I've been seeing the same therapist for over 2 years. She's amazing. I think I had it figured out pretty early on that she had ADD, but last week she confirmed it.

She took some med that f'd her up so much that when I went in for my session it looked like she was having a seizure or going into shock. It was really scary and all she said was that she was tired. The trauma that has resulted from that situation is a different issue from the one I'm pressing now.

One wonderful thing about my therapist is that I can tell her ANYTHING, but now I feel like she can't possibly ever be fully present with me while she is ADD.

I do not have ADD, but I'm usually fairly open-minded about learning/focus/concentration differences.

There are so many layers to what's now going on. I'm in therapy because as a child I felt like I was never listened to. And now, to have a therapist that I am totally attached to and then to realize "hey, maybe she hasn't been able to listen to everything i've said" is a little off-setting.

She rambles, but I usually welcome the distraction. She fidgets, but it isn't distracting (I work with children). So, I guess what I'm asking is for some positive comments in support of sticking with this therapist. With ADD does she have the capacity the fully hear everything I bring to my session??

With ADD does she have the capacity the fully hear everything I bring to my session??
People with ADD can be extremely intuitive. They can get right to the heart of problems. This may be because us ADDers loosely connect things and so we are able to make connections that non ADDers can't in seconds. Some people with ADD (including myself) are very interested in the way they mind works and what makes people tick. This is your therapists job so it is probably her main interest.

Your therapist may not appear to hear everything, but she could just be picking out the things that she thinks are relevent.

When my friends tell me their problems I often skip alot of stuff that they are saying, not because I am not concentrating or that I don't want to listen but because I know that some bits arn't important and I know which bits are.

I, as a person with ADD, am extremely grateful to have found a therapist who has ADD. That's another issue entirely, but let me tell you one thing - your therapist might occasionally appear to be not listening, but it's very likely that at that point, she's processing something you said, connecting it to other things you've said, to knowledge she has from education, to things other patients have said, making the connections that will give her the answers she needs for you. If she weren't paying attention, you'd know it. She'd be jumping in and answering before you'd asked anything, saying things that clearly showed that she wasn't listening. And if she's helped you over the last couple of years, it should be an indication to you that she can continue to help you.

That being said, though, being comfortable with your therapist and feeling confident in his or her ability to help you is essential. If you lose that comfort and confidence to the point that it overshadows the progress you've made, it might be time to find another doctor.