374 | 46 Countries, 14 Jobs, 1 Therapists’ Story - Kate Engel

"Everyone told me, why can't you just get it together? Why can't you stick to one thing? If you stick to one thing, look where you will be in ten years, you could be an expert." Listen as your host, Eric Tivers, and his guest Kate Engel discuss why it took so long to schedule this interview, when she was diagnosed with ADHD and the countries she has been to while looking for the perfect job and the perfect place to live, plus much more on this episode of ADHD reWired.

Kate is a Psychotherapist, Coach, Consultant, and Business Trainer. Kate has worked in non-profit, private, and academic sectors in 6 countries. Her ADHD has taken her on global adventures to examine how mental health issues manifest across cultures. She completed her postgraduate studies in Counseling at the University of Pennsylvania and currently has her own private practice in Philadelphia, where she specialized in treating ADH, OCD, Phobias, and social anxiety. She is committed to helping people with ADHD manage their executive functions, perfectionism, and emotions so they can become their best selves.

Listen, as Kate discusses how ADHD can manifest in different cultures, and how in her Filipino culture, being late is normal and how confusing it can be when being tested for ADHD. Kate also talks about the first time she was tasked with working with a patient with ADHD and how eye-opening it was for her.

Kate now has a waitlist for her practice, and because she still feels some imposter syndrome, it surprises her every time she realizes people will wait to work with her. Kate also speaks about her need to travel and the wonderful things she has discovered in the different places and cultures she has seen. She can’t wait for the pandemic to be over so she can continue going to new places.

You'll learn:

• [03:35] Welcome to the show, Kate!
• [04:18] Kate shares what she does and why it took so long to schedule this podcast interview.
• [05:28] When were you first diagnosed?
• [06:48] Kate shares the countries she has lived in.
• [07:54] What were you looking for when you were traveling the globe?
• [11:08] Kate talks about the pattern of moving to find the perfect jobs.
• [13:04] After reflecting on her job journey, she got into life coaching and psychotherapy.
• [16:36] Kate discusses her three internships and her first ADHD client.
• [19:03] What at first made you not want to work with ADHD clients?
• [21:19] Eric shares how he worked with some clients with OCD and anxiety.
• [28:49] Kate says that ADHD can manifest differently in different cultures.
• [30:23] Kate speaks about her culture always being late, and it's normal to be late for everything.
• [34:14] Is it acceptable to be late for a doctor's appointment in the Philippines?
• [35:46] Kate discusses the mastermind she had about what she was going to do next.
• [38:42] Why are you surprised that you have a waitlist for her practice.
• [41:48] Eric believes that working with a generalist instead of a specialist for ADHD sometimes does more harm than good.
• [50:49] Kate shares about the need to travel and where it has taken her.
• [53:56] Thank you so much for sharing your story and experiences.
• [55:11] If you are a regular listener, consider becoming a patron by clicking on our Patreon tab at www.ADHDreWired.com

Find Kate:

Kate Engel