NorthStar Therapy

09/01/2025

A late Happy Labor Day to all our friends and followers. In observance our office will be closed today.

08/21/2025

We (Scott and Mariah) know that you know how to do much of what you should, need, and want to be doing, even with ADHD getting in the way. The trouble is overcoming inertia and becoming more consistent with task initiation and completion. To paraphrase what the great choir of our ADHD colleagues, predecessors, and heroes has been saying for years, “ADHD is not a knowing problem; it is a going problem.” Put another way, “ADHD is not a knowledge deficit disorder; it is a performance deficit disorder.”

DBT is a unique approach to adult ADHD as it approaches ADHD with neurobiology in mind, provides a set of skills accounting for behavioral principles to affect motivation (e.g., reinforcement, aversion, shaping), which invariably fluctuates, and will steep you in validation and acceptance, which opens new spaces for finding practical solutions to daily problems while aiming toward cultivating a Life Worth Living.

07/31/2025

This is a key reality. Thank you, Steven C. Hayes.

The more we try to control our thoughts and feelings, the more we create resistance to what naturally shows up. Let go of control and embrace what comes, while moving in a meaningful direction.

07/31/2025

Ah... .

Elderslie Farm is an abode for the community.

It's BEAUTIFUL out here this morning! And there are some good little puddles to jump so bring the boots. :) Today through Sunday is the last chance for Bramble Cafe before our summer break (Aug 4-15)!!

07/31/2025

The ADHD-Communication Connection.

ADHD inattention, impulsivity, and emotional dysregulation don't just affect your ability to focus on tasks, they also interfere with your efforts at effective communication.

Interrupting others, spacing out during important conversations, or reacting impulsively to perceived criticism can interfere with building trust and connections with others.

These challenges don't arise from a hidden character flaw. They emerge from ADHD Executive Function Impairments (EFIs), which interfere with your brain's ability to regulate attention and emotions, which can contribute to cycles of miscommunication and hurt feelings. Understanding the underlying neurobiological challenges to your Executive Functions (EFs) is a crucial first step toward creating change with , starting with .

07/29/2025

Anxiety & OCD Treatment: Amanda Petrik-Gardner, LCPC is on a collaboration rampage to better the lives of our neighbors around Kansas. Go, shine, teach!

07/29/2025

A great rendering of from our colleagues at DBT in Schools, LLC.

Most educators and parents know what Wise Mind is. The balanced integration of Emotion Mind and Reasonable Mind.

But what’s often overlooked is how differently students access (or fail to access) Wise Mind at school versus at home, and why direct instruction in school settings is critical.

🏠 At home, students often have more freedom to regulate on their own terms:
They might storm off, shut down in their room, or vent to a parent after the fact.

🏫 At school, there’s no bedroom to retreat to. No parent to validate on demand. And emotional reactions are highly visible and often penalized, sometimes before a student even understands what they’re feeling.

This is why teaching Wise Mind in a school-based, skills-forward approach like DBT STEPS-A is different from simply encouraging students to “think before acting.”

We walk them through:
How to identify when they’re in Emotion Mind in real-time
How to cue a shift using practices like breath, visualization, and grounding
How to apply Wise Mind in fast-moving, high-stakes settings like the hallway after a fight, the cafeteria during exclusion, or the classroom during a test

And we do it with developmentally appropriate tools and language that resonate with teens, not clinical jargon, not therapist, only strategies.

Because if we want students to use Wise Mind, we have to teach it explicitly, in the settings where they need it most.

🧠 This is more than a concept, it’s the foundation of every other skill we teach.

🔗 Learn how we train school teams to implement these lessons with confidence (without needing a clinical background).

https://www.dbtinschools.com/stepsa-training

07/29/2025

The Nifty Nut House Wichita is a nifty place! Congrats, you sweetener of life.

We just got crowned Kansas’s Best Candy Store by Mashed! 🏆

Yep—Nifty Nut House beat out every other sweet shop in the Sunflower State. Why? Because we’ve got the goods:
🔥 Fresh in-house roasted nuts
🍫 Nostalgic candies
🛒 4,500+ ways to treat yourself

Mashed called us “endless.” We call it just another Tuesday.

🎉 Come see why Wichita’s wildest candy warehouse is officially #1: https://buff.ly/ggn9PbM

07/27/2025

Don't give in to avoiding the negative/painful aspects of life. This can lead to avoiding positive/pleasant events and experiences. Express your commitment to your Life Worth Living goals by doing at least one little thing each day that will bring peace, joy, humor, satisfaction, or self-confidence. What is the one little thing you can do today?

07/24/2025

As we teach skills module with our clients right now, we came across this line form Dr. Linehan's teaching notes, which we love:

“When people tell you to quit feeling an emotion, it is like telling you to quit feeling the rain come down on your head or the pain when someone hits you over the head with a skillet."

Your emotions are caused. Your emotions are valid. Your emotions provide you with valuable information and motivate effective behaviors. Be mindful out there! :-)

07/23/2025

The real power lies in how you respond to your thoughts, not in the thoughts themselves.