ADHD, Relationships, and Sex: Strategies to Overcome the Over/Under-Functioner Dynamic

CPD

Handouts

Speaker

Ari Tuckman, PsyD, MBA Related seminars and products

---

Ari Tuckman, PsyD, MBA, is a psychologist, international presenter, author, and ADHD expert. He is the author of four books on adult ADHD – one for clinicians and three for the general public. He has also written several book chapters and is a frequent author for ADHD-related publications, including ADDitude Magazine and Attention Magazine.

He is a popular and dynamic presenter who routinely earns excellent reviews for his ability to make complex concepts understandable and useful. He has given more than 650 presentations and podcast interviews for professionals and members of the public, across America and in Sweden, Turkey, Greece, Mexico, England, Spain, Denmark, Canada, and Iceland.

He has appeared on CNN, National Public Radio, and XM Radio and has been quoted in The New York Times, USA Today, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, USnews.com, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Men’s Health, and many other media outlets. He is a former board member and current conference committee chair for CHADD and is the 2023 recipient of their Hall of Fame award for his significant contributions to the field.

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Ari Tuckman maintains a private practice. He receives royalties as a published author. Ari Tuckman receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. He has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Ari Tuckman is the National Conference Committee co-chair for CHAAD.

Objectives

1. Demonstrate how ADHD neurology impacts an individual psychology. 
2. Determine the many ways that ADHD can impact both partners in a couple and the common dynamics that ensue. 
3. Clarify what the research tells us about the differences between the most and least happy couples with one ADHD partner and apply it to practice. 
4. Integrate a deeper understanding of ADHD, relationship dynamics, and sexuality to work more effectively with these clients to improve both their relationship and sex life. 

Outline

Inside the Adult ADHD Mind   

• Difficulty seeing time and feeling the future 
• Avoidance of difficult or unpleasant tasks   
• Common mindset traps and rationalizations   
• Psychological defensiveness after a lifetime of being corrected 

ADHD’s Impact on Relationships and Sex 

• The over-functioner meets the under-functioner 
• Micromanagement versus independence 
• Chronic polarizing pattern of push and pull 
• Sexuality fades and the couple’s connection weakens 

What the Happiest Couples are Doing Right –  

• Strategies to: 
  • Apply a deeper understanding of ADHD to manage life more resiliently (for both partners) 
  • Create more sustainable expectations to de-escalate the unwinnable tug of war between distraction and anxiety  
  • Explore priorities to decide what to change and what to accept in the relationship 
  • Negotiate differences respectfully and productively  
  • Identify and overcome barriers to a better sex life 

Target Audience

• Counselors
• Social Workers
• Marriage and Family Therapists
• Psychiatrists
• Psychologists
• Psychotherapists
• Therapists
• Addiction Counselors
• Case Managers
• Nurses
• Other Mental Health Professionals