About the ADHD & Marriage Experts

ADHD & Marriage Consultants

Melissa Orlov, Founder

Consultant - Couples
Support group moderator

Melissa OrlovFounder of ADHDmarriage.com and ADHD & Marriage Consulting, Melissa Orlov (she/her) is a top expert in how ADHD affects relationships, sought after speaker, and an award-winning author.  She has been writing and speaking about the topic since 2007, researching it since 2005.  She teaches couples, therapists, counselors and coaches about how ADHD impacts relationships and offers private counseling to couples who wish to improve their ADHD-impacted relationships.  Her very popular couples seminar has helped many struggling couples turn their relationships around.  Melissa blogs for Psychology Today, at this site, and guest writes for many others.   She wrote the Your Relationships column for ADDitude Magazine from 2008-2014 

She is the author of The ADHD Effect on Marriage, which was awarded "Best Psychological Book of 2010" by ForeWord Reviews.  Her second book, The Couple's Guide to Thriving with ADHD, with Nancie Kohlenberger won three book awards, including best psychology book of 2014.

Melissa has been interviewed frequently on the topic of ADHD and marriage by organizations as diverse as the New York Times, CNN, and the American Psychological Association Monitor (more complete list here).  Her hobbies include road biking, singing and playing the cello.  

"I love helping couples find the love they thought they had lost and keep their families together.  Knowing about ADHD - and responses to ADHD - is a game changer!"

Melissa's CV

 

Tami Anderson, LMFT

 

Consultant - Couples; Individuals with ADHD; Partners of those with ADHD
Support group moderator

Tami AndersonFor 25 years Tami (she/her) has been helping couples and individuals focus on issues of intimacy, communication and developing the intentional, meaningful connections that lead to hope and playfulness in their relationships.  She has broad training that includes family systems and psychology & theology, and has worked in clinical, non-profit, ministry, and higher education settings.  She is also a certified yoga instructor and pays attention to the mind-body connection and somatic work that impacts relationships and self.

Tami uses a collaborative and effective ‘get it done’ style pulled from a large variety of research-based models such as Gottman, Solution-Focused, Mindfulness and Imago work.  She creates a safe, non-judgmental and compassionate space to explore the barriers you face so you can break through impasses to reach your goals.  Her style is warm, but also efficient enough to help you realize your potential and see results.

Tami offers a special 5-session package for couples who wish to build on the gains they’ve made in our couples' seminar, and want to build and sustain momentum in a way that is tailored to their relationship.

She also offers a free 10-15 minute chat before you start so you can ask questions and get to know her a bit.

“Work towards growth does not always need to be a painful or grueling process.  Partners can create positive, light and fun ways to find their path and enjoy a more hope-filled and fulfilling relationship.”

 

Rachel Ban, MSW, LiCSW

Consultant, Couples with ADHD;  Individuals with ADHD or partnered to someone with ADHD
Support Group Moderator

Rachel BanRachel Ban (she/her) is a clinical supervisor in private practice who supports couples navigating ADHD dynamics in their relationships. She brings her extensive professional training in evidenced-based couples therapy and ADHD marriage dynamics, and personal experience in a former long-term ADHD impacted relationship to to all of her work. 

Rachel's specialty is in consulting intensive with couples (15 hours of work in 3 days - the equivalent of 3 months of consulting) followed by 3 hour consults every 2-6 weeks after that as needed.  She offers a 30 minute free call with prospective clients to make sure she's a great fit for them.

Rachel is committed to supporting all relationships, inclusive to all genders and sexual orientations. Her clients appreciate her calm, compassionate and incisive approach to difficult moments, and her fierce intelligence. Rachel is a graduate of Smith College and the University of Southern California School of Social Work. She is a mother to two kids, three cats and a very large and irrepressible puppy. She enjoys swimming with her kids, bringing friends together over a delicious meal, having her hands in the dirt in her garden, and hiking in national parks with her partner.

"I am continuously amazed by how much progress couples make during an intensive! It is inspiring to help people move from feeling stuck and distant to feeling hope and more closeness."

 

Amy Borla, M.S., MFT

Consultant – Couples; Individuals with ADHD; Partners of those with ADHD.  Welcomes members of the LGBTQ+ community and those in non-traditional relationships such as consensual non-monogamy and kink
Support group moderator

Amy Borla MFTWhen working with couples, Amy (she/her) starts from the position that every relationship is as unique as the people in it.  No matter how much they love each other, misunderstandings, paired with ADHD and responses to ADHD, can reinforce damaging dynamics.   When things get off track, each person has the ability to reestablish a deep and loving relationship – it can just take some help breaking free of those negative patterns.

