Helping College Students with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder SUCCEED: A Comprehensive Care Model

Abstract

College students with ADHD are at risk for a host of negative outcomes in academic, social, and emotional domains. However, the majority of college campuses do not provide comprehensive and individualized services to target the executive functioning difficulties and psychological comorbidity seen in college students with ADHD. The current manuscript describes the development of a specialized semester-long program to address the unique needs of college students with ADHD (Students Understanding College Choices: Encouraging and Executing Decisions for Success; SUCCEEDS) as well as the clinical, research, and training mission of this venture. Results from reliable change indices indicate that among the eight students in this case series, the majority reported significant improvements in organizational skills. Additionally, the majority of students with elevated rates of depression or alcohol use at baseline also reported significant improvement in these comorbid symptoms. A descriptive case study is also provided to further demonstrate the individualization and implementation of SUCCEEDS. Preliminary evidence suggests that SUCCEEDS is an effective method for addressing the personalized and wide-ranging difficulties experienced by college students with ADHD. Lessons learned and future directions for research are discussed.

Remote Delivery of Psychosocial Intervention for College Students with ADHD during COVID-19: Clinical Strategies, Practice Recommendations, and Future Considerations

“…Recognizing the importance of providing psychosocial services during this high-risk time and in response to social distancing and university guidelines, we initiated a remote version of our program for college students with ADHD, called Students Understanding College Choices: Encouraging & Executing Decisions for Success (SUCCEEDS; Meinzer et al, 2020). SUCCEEDS follows a comprehensive care model for students with ADHD, wherein students receive, over the course of a semester, individual, and group sessions and individualized content designed to address psychological comorbidity, academic probation, and family conflict/accommodation (please see for a complete overview of the program).…”

“…SUCCEEDS is founded on the principles of motivational interviewing (MI; Hettema et al, 2005), behavioral activation (Lejuez et al, 2001), and organizational skills training (Anastopoulos & King, 2015;Solanto et al, 2008), in line with evidencebased interventions for college ADHD (e.g., Anastopoulos et al, 2018;LaCount et al, 2019;Vasko et al, 2020). Prior research shows promising academic and psychosocial outcomes for students in SUCCEEDS (Meinzer et al, 2020).…”

“…During this initial meeting, coaches expressed interest in new supervision and training modalities to meet these demands. Rather than the standard 1.5 hours of group supervision and as needed 30-to-60-minute peer supervision with the clinic coordinator and advanced doctoral students (Meinzer et al, 2020), supervision changed to individual 30-60-minute supervision with one of the two SUCCEEDS directors every other week. On alternating weeks, the full team met for standard 1.5-hour group supervision.…”

“…Several students reported daily problems with sustained attention and task persistence, in part due to limited structure, low mood, and the workload feeling too insurmountable. Prior to the pandemic, students in SUCCEEDS were introduced to the cognitive-behavioral model of ADHD (Safren et al, 2005) and worked in group and individual meetings to develop thought challenges, identify values, and engage in goal-directed behavior (please see Meinzer et al, 2020 for a comprehensive review of SUCCEEDS program content). Students also engaged in discussions surrounding medication management and the connection between sleep, mood, and behaviors.…”

“…Parents are involved in 2-3 meetings throughout the academic semester with their child, facilitated by their SUCCEEDS coach. In these meetings, students have the opportunity to practice interpersonal communication skills learned in SUCCEEDS groups and individual meetings (Meinzer et al, 2020). These meetings provide an optimal balance between parental over and under involvement, and scaffolded interpersonal communication skills.…”