As a young girl, Joyce A. Kubik often felt misunderstood. One of her teachers who noticed she quickly completed her work asked her if she was cheating. Her friends wanted to know how she figured things out so fast, and her mother said Joyce had an answer for everything. These frequent misunderstandings led to a life filled with doubt, frustration, anger, and guilt.
The mystery was solved when Joyce realized she was suffering from Attention Deficit Disorder (AD/HD). After her children were also diagnosed with AD/HD, Joyce returned to college, earned a Bachelors Degree in Health Psychology and another in Health Communications, and in June 1998 founded Bridge to Success to help others learn to succeed in managing their AD/HD through a nurturing and educational environment. We met with Joyce recently, and listened as she outlined the services Bridge to Success offers;
Bridge to Success specializes in skills training and coaching for attention deficit disorders. I conduct workshops for families, college students, and adults with AD/HD, and offer a positive approach that goes beyond the diagnosis of AD/HD and teaches others to manage the behavioral and emotional outcomes of living with this most humbling disorder. One of the most effective tools I employ is an holistic approach known as Collaborative Solutions that provides a challenging, supportive, and understanding effort that helps individuals with attentional difficulties reduce their stress and anxiety, increase their personal effectiveness, and improve family interactions by appreciating their positive attributes and talents and creating positive possibilities for their future.
I help my clients develop a more complete awareness of their attentional difficulties, and build structures to manage their internal confusion. By providing encouragement and recommendations to help my clients achieve self-empowerment, they gain control of their internal environment, and are then ready to gain control of their external environment through the help of a professional organizer.
Coaching begins with a unique way of describing and understanding how AD/HD affects the individual and the family over a lifetime. The first two sessions are with the family and from there I work with the student (and a parent if they wish) on specific issues and concerns. Each session requires the student or family to practice a skill or to observe a behavior before returning for the next appointment. Some of the topics we address include:
Working together as a family to respect the time of others
Communication/Interactive Skills
Managing angry outbursts
Responsible planning skills
Help students to manage homework
Using Behavior Response strategies
Creating workable lists
The study environment
It is important to understand that medication itself is not the answer to ADD, a very real condition that affects every aspect of your life twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, not just now and then. This is a neurobiological condition. The solution lies in life skills training that teaches those with ADD not that they have a disability, but that they have a different way of thinking. By learning to understand how their minds work, those with ADD can begin to build processes designed to improve their focus, and learn to live successfully with their thought process.
When you come for coaching, everything is positive. Naturally, you will learn things about yourself that you may not want to hear, but the bottom line is working toward making a positive change. Rather than focusing on what you cannot do, we strive to learn methods that will enable you to do the things you need and want to do effectively.
I work with the local CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) satellite group in Olmsted Falls that meets the second Tuesday of every month at 7:00 p.m. CHADD is a national non-profit, tax-exempt organization providing education, advocacy, and support for individuals with AD/HD. It is a wonderful place to hear other people's experiences with AD/HD and learn more about the many helpful resources available.
Bridge to Success teaches others to manage the behavioral and emotional outcomes of living with AD/HD. Call Bridge to Success today, and don't forget to tell them The Advocate sent you!
