Gulf Coast Family Services

07/13/2025

One of the first things we discuss in therapy is radical acceptance, which starts with accepting being neurodivergent and learning about working with your brain instead of against it. ❤️

06/27/2025

Excellent video by ADHD Dude on effective interventions for ADHD.

You’ll note that he mentions that talk therapy, play therapy, counseling, etc. is not mentioned by the American Academy of Pediatrics as evidence-based interventions for ADHD. This is why the therapy we offer for ADHD & Autism focuses on ADHD or ASD education, parent training, and skills building.

This is also one of many reasons we do not accept insurance. Insurance companies restrict the therapy modalities they covered, which is limited to what they determine is appropriate. This arrangement may work well for treating diagnoses that benefit from traditional approaches.

However, our eclectic approach focuses on creating a specialized, targeted, and brief treatment plan for each client based on their needs that is always heavily focused on education and skills building. In fact, we often have clients who participate in our brief 6-session treatment plans that focus on ADHD or ASD while they continue to see their established therapist.

If you are interested in more information about ADHD or Autism testing or therapy, you can schedule a free phone consultation from our website at www.gc.family

𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗥𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲, 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗞𝗶𝗱𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗗𝗛𝗗No fluff. Just skills that actually work.I’m Ryan W...

06/13/2025

This is so important to understand. We offer ADHD & Autism testing for children, teens, and adults. We also offer individual, family, & parenting therapy sessions focused on understanding how ADHD and/or autism is impacting you or your child, how to identify strengths, and recognize and manage yours or your child’s unique challenges. Schedule a free phone consultation on our website at www.gc.family.

06/04/2025

05/21/2025

Join us on Wednesday, May 21st, for our FREE webinar with our speaker, Mary Beth Vick from Early Intervention! She has over 25 years of experience working with Alabama's Ei System and will be discussing "The Who, What, Where, When, How, and Why: Part C EI Services for AL Children Birth-Three and Their Families." She has been instrumental in advancing early identification and intervention strategies for young children with characteristics of Autism, ensuring they receive the services and support needed during critical early developmental years.

Please, share this with those you know who are dealing with ASD needs for those three years old and under. Click the link to register!

https://heyor.ca/og1jNE

05/21/2025

05/16/2025

We teach DBT skills in therapy for ADHD & Autism and this is one we work on often with clients and parents. There are many ways to use this skill, including acceptance of one’s diagnosis and what that means. Radically accepting mine or my child’s diagnosis means that I stop wishing away the symptoms and focus on real solutions. It is accepting that mine or my child’s brain is wired differently and I need to learn what that means. It helps me focus on finding strategies and techniques to assist with the challenges based on how I or my child think, learn, and function instead of continuing to force myself or my child to operate like a neurotypical. It means I stop “shoulding” all over myself or my child (I should, you should, he/she should…). It is understanding that I or my child can accomplish many things successfully but we aren’t going to do it the same as a neurotypical. It means I can recognize mine or my child’s strengths because of the unique way the brain works instead of only focusing on the challenges.

Radical acceptance IS NOT disregarding emotions, toxic positivity, no boundaries or no expectations by allowing any and all types of behavior without correction. This would be taking acceptance to an extreme. Radical acceptance is a skill that can be used to successfully manage many situations when applied appropriately. It is particularly helpful in addressing cognitive inflexibility, which is usually present in varying degrees with an ADHD or Autism diagnosis.

For information on our 6-session skills building programs, schedule a phone consultation from our website www.gc.family

05/14/2025

We regularly recommend ADHD Dude as a resource for parents of children with ADHD & Autism. He has a new program releasing for parents of children ages 4 - 7 in addition to his existing programs.

Have you heard of empathy dysregulation? Check out this video:
As you watch, keep in mind that we don’t want to go from one extreme to another. Regulating empathy means finding balance, not over empathizing but also not under empathizing. I often say that understanding your child and meeting them where they are does not mean the absence of expectations and responsibility. I appreciate Ryan’s approach in this area and his programs provide specific language and guidance to help with clarity and consistency in parenting.

ADHD Dude provides parent training through the ADHD Dude Membership Site, in-person school-year programs, and summer camps. ADHD Dude is not gender-specifi...

05/13/2025

It’s the end of the school year and we are looking forward to summer! But don’t wait until school starts next year to start thinking about ADHD or Autism testing. Take advantage of the summer to attend testing sessions without your child missing school. It’s also a long process, and waiting until school resumes delays assistance even longer.

04/01/2025

Save the Date. The 19th Annual Pirates Cove Autism FUNraiser is July 26th and 27th.

03/26/2025

Gulf Coast Family Services is now offering therapy programs targeting specific topics or therapeutic strategies.
Programs include the following:
- Intake session plus six (6) therapy sessions.
- Sessions scheduled every two (2) weeks on the same day and time, based on availability
- The final session is a review of content and discussion of next steps.