Executive Function Training for ADHD: Therapy vs. Coaching vs. Combined Support

If you have ADHD or you’re parenting a child who does, you likely know the challenges of executive dysfunction—struggles with time management, emotional regulation, focus, and follow-through. You’re not lazy or unmotivated—your brain just works differently.

So where do you turn for help? Should you work with an ADHD therapist, an executive functioning coach, or someone who blends both approaches?

Let’s break down your options—and why my integrative therapy and coaching approach may be the most effective for individuals with ADHD, Autism, or AuDHD.

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What Is Executive Functioning and Why Does It Matter for ADHD?

Executive functioning is your brain’s management system. It helps you start tasks, stay organized, regulate emotions, shift between activities, and complete goals. These skills are often underdeveloped or inconsistent in individuals with ADHD, Autism, or AuDHD (combined ADHD and Autism traits).

When executive functioning is impaired, you may:

• Struggle to begin or complete tasks
• Lose track of time and priorities
• Get overwhelmed easily
• Experience frequent procrastination
• Feel paralyzed by perfectionism or fear of failure

Executive function training teaches the practical tools and systems needed to overcome these challenges—and it works best when customized for neurodivergent brains.

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Working with a Therapist for Executive Functioning Support

A licensed ADHD therapist helps address executive dysfunction through a mental health lens. If anxiety, trauma, or emotional dysregulation are contributing to your difficulties, therapy provides space to heal those root issues.

Benefits of Therapy:

• Trauma-informed care
• Mental health support for coexisting conditions like anxiety or depression
• Deeper understanding of masking, burnout, and self-esteem
• Safe space for emotional exploration

Drawbacks:

• May not always provide concrete, day-to-day strategy
• Less focus on accountability or structured skill-building

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Working with an ADHD Coach

ADHD coaching focuses on accountability, action plans, and building practical systems. Coaches are often helpful for clients who need structure and guidance, but who aren’t dealing with significant emotional barriers.

Benefits of Coaching:

• Concrete tools and task management systems
• Weekly accountability and support
• Focused on moving forward and building habits

Drawbacks:

• Not licensed to treat mental health conditions
• Can overlook emotional roots of executive dysfunction
• Not ideal for clients with trauma or comorbidities

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Why a Therapist Who Also Provides Coaching Is the Best of Both Worlds

That’s where I come in.

I’m Victoria Prisco, a Licensed Professional Counselor, Special Education Teacher, and ADHD Specialist. I offer executive function therapy for ADHD, Autism, and AuDHD that blends therapeutic insight with practical coaching strategies.

With me, you don’t have to choose between emotional support and skill-building—we do both.

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What Makes My Approach to Executive Function Therapy Unique?

• Special Education Expertise
  I’ve spent over 15 years teaching executive functioning skills in academic and therapeutic settings. I understand how to break complex tasks down into teachable, brain-friendly steps for neurodivergent learners.
• Licensed Therapy + Skill-Based Coaching
  You’ll gain coping skills for anxiety, emotional regulation tools, and real-time strategies to manage procrastination, time blindness, and perfectionism.
• Tailored for ADHD, AuDHD, and Autism
  My sessions are designed for brains that don’t fit the mold. Whether you’re a college student with burnout or a parent of a child who keeps getting sent out of class, I tailor each session to meet you where you are.
• Virtual ADHD Therapy Available in PA, FL, AZ, VA, NV & ID
  I provide online therapy across multiple states for children, teens, and adults.

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Should You Choose a Therapist or Coach for ADHD?

If you’re looking for real change, the answer might be both. Many of my clients come to me after trying traditional talk therapy or surface-level coaching that didn’t stick. My goal is to help you:

• Rebuild self-trust
• Improve time management
• Increase task initiation and follow-through
• Reduce anxiety and overwhelm
• Create sustainable routines that work with your brain

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Start Executive Function Therapy Today

Ready to stop spinning your wheels? Whether you’ve just been diagnosed or are years into trying to “fix” your ADHD with planners and productivity hacks, it’s time to try a new approach.

Let’s work together to create a system that supports the way your brain actually works.

👉 Book your introduction session

What If Your Anxiety and Depression Were Actually Undiagnosed ADHD or Autism?

You’ve spent years trying to manage your anxiety or depression.
You’ve tried therapy, medications, mindfulness, and maybe even lifestyle overhauls—yet something still doesn’t feel quite right.

What if the problem wasn’t that these things didn’t work…
But that they weren’t addressing the root cause?

For many individuals—especially those assigned female at birth or those with high-masking tendencies—undiagnosed ADHD or autism can hide beneath the surface for decades, misdiagnosed or dismissed entirely.

The Hidden Root: Undiagnosed ADHD or Autism

If you’ve been told you’re “too sensitive,” “lazy,” “scattered,” or “too emotional,” there’s a chance what you’re really experiencing is neurodivergence, not just mental health challenges. ADHD and autism often go undetected, especially in adults who’ve learned to mask, people-please, and over-function in order to survive.

