--- title: "ADHD Therapy for Teens in Eugene, Oregon | Ubuntu Counseling" description: "ADHD counseling for teenagers in Eugene, Oregon with Heather Swaney, MA, LPC: motivation, organization, confidence and the shame that builds up by high school." lang: en json-ld: | { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "MedicalWebPage", "name": "ADHD Therapy for Teens", "description": "ADHD counseling for teenagers in Eugene, Oregon with Heather Swaney, MA, LPC: motivation, organization, confidence and the shame that builds up by high school.", "url": "https://ubuntucounselingeugene.com/services/adhd-teens", "about": "ADHD, Teens", "provider": { "@type": "MedicalBusiness", "name": "Ubuntu Counseling", "telephone": "+1-458-215-1465" }, "areaServed": { "@type": "State", "name": "Oregon" }, "inLanguage": "en-US" } --- [![Ubuntu Counseling butterfly logo](/__l5e/assets-v1/01187caf-6a1d-4921-b206-5538892f6bb3/ubuntu-counseling-logo.png)Ubuntu Counseling Heather Swaney, MA, LPC ](/) - [About](/about) - Services - [Autism](/services/autism) - [ADHD](/services/adhd) - [Trauma and PTSD](/services/trauma-and-ptsd) - [Anxiety](/services/anxiety) - [Grief and Loss](/services/grief-and-loss) - [Life Transitions](/services/life-transitions) - [LGBTQIA+ Affirming](/services/lgbtqia-affirming) - [Couples and Family](/services/couples-and-family) - [Consultation and Letters](/services/consultation-and-letters) - [Reunification and Co-Parenting](/services/reunification-and-co-parenting) - [Foster Parent Support](/services/foster-parent-support) - [All services](/services) - Who I Help - [Children and Teens](/who-i-help/children-and-teens) - [Young Adults](/who-i-help/young-adults) - [Adults](/who-i-help/adults) - [Seniors](/who-i-help/seniors) - [Couples](/who-i-help/couples) - [Families and Parents](/who-i-help/families-and-parents) - [LGBTQIA+ Affirming](/services/lgbtqia-affirming) - [Everyone I see](/who-i-help) - Locations - [Eugene, Oregon](/eugene-therapist) - [Springfield, Oregon](/springfield-therapist) - [Lane County](/lane-county-therapist) - [Telehealth in Oregon](/oregon-telehealth) - [The Office](/office) - [Rates](/rates) - [FAQ](/faq) - [Contact](/contact) [Free 30-minute call](/contact)Menu [About](/about) Services - [Autism](/services/autism) - [ADHD](/services/adhd) - [Trauma and PTSD](/services/trauma-and-ptsd) - [Anxiety](/services/anxiety) - [Grief and Loss](/services/grief-and-loss) - [Life Transitions](/services/life-transitions) - [LGBTQIA+ Affirming](/services/lgbtqia-affirming) - [Couples and Family](/services/couples-and-family) - [Consultation and Letters](/services/consultation-and-letters) - [Reunification and Co-Parenting](/services/reunification-and-co-parenting) - [Foster Parent Support](/services/foster-parent-support) - [All services](/services) Who I Help - [Children and Teens](/who-i-help/children-and-teens) - [Young Adults](/who-i-help/young-adults) - [Adults](/who-i-help/adults) - [Seniors](/who-i-help/seniors) - [Couples](/who-i-help/couples) - [Families and Parents](/who-i-help/families-and-parents) - [LGBTQIA+ Affirming](/services/lgbtqia-affirming) - [Everyone I see](/who-i-help) Locations - [Eugene, Oregon](/eugene-therapist) - [Springfield, Oregon](/springfield-therapist) - [Lane County](/lane-county-therapist) - [Telehealth in Oregon](/oregon-telehealth) - [The Office](/office) [Rates](/rates)[FAQ](/faq)[Contact](/contact) [Call (458) 215-1465](tel:+14582151465) [ADHD Therapy](/services/adhd) # ADHD Therapy for Teens Middle and high school hand a teenager with ADHD six teachers, seven deadlines and one planner, and then call the result a motivation problem. ## Motivation Is Not the Real Issue Parents often describe a teen who could do it if they wanted to. What is usually happening is a gap between interest and initiation. Your teen can hyperfocus for five hours on something that grabs them and cannot begin a twenty-minute assignment that does not. That is not a values problem, and lecturing it does not close the gap. We work with how their attention actually functions: making a task concrete enough to start, shrinking the first step until it is almost embarrassing, using interest and urgency deliberately, and building in the recovery time that always gets skipped. ## Organization That Survives a Real Week Most teens have already been given a system and already abandoned it, which is one more piece of evidence in the pile against themselves. So we build something small and forgiving instead: one capture place, a visible calendar, a weekly reset that takes ten minutes, and a plan for what to do after everything falls apart. It will, and the recovery is the skill. Phones come into this honestly. They are the