Hi. I am Justine
About Me
Diagnosed with ADHD as a child, I always felt different but didn’t understand why. I struggled in school, in friendships, and in relationships. I thought I understood myself better after becoming a parent, but I was wrong. My understanding deepened when I returned to school and began researching ADHD. It was surreal, seeing aspects of myself in the literature. That moment clicked, and everything became clear.
My approach integrates my lived experiences, guided by research, and has led me to help others develop skills to navigate this neurotypical world.
I am here to provide services to support your needs through my lived experience and research...Lets work together !
I draw from both research and my personal experiences. My way of understanding ADHD is different from the usual one-size-fits-all approach, especially from those who haven't personally dealt with executive dysfunction. I believe in viewing each person's journey uniquely and with compassion.
I LOOK AT ADHD THROUGH THREE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT LENSES:
I believe that understanding something reduces its power over us and makes it less intimidating. I believe I can help individuals, both neurodivergent and neurotypical, understand ADHD and reframe its strengths, develop healthy coping skills, or at least understand how to reduce tensions and build healthy relationships.
LIVED EXPERIENCE
I am diagnosed with ADHD myself. I understand the weight of parenting, executive paralysis, masking and adulting within a neurotypically rigid world. The implications for relationships, friendships and life in general are impossible to explain without living it. This diagnosis has impacted every aspect of my life since childhood. An ADHD diagnosis adds extra layers of complexity to daily life and relationships, which neurotypical people might not fully grasp. As I continue learning about ADHD and myself, it becomes easier to navigate and sustain relationships with myself and those around me.
AS A PARENT
As a parent to neurodivergent children, I understand the implications on family dynamics and relationships. I understand the exhaustion of the school battles that occur both at home and at school. I have advocated for my own ADHD children against school systems built for a neurotypical student.
AS AN ACADEMIC
As a PhD student focused on ADHD research, I continue to delve into the peer-reviewed research data and systemic institutional relational barriers faced by individuals with ADHD. This includes data regarding familial dynamics, policies and institutional friction, most of which exist and support rigid neurotypical ideals.
ADHD Family and Parenting Consultant
Parenting with ADHD created unique challenges, particularly for ADHD parents
raising ADHD children while juggling managing a multigenerational ADHD
household. Support for families with co-existing ADHD moves beyond generic
parenting advice to use lived parental experiences and empathy to understand
the child's needs to work towards a collaborative dynamic.
Academic and Advocacy Consultant
A bridge between the parent and the school, providing support for
parents and students in advocating and navigating the education system
to negotiate academic accommodations that meet student learning needs.
The creation of support and sustainable strategies for academic success
that support student learning while understanding their cognitive load to
avoid behavioural penalties.
Communication Consultant
Executive functional boundaries and systems can hinder productivity. Building structural solutions that tap into executive functioning capacity can enhance executive functioning output. Strategies for clear communication, time management, and organization to leverage individuals' strengths and creativity.
Let’s work together
If you, your student, employee or your family are ready to move forward with building strategies, let’s talk.
Legal Disclaimer: I, Justine McKay, am an ADHD researcher and strategist. All strategy sessions, consulting and advocacy services are strictly educational in nature. They do not constitute psychological assessment, psychotherapy, medical treatment or regulated clinical services under any provincial regulatory college.