded by impulsivity, a hallmark of the condition's childhood presentation but morphed into a different challenge in adulthood. Decision-making requires careful deliberation and weighing of outcomes, yet impulsivity can lead to premature decisions without fully considering long-term ramifications. This impulsivity stems from the neurobiological aspects of ADHD, underscoring the complexity of the condition beyond mere lack of self-control.
Living with ADHD can be challenging, impacting various aspects of life. However, recent advancements in research have led to more effective diagnosis, treatment, and management of this neurological disorder.
At Oliver Drakeford Therapy in Los Angeles clinic, we work hard to better understand the complexities of ADHD in each of our clients and offer a supportive environment for individuals dealing with it. ADHD impacts people in different ways so our first step will be in understanding specifically what areas you want support and to work on.
Our approach to helping you depends on your goals and range from insight-oriented understandings of inner conflicts and the origins of the anxiety CBT and DBT for emotional regulations, and even psychodrama to get an experiential understanding of your symptoms. People with ADHD often carry shame and negative self-beliefs which sometimes come to the surface during treatment. We aim to provide a safe space where you can embrace your neurodivergence, find validation and healing.