ADHD Counseling for Teens & Young Adults in Fort Wayne, IN
Support for focus, follow-through, and the emotions that come with ADHD, ages 13-25
ADHD is often talked about as a focus problem. For most teens and young adults living with it, that's only part of the picture. It's forgetting things that matter to you, starting ten things and finishing none of them, feeling like everyone else got a manual you never received, and the shame that builds up after years of being called lazy or careless when you were working harder than anyone could see.
ADHD counseling at Unwilted Counseling in Fort Wayne works with both sides of that: the practical skills and the emotional weight that usually comes with them.
Schedule a free 15-minute consultation | Call or text (260) 255-6432
At a Glance | Category |
|---|---|
Who we help | Teens and young adults, ages 13-25, with ADHD or ADHD-like attention and executive function challenges |
Concerns | Inattention, disorganization, procrastination, emotional dysregulation, rejection sensitivity, low self-esteem tied to ADHD |
Approaches | CBT for ADHD, executive function coaching, IFS-informed, attachment-focused |
Therapist | Destina Rekeweg, LMHC (Licensed Mental Health Counselor) |
Formats | In person at 3514 Stellhorn Rd., Fort Wayne, IN 46815; virtual across Indiana and Ohio |
Ongoing session fee | $135 for 50 minutes (private pay; out-of-network reimbursement may be possible) |
First step | Free 15-minute consultation |
What ADHD Actually Looks Like in Teens and Young Adults
ADHD (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) is a neurodevelopmental difference in how the brain manages attention, impulse control, and executive function, the mental skills used to plan, start, organize, and follow through on tasks. It is not a motivation problem, and it does not mean someone isn't trying.
In teens, ADHD often shows up as missed assignments despite real effort, trouble sitting still or waiting a turn, and conflict at home over chores or screen time. In young adults, the hyperactivity piece often fades while the executive function and emotional challenges remain or get harder, especially once the structure of school gives way to managing a job, a household, or college on your own.
ADHD Presentations
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Inattentive: trouble sustaining focus, losing track of things, difficulty organizing tasks, seeming not to listen
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Hyperactive-impulsive: restlessness, interrupting, difficulty waiting, acting before thinking something through
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Combined: a mix of both, which is common in teens and adults
Signs ADHD Counseling Might Help
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Starting tasks is hard even when you know they matter and want to do them
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Time feels slippery: deadlines sneak up, or you're chronically early or late with no in-between
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A messy room, inbox, or backpack that reflects a system that never quite holds
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Big emotional reactions to small frustrations, or trouble calming back down once upset (see Emotion Regulation Counseling if this is the main struggle)
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Rejection sensitivity: criticism or perceived disapproval hits much harder than it seems like it should
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A long history of being told you're smart but not living up to your potential, and the shame that comes with hearing it
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Relationships or school/work strained by forgetfulness, interrupting, or missed commitments
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Previously diagnosed with ADHD and looking for support beyond or alongside medication
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Wondering whether undiagnosed ADHD explains a lifetime of these patterns
How ADHD Affects More Than Attention
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Executive function. Planning, organizing, prioritizing, and starting tasks all draw on executive function, and ADHD affects it directly, not just the ability to pay attention.
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Emotional regulation. Many people with ADHD experience emotions more intensely and recover from them more slowly, which can look like a short temper or being "too sensitive."
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Self-esteem. Years of being corrected, nagged, or compared to peers who seem to manage effortlessly often leave behind a belief that something is fundamentally wrong with you. It usually isn't. The system around you wasn't built for how your brain works.
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Relationships. Forgotten plans, interrupting, or missed follow-through can strain friendships, family relationships, and romantic relationships, even when the care behind them is real.
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Co-occurring concerns. Anxiety and depression frequently travel alongside ADHD, sometimes as a result of the years of friction it can cause, and are often addressed alongside it rather than treated separately.
