Support Groups for ADHD Kids & Parents

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4 parent questions ▼
Archived Q&A and reviews ▼

Parent Q&A

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  • ISO couples or family therapist who has experience with ADHD kids

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    Jul 7, 2024

    Hello,

    I'm looking for recommendations for a couples or family therapist who can provide parent therapy/coaching. I'm specifically looking for someone who has experience working with parents of neurodivergent kids.  Most of the posts I've seen on this topic are over a decade old, so figured I'd repost.

    Thank you!

    Jul 7, 2024

    No responses received.

  • Family support for 2nd grader diagnosed with ADHD

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    Aug 3, 2018

    My 7 year old daughter was diagnosed by Kaiser Permanente with ADHD last week. We’re reluctant to jump into drugs and are looking for a family counseling plus parent training approach to start. If you know of any local resources beyond CHADD, please let us know. My daughter will be starting 2nd grade at Jefferson in the fall. We can already see social and learning problems, but her self esteem is still high. We want to keep it there while we explore treatment options. Thanks!

    Aug 3, 2018

    Friendship club with Kaiser has been pretty good!

    Aug 8, 2018

    UC-Berkeley psychology department had a parent group that we participated in last year after our 4th grader was diagnosed. Research is that combined behavioral and medical has the best results. My husband was highly resistant to medication, but it has made a big difference. We only use it on school days.

    Aug 9, 2018

    I can wholeheartedly recommend Rebecca Freeling  from wits end  parenting.  We have an extremely spirited child about the same age, also in Berkeley schools, and we weren’t sure what to do or where to turn. We found Rebecca on  we have an extremely spirited child about the same age, also in Berkeley schools, and we weren’t sure what to do or where to turn. We found Rebecca on BPN  and were impressed with the favorable reviews. She acts more like a family coach and her approach is unique for each family. As parents , We learned more effective techniques for how to handle difficult situations and our daughter showed dramatic  improvements over the course of several months.  The whole family will go for appointments to Rebecca and we just told her kids that she is teaching us to treat each other better, which they love! 

    Aug 10, 2018

  • Looking for other ADHD kids!

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    Apr 16, 2018

    Hi all -

    Our 10-year-old son is desperately looking for other ADHD kids. He longs for a kindred spirit to talk to and spend time with! I have not been able to find any groups that offer this in and around Berkeley. Looking for any tips -  or, if your son or daughter has ADHD and would like a buddy, please feel free to get in touch by leaving contact info in your reply!

    ADHD mom 

    Apr 16, 2018

    Hi. My child has not been medically diagnosed but we are going through that process now. We live in Berkeley. Where are you located? I am open to having our boys meet but would like to communicate with you about our boys' likes and dislikes so they know a little about each other before meeting. 

    Apr 17, 2018

    We have an almost 9 year old son with ADHD and we just moved from Berkeley to Oakland (he’s a 3rd grader at Berkeley schools). We would love a play date! Also, my friend just told us about this conference this weekend we are going to attend: https://www.edrevsf.org/

    Apr 18, 2018

    Open to a meet up.  My 10 year old ADHD kiddo is a girl.  She'll be 11 in May.  We've just begun talking with her about ADHD and how it effects her socially.  Would be great to meet other ADHD kids.

    Apr 18, 2018

    I too have a child with ADHD who would be interested in meeting up. He will be 11 in June and will start 6th grade in August.

    Apr 25, 2018

    My 10 year old daughter with ADHD is dying to meet other kids to talk to and spend time with.  We are in Albany. I think you can reach me via my user name here.

    Apr 28, 2018

    Hi all -

    I am so glad that so many of you have responded to my post. Please feel free to reach out to each other as well! You can do that via your user names. Cheers! 

    May 2, 2018

    My 11-year old son is also ADHD and would love to be part of a meet up.  The weather has been so beautiful lately, why don't we arrange a beach party at Berkeley Marina for all the kids and they can run/jump/play together.  Interested?

    May 4, 2018

  • Group for kids with ADHD?

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    Nov 17, 2017

    Hi all,

    We are a family with a new but not surprising ADHD diagnosis.  Are there children's groups for kids with ADHD to get together? I found the Northern CA chapter CHADD and the parenting groups but is there also something for kids?  Any info/advice/insight in general about new ADHD diagnosis would be greatly appreciated too.

    Nov 17, 2017

    You didn't say how old your child is, but if in elementary/middle school I wanted to offer that the Cal summer camps ("Blue Camp") were great for my kid with ADD. They are organized and well-run, the counselors are patient, and there is plenty of flexibility for kids who are outside the box. They also have social skills camps which I haven't tried but you might look in to it.

