Rethinking ADHD Support for Teens: Why It Looks Different at Berkman Academy

When most people think of ADHD counselling, they imagine a therapist and client sitting face to face, discussing behaviour, feelings, and problems.

That model works well in many contexts. But with teenagers, especially those with ADHD, this “talk it out” model often hits a wall. Teens resist, they clam up, they may feel judged, or simply refuse to open up.

At Berkman Academy, we intentionally don’t begin with direct discussion of “issues.” We use Equine Therapy (horse-assisted work) and experiential metaphors to create a gentler, more accessible doorway in.

The Berkman Academy Way: Horses, Metaphors, and Indirect Bridges

Instead of opening with “Tell me your challenges,” we open with experience and metaphor:

• A teen is invited to lead, groom, or work around a horse.

• We observe the horse’s responses to nonverbal communication, boundaries, calmness, or abruptness.

• We ask: “What was your signal to the horse? Did it respond? Why (or why not)?”

• From that, we draw analogies: “How might you respond if this happens with your friends or teachers?"

  
  

We use lessons from the equine world as analogical mirrors.

The horse becomes a nonjudgmental “co-participant” that gives immediate feedback. This allows teens to see patterns in how they lead, resist, push, or retreat.

There’s good evidence that equine-assisted activities can help with core ADHD challenges, like impulse control, emotional regulation, self-awareness, executive function and focus. equintervention.co.uk+4NeuroLaunch.com+4ScienceDirect+4 

Because working with a horse requires calm, consistency, patience, and awareness of one’s body and intention, it becomes a powerful experiential metaphor.

How This Helps Teens

• Lower resistance: They aren’t forced into introspection; insight emerges naturally.

• Embodied learning: Rather than abstract advice, they feel the difference in strategy.

• Safe detachment: The lesson is about “the horse,” not “the teen.”

• Transferable lessons: Analogies help them see how their decisions, impulses, and cues affect relationships or tasks.

  
  

Over time, you might even shift deeper into reflection, but by then trust and insight are more accessible.

Including Parents: Building Connection, Continuity, and Support

At Berkman, we don’t leave parents outside. We invite them into (or alongside) the sessions, in a measured, intentional way.

Why include parents?

• Shared language: When parents see the analogies and metaphors that resonated, they can use the same language at home.

• Reinforcement: The parent can pick up where the session left off, gently reminding, encouraging, or practicing with the teen.

• Empathy & insight: Parents witness (in the paddock or sideline) how their teen thinks, acts, or reacts, not through lecture, but through action.

• Bonding: Doing together, rather than always diagnosing or coaching at home, creates more connection.

This continuity gives the work legs. It moves it from “one hour a week in therapy” to “ongoing, lived practice.”

The Outcome: Teens Who Feel Respected and Heard, Not Diagnosed

• Teens don’t feel they’re being “fixed.” They feel they’re learning.

• Insights become theirs, not imposed.

• Parents feel involved, empowered, and less alienated.

• The family builds a shared metaphorical “toolbox” to carry forward.

  
  

If you’re a parent or educator curious about how ADHD counselling could look differently, how equine therapy, embodied metaphors, and family continuity might shift the game, reach out.

Find out more about our ADHD counselling by clicking here Berkman Academy ADHD counselling.