Transition-Age Support: From High School Structure to Independence
Ages 13-25 span one of the hardest stretches for ADHD: the slow removal of the scaffolding that used to hold things together. A 504 plan or IEP, a parent managing the calendar, teachers who know to repeat instructions, a fixed daily bell schedule, all of it quietly disappears right around the time the stakes go up.
For high schoolers, that might mean the first time a missed deadline has a real academic consequence with no built-in safety net. For young adults, it's often the jump into college, a first apartment, or a first job, where there's no one checking in if a bill goes unpaid or a class gets skipped for the third week running.
This is often when ADHD becomes impossible to ignore, not because it got worse, but because the support system that was quietly compensating for it is gone. ADHD counseling at this stage focuses on:
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Building self-managed systems to replace external structure that's aging out (IEP accommodations, parental reminders, a school's built-in routine)
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Preparing for the specific jump ahead, whether that's college, a first full-time job, or living independently for the first time
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Communicating ADHD-related needs directly, to a professor, an employer, or a roommate, without a parent doing it on your behalf
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Rebuilding confidence after a rocky first semester, a lost job, or a stretch of independent living that didn't go as planned
If your teen is a year or two from graduating, or your young adult is newly on their own, this transition period is often the most effective time to build habits before a harder landing, not after one.
How ADHD Counseling Works
ADHD counseling at Unwilted Counseling combines practical, skills-based work with the emotional and identity work that ADHD often requires.
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Understanding your ADHD. We start by mapping how ADHD shows up specifically for you: where it helps, where it gets in the way, and what's already been tried.
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Building workable systems. Rather than generic productivity advice, we build routines, reminders, and structures suited to how your brain actually works, not how a planner app assumes it should.
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Working through the emotional layer. Shame, rejection sensitivity, and self-esteem damage built up over years don't resolve with better systems alone. This phase addresses the story you've learned to tell about yourself.
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Strengthening relationships and self-advocacy. We work on communicating ADHD-related needs to family, partners, teachers, or employers, and on self-advocacy that doesn't require over-explaining or apologizing for how your brain works.
Our Approach
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CBT for ADHD: Building practical strategies for focus, organization, time management, and follow-through.
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IFS-informed therapy: Working with the emotional patterns shaped by years of ADHD-related criticism or struggle.
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Executive function support. Concrete strategies for planning, time management, and follow-through, tailored to the individual rather than one-size-fits-all.
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Trauma-informed where relevant. For clients where ADHD struggles overlap with shame, family conflict, or past criticism, the same paced complex trauma therapy used across our practice applies here too.
Why Families Choose Unwilted Counseling for ADHD
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Focused on ages 13-25. Clinical work is centered on teens and young adults, so care reflects how ADHD shows up at school, in early independence, and in young adult life, not just childhood.
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Look past the behavior. The goal is understanding what's driving a pattern, not just managing the symptom.
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One consistent therapist. As a solo private-pay practice, the same therapist holds your full history over time.
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Your pace, always. What's discussed, and when, is your call.
Do You Diagnose or Test for ADHD?
Unwilted Counseling provides ADHD counseling but does not conduct formal ADHD diagnostic testing. We can refer you to appropriate testing providers in the Fort Wayne area.
For Parents and Caregivers
If your teen has ADHD, or you suspect they might, you're likely balancing school communication, homework battles, and wanting to support them without the relationship becoming only about reminders and consequences. Parents may be involved in their teen's care through periodic check-ins and support as appropriate. We can also help families navigate school-related challenges and accommodations when relevant. If ADHD-related friction has become a recurring source of conflict at home, Parent-Teen Relationship Counseling may be worth exploring alongside this work.
Meet Your Therapist: Destina Rekeweg, LMHC
Destina is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with a master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and more than three years of experience working exclusively with teens and young adults. Her approach combines practical support with attention to the emotional and relational challenges that can come with ADHD.
In-Person and Virtual ADHD Counseling
In person in Fort Wayne. Sessions take place in a private, comfortable office at 3514 Stellhorn Rd., Fort Wayne, IN 46815.
