Before an individual is offered counseling, Campbell and three or four doctoral students must evaluate the person and make a diagnosis. During the evaluation, which takes several hours, clients are interviewed, given intelligence tests and fill out a checklist of characteristics. Campbell says she and the students try to evaluate people's concerns and identify ways in which they are being affected by their symptoms. Individuals with ADHD can face considerable social hurdles. At the Center for Counseling and Human Development Services, clients learn social and communication skills, from how to know something is inappropriate to say, to finding acceptable, alternative ways of expressing frustration creatively by listening to music or writing in a journal.
Most people learn of the center through referrals from previous clients.
Brochures are sent to schools, private practitioners and mental health agencies each fall detailing the center's services. In addition to counseling, clients may be helped by the drug Ritalin, the amphetamine commonly used to treat ADHD which must be prescribed by a physician if he or she determines medication is needed. Use of Ritalin remains controversial. Coordinated by Alice Gay, the Distance Learning Link produces national satellite teleconferences that focus on the challenges of work and school, such as sorting out details and time-management skills for both children and adults. As more people become aware of ADHD, the public can begin to understand the disorder.