Hocus Pocus: ADHD in Adult Women and Late Diagnosis
Many women reach a counselor in their 30s or 40s after years of treatment for anxiety or depression, with ADHD underneath never named. Loosely framed by the premise of the film Hocus Pocus, something dormant for centuries until the right conditions wake it, this 2-hour course teaches clinicians why ADHD is underdiagnosed in girls and women, how masking and compensation hide it, how hormonal transitions may intensify symptoms, how to differentiate ADHD from anxiety, depression, bipolar II, PTSD, and autism, how to screen within counselor scope, and how to counsel clients through the grief, relief, and identity shifts of a late diagnosis.
2
CE Hours
8
Modules
15
Quiz Questions
2
Est. Minutes
What you'll learn
- Explain why ADHD is underdiagnosed in girls and women, including inattentive presentation and diagnostic criteria normed on boys.
- Identify masking and compensation strategies that hide ADHD in high-functioning adults.
- Differentiate adult ADHD from anxiety, depression, bipolar II, trauma responses, and autism, and recognize common co-occurrence.
- Describe how hormonal shifts (menstrual cycle, postpartum, perimenopause) can intensify ADHD symptoms.
- Apply counseling strategies for the grief, relief, and identity shifts that follow a late diagnosis.
- Distinguish screening from diagnosis and describe assessment, referral, and documentation practices within state counselor scope.
Who it's for
Licensed professional counselors, clinical social workers, and marriage and family therapists, National Certified Counselors and counselor associates under supervision, Clinicians who treat adult women for anxiety, depression, burnout, or perinatal and midlife concerns
Approval & credit
CounselorReady is an NBCC-Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEP #7760). This course awards 2 NBCC-approved CE hours; a certificate is issued on completion. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. CounselorReady is solely responsible for all aspects of the program.