Unmasking Adult ADHD: A Clinician’s Guide to Recognizing, Differentiating and Diagnosing ADHD in Adults
Unmasking Adult ADHD: A Clinician’s Guide to Recognizing, Differentiating and Diagnosing ADHD in Adults
~Early registration ends on January 23, 2026~
Friday, February 27, 2026
9:00 am to 12:15 pm EST
Live Webinar via Zoom
3 CEs for psychologists, social workers, and counselors in Maine
When a client presents with persistent depression, treatment-resistant anxiety, or a history of "not living up to potential," how do you discern if ADHD is the missing piece? If you’re seeing more clients ask about ADHD but feel unsure how to assess the adult presentation, you’re not alone. Many clinicians received minimal training on the adult presentation, which often looks very different from the stereotypical childhood model.
This 3-hour live virtual training is designed to close that confidence gap. Led by a clinical psychologist with both professional and lived experience with ADHD, we’ll move beyond checklists to deconstruct myths and explore the hallmark patterns, masks, and compensatory strategies of adult ADHD. The session emphasizes practical clinical reasoning and tools to differentiate ADHD from overlapping mental and medical conditions and to identify it in commonly overlooked populations, such as high-achieving adults. Leave with an evidence-informed framework for your initial screening and diagnostic conversations.
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this 3-hour training, participants will be able to:
Describe core functional impairments and common lived experiences of adults with undiagnosed ADHD, distinguishing it from stereotypical presentations.
Differentiate ADHD symptoms from the primary features of overlapping conditions (e.g., mood disorders, PTSD, menopause), using the DSM-5-TR principle that symptoms are “not better explained by” another disorder.
Apply key screening questions and clinical tools to initiate a structured assessment for ADHD in complex adult presentations.
Identify compensatory strategies and “red flags” that signal ADHD in commonly missed populations, including high-achieving individuals.
Presenter Bio:
Dr. Christie Pickel is a licensed psychologist at Psychology Specialists of Maine. Since beginning her graduate training at Ohio University, Dr. Pickel has dedicated her career to understanding and addressing the unique challenges faced by individuals with ADHD. Living with ADHD herself, she brings both professional expertise and personal insight to her work, helping clients feel seen, understood, and empowered.
Dr. Pickel has extensive experience treating ADHD in adults through individual and group therapy, primarily drawing from acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), and mindfulness-based approaches. She is an active member of the American Professional Society of ADHD and Related Disorders (APSARD) and its Special Interest Group for Women and Girls, where she collaborates to advance knowledge and advocacy for ADHD across the lifespan. She is also a current board member of Southern Maine Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (SMACT) community and co-hosts the podcast Two Distractible Doctors (Apple / Spotify). In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Pickel offers training and consultation for other mental health professionals around evidence-based assessment and treatment of adult ADHD.
