ADHD & Executive Function Therapy for Kids & Teens in Gilbert, AZ
Homework takes three hours. Completed assignments never get turned in. Your child knows what to do but can't seem to start. Every reminder becomes an argument, and you're both tired of having the same conversation.
Family Matters Counseling provides ADHD and Executive Function Therapy for children and teens in Gilbert, Arizona. Our licensed therapists work with your child on planning, starting tasks, and managing the emotions that make follow-through harder. Sessions use situations from school and home to practice strategies and adjust them together.
Not sure what kind of support your child needs? Talk with us about what's happening and whether therapy or executive function coaching may fit.
Signs your child may be struggling with ADHD or executive functioning
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You may have tried reminders, checklists, and sitting beside your child until the work is done. Yet the same problems keep coming up:
Homework takes hours or never gets started without an argument.
Your child understands the assignment but forgets to turn it in.
Tasks take longer than expected, leaving everyone rushed.
School materials go missing, even after you've organized them together.
Your child starts a task, gets distracted, and leaves it unfinished.
Frustration builds quickly and takes a long time to settle.
Changes in plans or transitions lead to meltdowns.
A task with several steps feels too overwhelming to begin.
When these struggles affect school, confidence, friendships, or family life, our therapists help you understand what's getting in the way and choose the next steps. These patterns alone don't establish an ADHD diagnosis.
What is executive functioning?
Executive functions are the mental skills we use to plan, organize, remember instructions, manage time, control impulses, and finish tasks. Children use them when they pack a backpack, follow directions, wait their turn, or return to homework after a break.
A child may understand the work but struggle to manage the steps needed to complete it. A teen may want to do well yet have trouble deciding where to start. In therapy, we work on these skills alongside the emotional or behavioral difficulties that make them harder to use.
Executive function skills we work on
| Skill | What it looks like in practice |
|---|---|
| Planning and prioritizing | Breaking an assignment into steps and deciding what to do first |
| Organization | Keeping track of school materials and responsibilities |
| Task initiation | Starting a task with less prompting |
| Time management | Estimating how long something will take and planning for it |
| Working memory | Remembering instructions while carrying out a task |
| Attention and focus | Staying with a task and returning when attention drifts |
| Impulse control | Pausing before acting |
| Emotional regulation | Managing frustration, disappointment, and overwhelm |
| Flexible thinking | Adjusting when a plan or expectation changes |
| Self-monitoring | Noticing what's working and making adjustments |
The work starts with a specific need. For one child, that might be getting ready for school. For another, it might be breaking a weeklong project into daily steps.
How ADHD and executive functioning are connected
ADHD often involves difficulties with attention, working memory, planning, and impulse control. But ADHD and executive function difficulties aren't the same thing. A young person can struggle with these skills without having ADHD, including during periods of anxiety, stress, or change.
Our therapists look at what's getting in the way for your child. Forgetting instructions may call for a different approach than avoiding an assignment because they're afraid of getting it wrong. Both can look like unfinished homework from the outside.
How ADHD & Executive Function Therapy Helps Children and Teens
The program combines a clinical assessment, direct skills practice, and parent involvement. Most plans average 12 weeks, but the timeline follows the child. We continue coaching or add maintenance sessions when more practice is needed.
Build practical systems for daily tasks
A planner only helps if your child can use it. A long checklist may make a difficult morning feel even harder.
Your child works with their therapist to break tasks into smaller steps, use visual reminders, estimate time, and build routines they can follow. That might mean choosing one place for completed homework, writing down the first step of an assignment, or practicing how to check what's due tomorrow.
Your child tests the strategy during the week, then reviews and adjusts it with their therapist.
Work on frustration, overwhelm, and confidence
One missed assignment can lead to embarrassment, avoidance, and more missing work. Catching up feels impossible, and another reminder brings more frustration.
Family Matters therapists work on those emotional barriers alongside executive function skills. Sessions include practice recognizing overwhelm, asking for help, and returning to a task after a setback, based on your child's needs.
We ask “What makes this difficult, and what would make it easier?” That gives your child a specific problem to work on without treating a missed assignment as a personal failure.
Use skills at school and home
A strategy needs to work during a rushed morning or a difficult homework session. We connect sessions to those situations and practice ways to handle them.
The work might include rehearsing how to ask a teacher for help, checking an assignment-tracking system, or planning an evening routine. Discussing what happened between sessions helps the therapist see where your child needs more practice or a different approach.
