April McMahon LCSW

ADHD is becoming more and more seen and understood. I have worked with numerous client who have struggled with ADHD and help them build systems that work best for them. As someone with ADHD, I especially enjoy working with people who were diagnosed as adults or wonder if maybe they might have ADHD and need help figuring it out.

Adoption experiences are as wide-ranging, unique and different as the people living them. I have worked with many adoptees (and am one myself) and have yet to come across identical stories. And yet, all adoption involves loss and a search of identity. Adoption is multifaceted area of mental health as it can involve many roles (adoptee, birth parent, adoptive parent) and many emotions (grief, anger, confusion, fear, mistrust) and it requires up to date and culturally competent training.

I have been trained in many parenting styles and practices and continue to find that the most effective parenting strategy is one that takes all factors into consideration. Who the parent is, who the child is, what the family structure and values system looks like and what are the goals of parenting? Parenting is a marathon, not a sprint, so let's tackle it one mile(stone) at a time.

I attended NYU Silver School of Social work for my graduate work and there I was taught to explore and gather information about all the parts of a person and use them to create the roadmap of where someone has been, where are they stuck, and how can we get to where we want to go.

I was fully certified and trained in DBT through a week long intensive Behavioral Tech program taught by clinicians who worked directly with the creator of DBT, Marsha Linehan. I have found DBT to be the most useful skills based treatment for a range of mental health needs.

People are not born and raised in a vacuum. We are impacted by our environments and our original and primary environment was our family of origin. I have found that being trained in Family Systems has amplified my work with both families and individuals through creating a deeper understanding of how we see the world, how we communicate with ourselves and others, and how patterns can be seen and changed.