calendar, the alarm, the reminder, the group chat and the endless drain, all in one object. We work out what stays and what needs a boundary, with your teen involved in the decision rather than having it done to them. ## Confidence and the Story They Have Been Told By fifteen, most teens with ADHD have absorbed a running commentary: not living up to potential, careless, could try harder. Some have stopped trying in public because failing on purpose hurts less than failing after effort. Some are exhausting themselves to look fine and hiding the cost. This part of the work is slower and matters more than the planner. We separate what is hard from what they are worth, look at where they are genuinely capable, and make space for the anger that is usually sitting underneath the shrug. ## Where Parents Fit Teens get privacy. What they say to me stays with me, apart from safety. That said, I will often meet with you separately, because the household is part of the picture and because the nightly homework conflict is doing damage to a relationship you will still need for years. In parent sessions we usually work toward less monitoring and more scaffolding: external structure that does not require you to be the one nagging, and a clear line about which consequences belong to school rather than to you. ## Scope of This Work I do not diagnose ADHD and I do not provide assessment, testing or evaluation. Formal diagnosis and any medication questions belong with an evaluating or prescribing provider. Sessions happen in Eugene or by telehealth anywhere in Oregon. Many teens find it easier to talk from their own room, and that is a legitimate way to do this. Typical Goals - Starting tasks without a crisis first - Systems that recover after a bad week - Confidence and the potential narrative - Sleep, phones and the late-night spiral - Rejection sensitivity and friendships - Less nightly conflict at home Next Step ## Start With a Free 30-Minute Call A short conversation so I can hear what is going on and we can decide together whether this is the right room for it. [Get in touch](/contact)[(458) 215-1465](tel:+14582151465) Related Reading [ ### ADHD Therapy The main page for this work, across every age. ](/services/adhd) [ ### ADHD Therapy for Adults The same brain, with rent and a job attached. ](/services/adhd-adults) [ ### Autism Therapy for Teens Identity, school load and self-advocacy. ](/services/autism-teens) [ ### ADHD Therapy for Children Earlier work, with parent coaching alongside. ](/services/adhd-children) ![Ubuntu Counseling butterfly logo](/__l5e/assets-v1/01187caf-6a1d-4921-b206-5538892f6bb3/ubuntu-counseling-logo.png)Ubuntu Counseling Heather Swaney, MA, LPC Office 132 E Broadway Suite 303 Eugene, OR 97401 [(458) 215-1465](tel:+14582151465) In person in Eugene, telehealth anywhere in Oregon. Weekend appointments available. Pages - [About Heather](/about) - [Services](/services) - [Rates and Payment](/rates) - [Who I Help](/who-i-help) - [Eugene, Oregon](/eugene-therapist) - [Springfield, Oregon](/springfield-therapist) - [Lane County, Oregon](/lane-county-therapist) - [Telehealth in Oregon](/oregon-telehealth) - [The Office](/office) - [Frequently Asked Questions](/faq) - [Contact](/contact) - [Privacy Policy](/privacy-policy) - [Terms of Use](/terms) - [Accessibility](/accessibility) Who I Help - [Children and Teens](/who-i-help/children-and-teens) - [Young Adults](/who-i-help/young-adults) - [Adults](/who-i-help/adults) - [Seniors](/who-i-help/seniors) - [Couples](/who-i-help/couples) - [Families and Parents](/who-i-help/families-and-parents) Areas of Focus - [Autism](/services/autism) - [ADHD](/services/adhd) - [Trauma and PTSD](/services/trauma-and-ptsd) - [Anxiety](/services/anxiety) - [Grief and Loss](/services/grief-and-loss) - [Life Transitions](/services/life-transitions) - [LGBTQIA+ Affirming](/services/lgbtqia-affirming) - [Couples and Family](/services/couples-and-family) - [Consultation and Letters](/services/consultation-and-letters) * * * Using this site or emailing does not create a client relationship. Email and web forms are not secure or monitored channels. Do not send clinical or emergency information. Therapy outcomes vary and are not guaranteed. In crisis, call or text 988, or 911 if there is immediate danger. Lane County Mobile Crisis [541-682-1001](tel:+15416821001). Heather Swaney is licensed as a Professional Counselor in Oregon and works only with people located in Oregon. Heather Swaney, MA, LPC, Oregon LPC license C8649. [Verified on the Oregon Counselors Directory](https://orcounselors.com/provider/heather-swaney-ma-lpc-behavioral-health-therapist). © 2026 Ubuntu Counseling. All rights reserved. Call now / Book now