When ADHD or autism goes undiagnosed, the symptoms often look like anxiety and depression:

• Chronic people-pleasing driven by fear of rejection
• Working to the point of burnout to avoid feeling like a failure
• Intense guilt and shame from procrastination and low motivation
• A critical inner voice that won’t let you rest or say no

Treat the Root, Not Just the Symptoms

If this sounds familiar, it might be time to stop managing symptoms and start understanding what’s actually driving them. Treating the root—neurodivergence—can lead to lasting change.

With a specialized executive functioning therapy approach, you’ll begin to:

• Unlearn anxious patterns like perfectionism and overworking
• Build systems to manage time, focus, and follow-through
• Understand your brain’s wiring so you can stop fighting it
• Reduce depressive spirals tied to shame, low energy, or lack of structure
• Set boundaries, unmask, and live more authentically

You Deserve Therapy That Makes Sense for Your Brain

Traditional talk therapy often misses the mark for neurodivergent individuals. That’s why my approach is solution-focused, skills-based, and designed to help you feel empowered, not overwhelmed. We work together to create sustainable changes that actually fit your life and your brain.

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Ready to find out if ADHD or autism is at the root of your burnout, anxiety, or depression?
Let’s explore it together.

👉 Book an Introductory Session
📧 Or email me directly at vprisco@victoriaprisco.net to check insurance or ask questions.

Dating with ADHD and Autism: Why It Feels So Hard (And That Doesn’t Mean You’re Broken)

If you have both ADHD and Autism—or you suspect you might—you’ve probably felt like dating is a confusing, exhausting maze. One minute, you’re deeply invested in someone new. The next, you’re overstimulated, overanalyzing everything, or emotionally shutting down. You want connection, but it always feels like you’re doing too much—or not enough.

Dating with ADHD is hard. Dating with Autism can be hard. And when both are present (hello, AuDHD brain!), the emotional intensity, sensory challenges, and social decoding can make the whole experience feel… impossible.

Let’s talk about why dating can be especially draining for neurodivergent people—and why there’s nothing “wrong” with you if traditional dating just doesn’t work.

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What Dating Feels Like with an AuDHD Brain

People with ADHD and Autism often crave connection—but experience it differently than neurotypical people. Here’s how that might show up:

• Hyperfixation on a new person or relationship
• Difficulty reading social cues, texting tone, or unspoken expectations
• Feeling emotionally overwhelmed or confused by inconsistent communication
• Masking to appear “normal,” which leads to exhaustion and disconnection
• Black-and-white thinking when it comes to interest, rejection, or commitment
• Wanting deep emotional intimacy—but needing more predictability and space

You might also:

• Struggle to balance sensory needs with physical closeness
• Feel guilty for needing clarity, structure, or directness in communication
• Retreat or shut down when feelings get too intense or unspoken expectations pile up
• Question whether your desire for partnership is even realistic

Spoiler: it is. You’re just trying to do it in a world that wasn’t designed for how your brain works.

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You’re Not Too Much. You’re Not Too Confusing. You’re AuDHD.

There’s a unique beauty in the way AuDHD individuals love: intensely, thoughtfully, and with a deep desire to understand and be understood. But without the right support, dating can easily become a cycle of:

• Overgiving to prove your worth
• Melting down after too much sensory or emotional input
• Losing your voice in the relationship
• Withdrawing before the other person can reject you
• Feeling chronically misunderstood

The truth is, your needs aren’t excessive—they just don’t fit into the standard dating script. You may need more directness, less ambiguity, more downtime between dates, or communication that prioritizes clarity over vague vibes.

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How Therapy Can Support AuDHD Daters

You don’t need another list of “dating tips.” You need space to understand your brain, your needs, and your relational patterns in a way that feels validating—not pathologizing.

Therapy for AuDHD dating struggles can help you:

• Learn how ADHD and Autism interact in emotional and social settings
• Understand your unique sensory, emotional, and communication needs
• Set clear boundaries without guilt
• Stop masking and start leading with your authentic self
• Unpack past relationship trauma, ghosting, or emotional burnout
• Rebuild self-trust and confidence in your worth

When you work with someone who gets it, therapy becomes a place where your identity is honored, not questioned.

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You Deserve Connection That Feels Safe and Real

Whether you’re dating casually, exploring polyamory, in a queer relationship, or dreaming of a long-term partner and future family—your version of love is valid. You don’t need to become “less autistic” or “more normal” to be worthy of love. You need support that actually sees you.

