Thriving in an Internship with ADHD
Hi everyone, I'm Sydney Smith, the current music therapy intern at Perfect Harmony Health. If you are unaware, October marks ADHD Awareness Month, a time dedicated to shedding light on the realities of living with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. I always knew my brain worked differently than my peers but I was unable to get a diagnosis until college when I started taking charge of my health and well-being. I am happy to have the opportunity through ADHD Awareness Month to share my experience fighting the “ADHDemon” (as I call it) during internship, along with some tips and tricks to survive and thrive during this challenging time.
How ADHD Can Impact Internship
Internships, especially in music therapy, are an important stepping stone in professional development. They offer hands-on experience, networking opportunities, and the chance to transition into a full-time career. However, for individuals like myself with an ADHDemon, navigating an internship can come with unique challenges.
Time Management and Prioritization: Internships require juggling multiple tasks with tight deadlines. In my experience, ADHD can make time management a major hurdle, as I tend to hyperfocus on one task that may not be due for months while losing track of others with closer deadlines. This behavior can result in stress, limited timeframes, and missed opportunities for effective work.
Task Initiation: Nothing is harder for me than starting a new task. I can be fully aware of deadlines and have my priorities in check, but even the thought of starting an important task can be overwhelming and cause anxiety. ADHD may make tasks that take five minutes to complete appear unmanageable, leading to avoidance altogether, which can negatively impact performance.
Social Dynamics: Building professional relationships and navigating office culture is very scary with ADHD. My particular ADHDemon likes to throw in hints of anxiety, causing me to overthink and overanalyze questions, emails from my boss, social cues in the office, and feedback regarding my sessions.
My Strategies for Overcoming Internship Challenges
While these obstacles can feel overwhelming, here are the strategies that I use, that may also help others with ADHD succeed during their internship:
Priority Lists and Self-Made Calendars: Even before my internship, I found that Google Calendar was a lifesaver for scheduling my classes and even smaller tasks like studying or cooking dinner. However, when considering HIPAA, client information should not exist on non-company devices so I had to find a new way of making my reminders. Though my internship has a website with my schedule, I found it helpful to look ahead and make a weekly calendar with abbreviations for the client names to print and place in the office. Physically making the calendar helps solidify my weekly schedule, so nothing gets forgotten, and then seeing my expectations for the week limits feelings of stress as I can work on a day-by-day basis.
Do it EARLY: Even as an undergraduate, session planning always stressed me out. It seemed like a never-ending task that I would either need to make perfect or not attempt. The first step to slaying the ADHDemon is realizing that perfection is not required. Interns are meant to learn and improve, so stop being hard on yourself. Then, step two is to complete your session planning early. A lot of the stress and anxiety, for me, would be from last-minute planning. Instead, consider working on the session plan right after the previous session has ended. It will be easier for you to remember what new interventions you want to implement and then you’ll be ready a week in advance, instead of trying to come up with ideas the night before.
Written Feedback: One thing I appreciate that I have been able to request at my internship is written feedback following each session. My brain can barely hold on to verbal instructions, as the ADHDemon is not a reliable keeper of information. Supervisors providing their feedback in a written format, such as a document or email, has ensured that no important information, such as expectations or requests for session planning, gets lost or forgotten.
Take a Walk: Though you may want to complete your work as soon as possible, it is easy to get distracted when your brain is tired. Though I would like to sit at my desk for a few hours and complete everything on my to-do list, my attention is lost on monotonous tasks. To maintain my focus, I will take breaks during office hours and take a quick walk, whether outside or around the office, to redirect and refocus my attention. Though I am working for shorter periods, I can be more productive and efficient with my work.
Please remember that a mind with ADHD is unique so what works for me or others may not work for you! Allow yourself to be different and if you find a certain strategy doesn't work, it's okay to experiment and find what works for you. Though you may live with an ADHDemon, you have developed unique strengths such as creativity, problem-solving skills, and the ability to think outside the box. Recognizing your strengths is key to understanding that ADHD isn’t just a struggle—it can also be a source of great strength and innovation during your internship.