Executive function therapy vs. executive function coaching
Sometimes your child knows how to organize the work, but anxiety, shame, frustration, or family conflict stops them from using those skills. Licensed therapy addresses these mental health concerns alongside planning, time management, and follow-through. Coaching focuses on practicing skills and building routines.
| Therapy | Coaching | |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Licensed mental health professional | Behavioral or skills coach |
| Focus | Mental health concerns alongside daily skills | Skill building, routines, and accountability |
| Areas of work | Anxiety, emotional regulation, low self-esteem, avoidance, and family conflict | Organization, planning, time management, and follow-through |
| May fit when | Emotional or behavioral concerns need clinical care | Practical skill building is the main need |
Family Matters offers a separate Executive Function & Emotional Regulation Skills Program. A behavioral coach leads the weekly skills sessions; Emily Sanchez, LCSW, provides the clinical assessment, plan, and parent sessions.
The program averages 12 weeks, with length based on the child's needs.
Still unsure which is the better fit? Talk through your child's difficulties with us in a free consultation and discuss the right starting point.
ADHD therapy for children
For younger children, therapy considers development, emotional regulation, family routines, confidence, and school experiences.
Your child may need help following instructions, waiting before acting, or expressing frustration instead of yelling or withdrawing. We break these skills into steps that fit your child's age.
A difficult homework routine may involve both trouble getting started and fear of making mistakes. We work on the fear alongside the task, helping your child practice a manageable first step.
ADHD & executive function therapy for teens
Teens manage more classes, teachers, deadlines, and responsibilities, often with less adult help. A system that worked in elementary school may no longer be enough.
We work with teens on:
Tracking assignments and planning across several classes
Getting started when work feels overwhelming
Handling embarrassment or anxiety about missing work
Studying when attention is inconsistent
Managing phone distractions and sleep routines
Taking on responsibilities such as driving, work, or college preparation
Reducing conflict over reminders and follow-through
Teens need a say in their goals and the strategies they try. That might mean planning study time around a job or finding a reminder system they will actually check.
Support for parents and families
You may recognize this pattern:
The child forgets → the parent reminds → the child resists → the parent escalates → the child shuts down → everyone repeats it tomorrow.
We work with parents on clear expectations, simpler routines, and responses to frustration. Together, we look at when your child needs help and where they are ready to practice with less prompting.
For example, you might agree on one homework check-in instead of asking about every assignment throughout the evening. You review how it went with the therapist and adjust the support to fit your child.
What to Expect From ADHD & Executive Function Therapy at Family Matters
1. Understand the difficulty. We discuss concerns at home, school, and in friendships. We use examples, such as a difficult morning or unfinished assignment, to understand where your child gets stuck.
2. Set practical goals together. We build the plan around your child's age, needs, and perspective. Goals might include starting homework with less prompting, remembering assignments, or managing frustration.
3. Practice and adjust. Your child learns strategies in sessions and works on using them between visits. We discuss what helped, what was difficult, and whether the approach needs to change.
4. Plan parent involvement. Your therapist recommends the level of involvement that fits your child's age and treatment plan. Parent check-ins connect the work in sessions to home routines.
Talk With Us About What Your Child Needs
Tell us your child's age, what's been difficult at home or school, and whether you prefer in-person therapy in Gilbert or telehealth. We'll discuss the next step and provider fit.
Call or text 480-331-5359 · Email familymatterscounselor@gmail.com
Frequently Asked Questions
You don't need a diagnosis to talk with us about your child's needs. Start with a free consultation to discuss therapy fit and whether an ADHD evaluation or medication referral is an appropriate next step.
At Family Matters, ADHD therapy combines practical skill building with work on emotions, behavior, confidence, and daily routines. Your therapist adapts the approach and parent involvement to your child's age, difficulties, and treatment goals.
Therapy provides licensed mental health care alongside practical skills. Coaching focuses on skills, routines, and accountability. Family Matters offers a separate coaching program.
Yes. Our therapists work with children on breaking down tasks, planning time, and addressing overwhelm or anxiety that makes starting and finishing harder. Your child practices strategies tied to school and home.
Yes. Family Matters offers teen therapy in Gilbert and telehealth across Arizona. Contact us to discuss your teen's needs and provider availability.
The program is for children and teens ages 6 and older.
Family Matters is private-pay and out-of-network. We provide a superbill on request for possible reimbursement. Check your benefits with your insurer; coverage depends on your plan.
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