Attention Magazine August 2023

Men with ADHD throughout the United States now have access to an array of online services dedicated to improving their quality of life, thanks to the nationwide reach of the Men’s ADHD Support Group. These services include ongoing updates on effective tools and strategies designed to help manage ADHD, presentations by ADHD experts who share their knowledge, and perhaps most importantly, ongoing access to support and encouragement from a caring community of other men affected by the condition. What’s more, the group is also committed to helping partners and spouses learn about the latest advances in the field, as well as helping organizations and businesses that employ men with ADHD.

Headquartered in the New York City area, those who live in the vicinity of the Men’s ADHD Support Group can attend many of the group’s ongoing presentations and meetings in person. The support group stands firm in its commitment to support all men with ADHD, regardless of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, or type of disability. As a nonprofit, the group relies heavily on donations in order to provide its services.

On the Men’s ADHD Support Group website (www.mensadhdsupportgroup.org) you will find a section that explains ADHD, timely blog entries, podcasts, ADHD resources, and more. Recent blogs describe the benefits of body doubling and the Pomodoro technique for increasing productivity, strategies for building strong relationships, emotional dysregulation and ADHD, how to pause with ADHD, social thinking, and being Black with ADHD, among many other topics. Recent podcasts cover money management strategies, parenting with ADHD, overcoming grief, and the importance of self-care, to name just a few. Blog entries, podcasts, and resources on ADHD assessment and treatment are updated on an ongoing basis.

More than just a diagnosis

Run entirely by men who have ADHD, the group views ADHD as more than a condition to be managed with medication or treated by a therapist or an ADHD coach. While believing that these and other empirically based treatment practices can be critical to an improved quality of life, the team also believes that to live life well with ADHD there has to be an entire change in a person’s life. This doesn’t mean changing who they are, but instead learning to accept who they are, learning that they are not broken, and learning how to thrive authentically.
The Men’s ADHD Support Group was cofounded in 2019 by Marc Almodovar, an ADHD coach, and John Hazelwood, a social media influencer and mental health advocate in the fields of ADHD and Black men’s healing awareness. The group has grown from one small group of fifty members to one hundred members in its first year, to over sixteen thousand members today. Current team members have been instrumental in that growth, foremost among them Shane Thrapp, a certified life coach with a specialization in ADHD and relationships. As operations director, Thrapp was a driving force in helping the group become a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

In recent years, the Men’s ADHD Support Group has expanded to include support for men with ADHD who are also on the autistic spectrum. Marc, John, Shane, and other team members expect the group to keep growing exponentially. They plan to start and grow local chapters in communities throughout the country, and they even have plans to reach out globally, so that men with ADHD around the world can learn more about the condition and find ongoing support.

Marc, John, Shane, and other members of the team are also now part of a speakers’ panel. They are available to speak to organizations and groups, or to contribute to podcasts exploring the topic of men and ADHD.

The Men’s ADHD Support Group is on a mission: to inspire, educate, and empower men to thrive with ADHD. Learn more about their mission, the services they offer, and the work of other members of the team at www.mensadhdsupportgroup.org.

A clinical and consulting psychologist, Mark Katz, PhD, is the director of Learning Development Services, an educational, psychological, and neuropsychological center in San Diego, California. As a contributing editor to Attention magazine, he writes the Promising Practices column and serves on the editorial advisory board. He is also a former member of CHADD’s professional advisory board and a recipient of the CHADD Hall of Fame Award.