Meet Our Team - Sam Elder
Sam Elder, AMFT
Position at the Hallowell Todaro ADHD Center, Palo Alto:
ADHD & Executive Function Coach
How long have you been working at Hallowell Todaro ADHD?
I have been working with the center since it opened on January 21, 2020. I received a tour and had the privilege to walk through and provide feedback, which was awesome.
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in California, but most of my family is from England so my home was not our average American home. I have been bouncing around between Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, and San Jose.
What are your favorite books / TV shows / movies?
Some of my favorite books include “The Giver”, Libba Bray’s “ A Great and Terrible Beauty” series, and “The Century Trilogy” by Ken Follett’s. I love historical fiction and if an author can implement magic into the story, that is even better. Favorite movie of all time is Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory starring Gene Wilder. This is my “any time” movie, I watch it when I’m happy, sad, bored, whenever. I love this movie because I admire Charlie Bucket’s resilience to remain optimistic in the face of adversity and showing that good character can pay off sometimes. Favorite TV shows include South Park and Family Guy. Both shows, but more on the South Park side, aren’t afraid to confront current issues plaguing our world and have found a creative way to do so.
What’s your favorite sport and/or sports team?
I don’t follow sports religiously, but I have to root for Manchester United during the soccer season to show my English pride. Honestly, I love the major sporting events like the Superbowl because there is lots of food and good company.
Complete the following sentences:
When I’m not at work, you can find me...
participating in a variety of roles within the Sunnyvale Community Players, my locate theatre community. I love to Stage Manage for our Junior productions, perform when I can, and currently hold a board position.
When I want to de-stress, I...
play board games or watch movies with friends. I also enjoy just sitting listening to music or talking to people.
My favorite time of year is...
the holiday season. I love that stretch of time between the beginning of October and the end of the year. I love the decorations, the music, and the movies. I enjoy the cooler weather.
My favorite thing to cook is...
anything new. I enjoy trying out new recipes.
If I could travel anywhere in the world, I’d go to...
England, Ireland, and Scotland. I want to see all the historic buildings, see family I have not seen in years, and find some good food.
What led you to pursue a career helping others?
I have faced a lot of challenges and adversity throughout my early years in life. I have always known I wanted to focus my career toward psychology and mental health. My personal philosophy is that early intervention can be very powerful in a young person’s life and I want to be apart of helping these individuals reach goals they might not realize they have the ability to complete. I had so many positive adult influences from teachers or counselors to my friends caring families, and I believe I would not be the person I am today without their influence.
What education, skills, and expertise do you bring to your role?
As I mentioned I have always wanted to pursue a career in this field. I received my Bachelors in Psychology and recently completed a Master’s of Arts in Counseling with an emphasis in marriage, child and family therapy. My internship at the Bill Wilson Center in Santa Clara provided me access to supervisors who specialize in trauma, grief, couples and family, and much more. This also provided me the opportunity to work at a K-8 school where I confirmed that I work well with young ages. Additionally, I have been training within Bill Wilson Center’s Parent-child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) program since February 2019.
I believe my ADHD is a strength, especially when working with younger clients. Some skills I believe have to lead to success with clients include my high level of energy, creativity, and utilizing a strength-based model to create an individualized plan to match the client’s current goals. Given the current state of the world, telehealth has become more important. It has been challenging and rewarding to adapt interventions to an online platform, and my creative out of the box thinking has definitely proven to be an excellent tool. Between virtual scavenger hunts to explore emotions or use of cognitive strength building games, I have been able to keep clients engaged during sessions. Within my theoretical orientation, I always work from an Aderlian baseline. This is particularly important when working with a population living with ADD or ADHD because it utilizes the power of encouragement to build self-confidence, and motivates client’s to recognize they can develop the power to focus their strengths to reach their full potential.
Who/what inspires you?
My clients inspire me. The amount of resilience I see every day is amazing and I am inspired by the dedication they have toward building skills, including executive function and self-care. Funny enough there is a movie character that inspires me a lot, Elle Woods from Legally Blonde. I think a lot of people find inspiration in fictional characters, whether in books, movies, or other forms of art. These characters are also what kids first connect with in life, whether it’s through parents reading to them or watching it on TV. In short, Elle Woods inspires me because she worked so hard to reach her goal despite stereotyping from others. In my opinion, her blonde hair and mannerisms are similar to common behaviors associated with ADD or ADHD. Kids with ADD or ADHD are often associated with certain behavioral stereotypes, sometimes leading to consequences that might increase discouragement and lack of self-confidence. These individuals have the ability to become highly successful when given the opportunity to develop strength-based skills.
What is one small thing people can do to improve their lives and increase their happiness?
For professionals, I would say being mindful about intentional self-care is crucial. This includes therapists, coaches, teachers, etc. If we are not taking care of ourselves, and possibly burning out, we are not as productive in our work with clients.
We provide coaching and therapy to help people manage a variety of cognitive and emotional conditions.