Not On The List

Extra time is the accommodation most people are offered, and for some people with executive function difficulties it makes things harder.

Dana M. Cea, PhD, MS, LCMHC, CRC, NCC, QS, is a clinician, clinical supervisor, and continuing education developer with extensive experience in counselor education and professional development. She earned her PhD in Rehabilitation Administration and Supervision from the Department of Addictions and Rehabilitation Studies at East Carolina University and her Master’s degree in Clinical Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling from UNC Chapel Hill. Dana currently provides clinical and supervisory services at Panacea Mental Wellness, PLLC and serves as founder and instructor with C&C Resourcing, Inc. Their work consistently centers the intersection of culturally informed and ethical practice, supervisory responsibility, and clinician development across a range of practice settings and populations.

In this conversation, Dana explains what rehabilitation counselors do beyond helping people find work, how she works out which accommodations fit a specific person, and what it takes to get them approved. She also talks about how her own executive function changes with chronic illness.

We cover:

• What rehabilitation counselors do, beyond helping people find work
• Why accommodations aren’t one size fits all
• What an accommodations assessment looks like
• Why executive function can change from day to day, even hour to hour
• Support for couples, parents, and caregivers, starting with the smallest thing you can do
• How to find help for accommodations 

Information for Dana Cea and Panacea Mental Wellness:
Panacea Mental Wellness: https://panaceamentalwellness.com/
C&C Resourcing Inc: https://learn.ccresourcing.us/
Substack: https://ccresourcing.substack.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ccresourcing/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ccresourcing
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ccresourcing
Workshop on accommodation requests, Do Something: Identity(ies) conference, November: https://dosomethingidentities.org/conference-2026/

Mentioned in this episode:
Job Accommodation Network: askjan.org
CRCC provider directory: crccertification.com
Your state’s vocational rehabilitation office (called the Department of Rehabilitation in some states)

Transcript: https://www.todoish.app/podcast/accommodations-for-executive-function-aren’t-one-size-fits-all-with-dana-cea-rehabilitation-counselor

Not on the List is about executive function, support, and the things we don’t talk about. Hosted by Sheela Ivlev, occupational therapist. More at todoish.app

These conversations are for education. They are not medical advice, therapy, or diagnosis, and listening does not create a clinical relationship with the host or any guest. If something here sounds like you, take it to your own provider.

If you need help here are U.S. based Crisis Lines (24/7):
Suicide & Crisis Lifeline - call or text 988
The Trevor Project - call 1-866-488-7386 or text START to 678-678
Trans Lifeline - call 1-877-565-8860

Executive dysfunction isn't a discipline problem, and the advice you've already tried failing isn't your fault.

Shelby Nolan, LPC, is a queer and neurodivergent therapist in Colorado and the owner of A Divergent Lens Counseling, where she specializes in complex trauma and works with queer and neurodivergent clients, nonmonogamous and disabled folks, and clients on Medicaid. She was trained to sit still, follow the client's lead, and not take notes in session. None of it worked for her.

In this conversation she talks about what she changed, what she teaches newer clinicians about which rules actually have consequences, and what shifted when she started treating herself like a neurodivergent person.

We cover:

• What neurodivergence includes beyond ADHD and autism
• Why frequency and intensity matter more than whether a behavior is universal
• Anxiety as an effective but costly coping strategy for executive dysfunction
• What ableism looks like inside clinical training
• Capital R rules and lowercase r rules, at work and at home
• Unmasking as a dial rather than a switch
• How to find a therapist, and what to ask in a consultation

Information for Shelby Nolan, LPC and A Divergent Lens Counseling: 

Website: adivergentlenscounseling.com

Mentioned in this episode:
Psychology Today: psychologytoday.com
ND Therapists: ndtherapists.com
Inclusive Therapists: inclusivetherapists.com

Outcare: outcarehealth.org

Episode transcript and all video and audio podcast links: https://www.todoish.app/podcast/when-your-therapist-gets-it-the-power-of-neurodivergent-affirming-care-with-shelby-nolan-lpc

Not on the List is about executive function, support, and the things we don't talk about. Hosted by Sheela Ivlev, occupational therapist. More at todoish.app

These conversations are for education. They are not medical advice, therapy, or diagnosis, and listening does not create a clinical relationship with the host or any guest. If something here sounds like you, take it to your own provider.

If you need help here are U.S. based Crisis Lines (24/7):

Suicide & Crisis Lifeline - call or text 988 

The Trevor Project - call 1-866-488-7386 or text START to 678-678

Trans Lifeline - call 1-877-565-8860

This episode briefly discusses suicide and self-harm.

Executive dysfunction isn't always ADHD, and "try harder" is rarely the answer.

Not on the List is about executive function: what gets in the way of doing things, and how people find support. This first episode starts where most people start, which is not knowing who to ask.

Most people know two routes to mental health care: a psychiatrist or a therapist. There's a third that rarely comes up. A psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner can assess, diagnose, treat, and prescribe.

Dr. Shayla Buckler is a board-certified psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, an assistant clinical professor, and the owner of The Calming Mind Psychiatry Group in Mansfield, Texas. When someone comes to her saying they can't get anything done, she doesn't just start with an ADHD screening. She explains what she looks at first, what an assessment actually involves, and how to find a provider who fits. She is licensed in the states of TX, AR, MI, IL, MN, TN, and MA.

We cover:

• What a psychiatric nurse practitioner is, and how the role differs from a psychiatrist, therapist, or primary care doctor
• What gets ruled out before ADHD
• Why a whole-person assessment matters more than a single screening tool
• What to expect when receiving care from a psychiatric nurse practitioner
• How to find a provider and how to filter for identity and affirming care
• Why supplements need medical oversight even though they aren't prescriptions

Dr. Buckler also shares what led her into psychiatric care, and her closing message: it's okay not to be okay, but it's not okay not to get the help you need.

Information for Dr. Shayla Buckler and The Calming Mind Psychiatry Group: 

Website: Thecalmingmindpsychiatrygroup.org

Instagram: @thecalmingmindpsychiatrygroup 

TikTok: @thecalmingmindpsychiatry 

Facebook: facebook.com/share/1Esfx5yh1d

Mentioned in this episode:

ZocDoc: www.zocdoc.com

Psychology Today: ww.psychologytoday.com

Episode transcript and all video and audio podcast links: https://www.todoish.app/podcast/why-executive-dysfunction-isn-t-always-adhd

Not on the List is about executive function, support, and the things we don't talk about. Hosted by Sheela Ivlev, occupational therapist. More at todoish.app

These conversations are for education. They are not medical advice, therapy, or diagnosis, and listening does not create a clinical relationship with the host or any guest. If something here sounds like you, take it to your own provider.

If you need help here are US based Crisis Lines (24/7):

Suicide & Crisis Lifeline - call or text 988 

The Trevor Project - call 1-866-488-7386 or text START to 678-678

Trans Lifeline - call 1-877-565-8860