Virtual across Indiana and Ohio. Secure, HIPAA-compliant telehealth is available to clients located in Indiana and Ohio through the Counseling Compact. Virtual sessions often work well for ADHD clients balancing school or work schedules; in-person sessions can suit younger teens or anyone who benefits from a dedicated, distraction-free space.
What a Session Actually Looks Like
If you've never been to therapy, it's normal to picture something stiff or clinical. A typical ADHD session is closer to a working conversation than an interrogation.
Most sessions start with a quick check-in: what's come up since last time, what a system you tried actually did or didn't do, and what's feeling stuck right now. From there, the focus shifts depending on the week. Some sessions are hands-on and practical, troubleshooting why a planner isn't sticking, building a morning routine that survives contact with a real Tuesday, or walking through how to break a dreaded task into a first, doable step. Others go deeper into the emotional side: a blow-up after a missed deadline, the dread of opening an email from a professor, or the old, familiar feeling of having let someone down again.
There's no requirement to arrive with a polished update or a win to report. A session where nothing on the to-do list got touched is still useful, often more useful, because it says something real about what's getting in the way.
What to Expect
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Free consultation (15 minutes). A low-pressure conversation about what's going on and what support could look like, with no obligation to continue.
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Initial intake assessment (50 min). Understanding your history, current challenges, strengths, and goals.
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Ongoing sessions (50 minutes). Skills-based and emotional work, building toward systems and self-understanding that actually hold.
Many clients begin to notice practical changes within the first few months, while deeper emotional and self-esteem work may take longer depending on their needs and goals.
Fees and Payment
Unwilted Counseling is a private-pay practice and does not bill insurance directly. Many clients use out-of-network benefits for possible reimbursement, and documentation can be provided for that purpose.
Service | Duration | Fee |
|---|---|---|
Initial intake assessment | 50 min | $160 |
Ongoing session | 50 min | $135 |
Intensive session | 75 min | $202.50 |
Intensive session | 100 min | $270 |
Intensive session | 150 min | $405 |
Related Services
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Emotion Regulation Counseling: for managing the intensity that often accompanies ADHD
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Anxiety & Depression Therapy: when ADHD contributes to anxiety or low mood
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Individual Counseling: for broader growth and mental health
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Parent-Teen Relationship Counseling: when ADHD-related friction affects the family
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Complex Trauma & Childhood Abuse: when shame or family conflict around ADHD has deeper trauma roots
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Teens & Young Adults: our core age-specific care model
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Teen Impulsivity: for impulse-control challenges that often overlap with ADHD
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Executive Function & Motivation: the practice's other executive-function-focused page, worth cross-linking rather than duplicating
Frequently Asked Questions
About ADHD Counseling
No. ADHD counseling focuses on building skills and working through the emotional impact of ADHD, whether or not a formal diagnosis is in place.
Yes. Medication can help with attention and impulse control, but it doesn't teach organizational systems, address years of shame, or rebuild self-esteem. Many clients use therapy and medication together, and therapy is also available on its own for those who aren't taking or don't want medication.
Usually not. ADHD affects the brain's executive function system, which governs planning, starting tasks, and follow-through. Struggling with these skills isn't a motivation problem, even though it can look that way from the outside.
Yes. Many young adults recognize ADHD patterns later in life, especially once the external structure of school is gone.
No. While practical systems are part of the work, ADHD counseling here also addresses emotional regulation, rejection sensitivity, and the self-esteem impact of years living with ADHD, not just calendars and checklists.
Unwilted Counseling is private pay and does not bill insurance directly. Clients may seek out-of-network reimbursement from their plan.
Good Faith Estimate: Clients paying privately have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate explaining expected costs of care. You may request this prior to scheduling.
Get Support for ADHD, On Your Terms
You don't have to have a perfect system or a clear diagnosis to start. A free 15-minute consultation is a low-pressure way to talk about what's going on and find out what support could look like. Call or text (260) 255-6432 or request your free consultation.