Amy’s approach to providing that help is based in the science of attachment and connection which helps strengthen a couple’s emotional bond.  When not consulting for ADHD & marriage, Amy works as a therapist at the Limerick Counseling Center in PA and is also a certified pre-marriage counselor.

Amy offers a 10-15 minutes free discovery meeting to confirm that you wish to work together and to answer your questions.

When not in the office, Amy enjoys all sorts of crafts, doing puzzles and spending time with her family.

“It is the best feeling to know that couples’ relationships are improving as we work together.  I am honored to be trusted as part of their process.”

 

Katherine Buoscio, ACC

Consultant – Individuals with ADHD; Couples seeking structural support; Non-ADHD partners seeking structural support

Katherine BuoscioKatherine Buoscio (she/her) is an ICF-certified, professionally trained ADHD coach who also happens to have decades of personal experience with ADHD in her family.  She helps her clients reach their aspirations through goal setting, skillsets, and mindset work.  Her passion for working with adults with ADHD comes from her deep appreciation for the struggles and frustrations of ADHD and the admiration of their superpowers such as Hyperfocus, Creativity, and Big Thinking.  Her long-term goal for every client is that they not only reach their goals, but also learn how to better understand their own brain and learn the skills to become their own coach.

Katherine offers a free, 60-90 minutes introductory session to talk with you about your goals, and conduct a 30 minutes coaching experience.

When not coaching, Katherine enjoys spending time with her husband and two kids, being outside or in a cafe reading a good book. 

“I love seeing people make real changes in their lives, accomplish goals they didn’t believe they were capable of, and develop a newfound understanding of, and belief in, themselves.”

 

Kidan Kassahun, MA, ACC

Consultant - Women, both with and without ADHD; Couples

Kidan KassahunKidan Kassahun (she/her) is an Internal Family Systems (IFS) life coach and ADHD coach.  In her work, she using gentle pathways for restoring self-trust and self-confidence. Kidan helps individuals navigate professional challenges and personal responsibilities. Her clients learn to access the right systems, structure and support that allow the gifts of ADHD individuals to shine, and allow couples to more calmly interact.

She is a graduate of Spelman College and Yale University. With over 20 years of experience as a non-profit director and entrepreneur, Kidan understands the impact of ADHD on achieving important goals and building strong partnerships.  

Kidan offers weekly coaching for couples, as well as coaching intensives for ADHD individuals with touch points twice weekly.  Intensives provide space for both internal work on uncovering deeper motivations for, and obstacles related to, change.  They also effectively underpin the incorporation of ADHD-aligned systems, structures and support that facilitate the client moving in the direction they are choosing. 

Kidan offers a 10-15 minutes free discovery meeting to confirm that you wish to work together and to answer your questions.

Kidan parents two dynamic teenagers and her hobbies include tennis, hiking and travel.

"My greatest joy is when clients recognize their true capabilities and release limiting beliefs. They are finding the ways to achieve success that work for them."

 

Ashley Paradise, LMHC

Consultant –Couples; Professionals and executives; Adults with ADHD; Adult students
Support group moderator

Ashley ParadiseAshley Paradise (she/her) is a mental health professional who has been working in both corporate and clinical settings for over 18 years. Her approach is personally tailored to each client, and she pulls from her training in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), mindfulness-based and psychodynamic therapies to provide the approach best suited to every client’s or couple’s specific issues. Her passion centers around helping those that struggle with ADHD in their professional, academic, and personal/relational life. Those closest to her say it is her warm, compassionate, and down to earth nature that make her so good at what she does. She is a graduate of CUNY Queens College and Long Island University-CW Post. 

Ashley offers a 10-15 minutes free discovery meeting to confirm that you wish to work together and to answer your questions.

Ashley is a mother to boy/girl twins who always keep her on her toes and enjoys reading, teaching, and spending time with her family in her free time.

“It is my clients who keep me motivated and energized!  It’s inspiring that they have the courage to seek support, a commitment to staying focused, and an ability to discover strengths they often did not know they had.”

 

Joseph Semah, LCSW

Consultant - Adults with ADHD; Couples

Joseph has spent the last 10+ years specializing in working with adults and couples with ADHD in both his private practice and in his clinical work in Lakewood, NJ.  He also has a sub-speciality working with clients who have addiction issues.  Before his work in the field of ADHD, Joseph spent over 15 years teaching middle and high school children.

