Susan Tschudi, MA

I am a licensed marriage and family therapist with a private practice in Westlake Village, CA. I also serve as an adjunct faculty member at Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA where I instruct graduate psychology students.

 

My journey with Attention Deficit Disorder came almost by accident. I had learned about the disorder in my graduate studies but it was taught only in the context of disorders that affect children. After graduation from my master's program I worked with adults and couples and found that many of them had complaints and problems that sounded like the same dynamics I had learned about kids and ADD during my graduate studies.  

 

Although there was not very much information available at the time, I began to explore the possiblity of adults and ADD - by reading as much as I could find and by attending any conferences or workshops on the subject. I began to perform initial evaluations on my clients whom I suspected might have ADD and found that many of them qualified for the diagnosis. In addition, many of the couples who came to my office for help expressed complaints that centered around ADD symptoms such as distractibility, impulsivity, restlessness, poor follow through and procrastination.

 

With a proper diagnosis of ADD, helpful information about the disorder and appropriate referrals for medical management, I found that many of my client's previous complaints diminished significantly. And when couples - especially the non-ADD partner - discovered that much of their relational distress was centered around ADD symptoms, they were able to resolve their problems more successfully.   

 

From time to time I would share the ADD information I had discovered with my husband. More often than not his response would be that he identified with what I was sharing. Ultimately we both realized that he had undiagnosed adult ADD. With proper treatment he has found that his ADD symptoms are much more manageable and that some of the frustrations that we experienced as a couple could be attributed to his ADD.

 

I began to speak on the subject of adult ADD and relationships and ultimately wrote Loving Someone with Attention Deficit Disorder for the purpose of helping couples understand and mangage certain frustrations that arise as a result of having ADD in the relationship.  

 

 

 

Susan Tschudi, MA, LMFT