    Dec 10, 2017

Archived Q&A and Reviews

Questions

ADHD Support Group in Lamorinda/WC

April 2013

I am looking for a Parent's ADHD Support Group in Orinda, Lafayette, Moraga or Walnut Creek. If you know of one please let me know. Anon

The Northern California chapter of CHADD (Children and Adults with ADHD, I think) is a good place to start. Check them out at www.norcalchadd.org. The web site lists support groups, professional providers and other info. Good Luck! Adult with ADD

Family support for ADHD

Feb 2007

Looking for a family therapist skilled with ADHD families, and short-term therapy (no time for weekly visits over many months) Heres the problems: Both of my children have ADHD, one on medication, one not. I have read extensively on managing our behavioral concerns and understanding what we should expect from our kids. My husband has not read anything, but supports medication and can tell a difference. Our problem is that when one child in particular makes goofy faces, wiggles around, looks away and other unconscious acts when being scolded etc. my husband gets very angry, lots of yelling etc about disrespect. He thinks he is not getting through, so he thinks that if he makes himself very scary it will make an impression once and for all, so he really goes to the max(no physical punishment), despite the fact that this only happens after the medicine wears off. He is a big man and very intense and energetic and I can hardly get him to really listen to what I say (not soulful listening, just that he automatically thinks everything will be negative or a criticism, when often I am making an offer to help out with a to-do or trying to show concern). The kids have garden variety ADHD issues- not defiant or combative, just handfuls in general. I, of course, am forced into the role of the softie, and blamed for the fact that his nuclear outbursts have not proven effective. The fact that the kids are not perfect despite my desperate reading is proof to him that the books on managing behavior useless pablum.

So anyway, he looks really scary, even to me, it doesn't work with the kids so it happens every week, and I think hubby has ADHD too (he agrees and other family members have it). Daddy is a high-achiever, so we don't need an adult ADHD specialist to help Daddy focus, etc, but with someone that can help a successful person (in part successful because of the ADHD-linked traits of energy, multitasking, and creativity) work on his response to our kids, and my response to his response. He got hit alot for disrespect as a child, and has had anger issues all his life, and still doesn't see the connection. I think therapy is the only way- I've read all the books. Mom in the middle

I have found counseling to be very helpful in dealing with my ADHD child, but there are other resources too. First I would recommend you join CHADD, a national non-profit that provides education, advocacy, and support for people with ADHD and their families. You can join a local support group and/or an on-line community. Kindred spirit

Support group in Berkeley for parents of ADHD kids?

Sept. 2004

Is there a support group for parents of children with AD/HD in the Berkeley area? I need help with parenting skills for my 7 year old AD/HD son. This is new to me and I am a bit overwhelmed. I don't see this on the website. Thanks. Mom in need

Rona Renner with Kaiser in Richmond runs an ADHD parenting workshop. It is a 4 part series on Saturday mornings. I believe the next series starts on Oct. 9th. Her # is (510)307-2539 for more info. You do not need to be a member of Kaiser to attend-- it is free to the public. I have not actually attended yet, but I plan to go to this next one. My son is 8 and was diagnosed with ADHD at age 7. We have had a lot of ups and downs and I've learned a lot in the process. If you'd like, I would be happy to talk with you more about our family's journey with an ADHD child (behavioral pediatricians, medication as an option, schools, etc.).
[Editor] more reviews of Rona Renner: http://parents.berkeley.edu/recommend/therapy/renner.html

Check out East Bay learning disabilities assn: http://www.eastbaylda.org/home_page.html and www.chadd.org (children and adults w/ adhd) The local chapter of Chadd has support groups that meet in various places. Also check out www.schwablearning.org - the parent chat acts as a virtual support group. Well moderated, very helpful Anon

The closest one I have found is in Pleasanton, run by JoAnn Matone, once a month. She can be contacted at jmatone [at] attbi.com. Another Parent Dealing with the Same Thing

June 2003

I would be interested in knowing about parenting classes that offer support and techniques for dealing with children who have been diagnosed with ADHD. If anyone has attended such, could you please share your experience, both plus and minus? Many thanks!
Parent of recently diagnosed child

Recommendations received:

  • Rona Renner's parenting workshops (2)
    CHADD (Children and Adults with ADHD) offers local groups and lots of information. They can be reached at 510.291.2950. The Ability Resource Center in Berkeley is another place to try. They offer groups for parents and children, and also see families individually. I heard the director, Glenn Gelfenbein, MA speak at a conference and was very impressed with his knowledge and understanding of what such a diagnosis means for the child and parents. They can be reached at 510.595.5548. Andrea