Joseph seamlessly blends teaching, coaching and consulting to help his clients utilize their own strengths and overcome their limitations. Using EFT and secure attachment theory, Joseph helps couples reawaken the positive feelings they have always felt for each other by understanding the emotional barriers that tend to get in the way.

When he’s not working, he spends his time raising his 6 children along with his wife of 24 years (and playing ice hockey when he can steal away for a bit.)

“My own personal experience living with, and raising children with, ADHD has put me in a unique position to understand my clients’ challenges and struggles. There is no greater feeling than helping others overcome the very same challenges you have had to work hard to overcome yourself.”

 

Alisa Wedemeyer, M. Ed

Consultant – Adults with ADHD; Couples

Alisa WedemeyerAlisa (she/her) utilizes a warm, direct, strength and evidence-based approach in her work with individuals and couples impacted by ADHD.  Currently a therapist and coach at the Hallowell Todaro ADHD Center in Washington state, she has been working with adults with ADHD for 4 years. Alisa has a degree in Liberal Studies and Psychology from Seattle University and an M. Ed from City University of Seattle. She excels in helping clients explore, identify, and overcome patterns and relational dynamics that serve as barriers to reaching their full potential as individuals, partners, and professionals.

Alisa works with couples from Washington state.  She offers a 10-15 minutes free discovery meeting to confirm that you wish to work together and to answer your questions.

In her home territory out west, Alisa enjoys sport climbing, gardening, reading and researching.

"What makes me happiest is seeing clients gain a new sense of self-belief, break free from limitations, discover new perspectives, and uncover their hidden strengths."

 

Lee Crespi, LCSW

Support Group Moderator

Lee CrespiLee Crespi (she/her) is a psychotherapist in private practice for over forty years who specializes in working with couples where ADHD is an issue.  She is trained in multiple approaches including Emotionally Focused Therapy and Collaborative Couples Therapy as well as having studied with Melissa Orlov on the ADHD Effect on Couples.   She is a graduate of SUNY StonyBrook School of Social Welfare and the Institute for Contemporary Psychotherapy.

As a clinician and teacher she is known for her warm, compassionate style and her sense of humor.  She and her wife have been together for 45 years and have one adult son.  She is also a watercolor artist, a swimmer, and a dog lover.

 

 

Cameron Gott, PCC

ADHD coaching group leader

Cameron GottCam (he/him), a thought leader in positive accountability, effectively uses coaching techniques to support some of the most successful professionals and entrepreneurs challenged by ADHD.  Cam has been coaching ADHD individuals for 20 years, supporting clients to make the changes they want to make. Cam co-hosts the podcast Translating ADHD. Cam also mentors ADHD coaches-in-training and speaks and teaches on a variety of topics including ADHD, coaching, leadership, accountability and his AEC Model for Change.

He was certified through The Coaches Training Institute and co-develops content and trains coaches through Coach Approach for Organizers with Denslow Brown and teaches for Laurie Dupar’s IACT-C coach training group. His Global Creative blog addresses the challenges and opportunities facing creative entrepreneurs and leaders and how mastering one’s life starts with understanding one’s brain. He lives outside of Charlottesville in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains with his wife of 25+ years and their two children.

 

Administration

Kirsten Anders

Administrative Assistant

Many people first hear back from Kirsten after they contact us.  She is our 'front office' contact who helps people get quick answers to some of the more common questions we field before moving them to be answered in more depth by another person, if needed.  A native of Arizona, Kirsten recently moved to Nebraska and is enjoying the transition to family life in the cold.

Akash Mahalwal

Program Assistant

The newest member of our team, Akash (he/him) coordinates all things that pertain to the ADHD & Marriage Consulting group.  A man with a big heart, and also a crisis counselor, Akash is getting ready to start nursing school in the Fall of '24.

Kris Rigali

Executive Assistant

Kris (she/they) is the point person for all group and seminar registrations and logistics.  They are the glue that holds these programs together so that Melissa can focus on delivering the content couples seek.  Kris loves photography, nature, and living in western Massachusetts.

Christina Veal

Communications Guru

Christina Veal is a communications specialist who loves the blogosphere and has enough ADHD in the family to be interested in working as Melissa's right hand person.  She searches the internet for content she thinks will be of interest to our readers and helps keep everything up-to-date.  She is a graduate of the University of Connecticut and has a passionate interest in tennis.  Ms. Veal lives outside Boston.

 

About Our Content

The opinions expressed on this web site are those of the individual authors and posters and should not be considered a substitute for counseling or medical guidance.  Please see you doctor for specific medical advice.