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My Approach

I specialize in working with neurodivergent adults—including those who identify as ADHD, autistic, or both—who are navigating dating, rejection sensitivity, burnout, and self-esteem struggles. I offer:

• 30-minute virtual sessions (great for energy-conscious clients)
• Neurodivergent-affirming care
• LGBTQIA+ inclusive, trauma-informed therapy
• Support for all relationship styles (monogamous, poly, queer, questioning, etc.)
• Insurance-friendly options (Aetna & United Healthcare)

Together, we can explore what’s actually getting in your way—and what it would feel like to approach dating with more clarity, safety, and confidence.

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Ready to Date Without Losing Yourself?

You’re not “bad at dating.” You’re just burnt out from doing it in ways that weren’t built for your brain or your heart. If you’re ready to date differently—with more self-awareness and less self-blame—therapy can help.

🗓 Book your free consult today, just click the schedule button above!
📍 Serving clients in PA, FL, AZ, ID, & NV
🔗 www.levelupwellnesshub.com

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You are wired for connection. Let’s help you do it in a way that actually works for you.

Why Dating Feels So Draining When You Have ADHD (And What You Can Do About It)

You’ve been on so many first dates you’ve lost count. You’ve swiped endlessly, texted until your brain short-circuited, and spent nights deep-diving into “Are We Dating the Same Guy?” threads. You try to stay hopeful—but the truth is, you’re exhausted.

If dating feels more like a full-time job with zero emotional payoff, you’re not alone. And if you have ADHD, there are real, brain-based reasons why modern dating might be draining your energy and wrecking your self-esteem.

Let’s talk about why dating feels so hard—and how therapy can help you untangle the patterns, rebuild your confidence, and feel more grounded in your relationships.

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ADHD and the Dating Burnout Spiral

When you have ADHD, your brain processes information—and emotions—differently. You might hyperfocus on someone new, feeling deeply invested before you even know if you actually like them. The excitement is thrilling… until it isn’t.

Once the dopamine rush wears off, you may find yourself bored, anxious, or overwhelmed. The uncertainty of early dating can trigger rejection sensitivity, executive dysfunction, and spirals of overthinking. You want connection—but it’s exhausting to constantly question if you’re too much, not enough, or simply being ignored.

Sound familiar?

• You spend hours crafting the “perfect” text reply
• You get attached quickly and spiral if the energy shifts
• You’ve been ghosted so many times, it feels personal
• Dating apps are overstimulating and demoralizing
• You feel like you’re constantly starting over—and never moving forward

Now layer that on top of societal pressure, TikTok “therapy” advice, and watching your friends settle down while you’re still trying to get past the talking stage?

Burnout isn’t just expected—it’s inevitable.

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You Are Relationship Material (But You’re Burnt Out)

One of the hardest parts of dating with ADHD is how quickly the emotional rollercoaster turns inward. When connections fizzle or fall apart, it’s easy to assume it’s your fault.

“I’m too intense.”
“I scare people off.”
“Something must be wrong with me.”

Nope. You’re not broken. You’re just stuck in a system—and a society—that doesn’t account for the way your brain works.

The truth? ADHD impacts everything from emotional regulation to communication styles to how you interpret silence or shifts in tone. That doesn’t make you less lovable. It just means you need tools and support tailored to how you experience connection.

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What Therapy Can Do (That Dating Advice Can’t)

Scrolling Instagram or TikTok for dating advice might bring short-term validation—but it rarely leads to long-term healing. That’s because advice doesn’t replace deep understanding. Therapy does.

Working with a therapist who understands ADHD and relationship fatigue can help you:

• Recognize unhealthy patterns without shame
• Manage rejection sensitivity and emotional flooding
• Build a secure sense of self—so you don’t lose yourself in every connection
• Set clearer boundaries and communicate your needs
• Stay grounded during the uncertainty of early dating stages
• Break the cycle of self-abandonment in pursuit of love

Therapy is where you can stop performing and start being real. It’s where you shift from asking, “What’s wrong with me?” to “What do I actually want—and how do I get there with less burnout?”

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Affirming, Neurodivergent-Friendly, and Judgment-Free

Not every therapy space is built for the modern, neurodivergent dater. That’s why I created a space where you don’t have to overexplain or mask.

✔️ ADHD-friendly
✔️ LGBTQIA+ affirming
✔️ Inclusive of all relationship styles (monogamy, polyamory, queer, questioning, etc.)
✔️ 30-minute virtual sessions that fit your schedule and attention span

Whether you want marriage, partnership, or just to stop feeling like dating is breaking you—you deserve support that sees the full picture.

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You Don’t Have to Keep Doing This Alone

Dating fatigue isn’t about being dramatic or sensitive. It’s about carrying too much, for too long, without the support you actually need. If you’re ready to stop the spiral and feel more secure in who you are and how you date, therapy can help.

💻 Book your 30-minute virtual session today
📍 Serving PA, FL, AZ, ID & NV
📆 Aetna and United Healthcare accepted | Private pay also available

Click the schedule button above to book a free consultation!