=== Center of Attention ===
Newsletter of CHADD of Northern California
Also at: http://www.chaddnorcal.org/newsletter
24 January 2005

**********************
>> IN THIS ISSUE <<
**********************

*Calendar of Events
*Announcements: Laptop Donation?
*Feature Article: Where I Belong: Finding my place in a non-ADD world
*Please Tell Us
*Subscription Information
*CHADD Information

******************************
>> CALENDAR OF EVENTS <<
******************************

This calendar only has events for the next 3 or 4 weeks listed. It
also does not list some other CHADD groups which may be closer to you
and it does not list some non-CHADD events. For a thorough calendar,
including directions, look at: http://www.chaddnorcal.org/schedule
and also http://www.chaddnorcal.org/schedule/otherevent.htm.

============================

===Alameda==================

============================
2/9/2005, Wed. 7 - 8:45 pm
Tri-Valley Parent Support Meeting -- Possible speaker to be announced.
Thomas J. Hart Middle School, Pleasanton - Contact: JoAnn Matone: 925-484-2173
============================
2/22/2005, Tues. 7 - 8:30 pm
Adult Support Group --
Lynnwood United Methodist Church, Pleasanton - Contact: Pattie: 925-548-3997
============================
3/9/2005, Wed. 7 - 8:45 pm
Tri-Valley Parent Support Meeting --
Thomas J. Hart Middle School, Pleasanton - Contact: JoAnn Matone: 925-484-2173
============================

===Contra Costa=============

============================
1/25/2005, Tues. 7 - 9 pm
Danville Parent Meeting: -- Topic followed by Group Discussion
Los Cerros Middle School Library, Danville - Contact: Liz: 925-886-8735
============================
1/29/2005, Sat. 9 am - 4:15 pm
Helping Children and Teens with ADHD Succeed at Home and School - A
Day Long Workshop with Steven P. Hinshaw, Ph.D. -- Dr. Hinshaw is
chairman of the U.C. Berkeley psychology department and has authored
over 100 publications on children with ADHD. He has been Principal
Investigator for multiple National Institute of Mental Health
research studies.
Monte Vista High School, Danville - Contact: East Bay Learning
Disabilities Association: Visit www.eastbaylda.org for full
information.
============================
2/3/2005, Wed. 7 - 9 pm
Walnut Creek Adult Topical Meeting -- Topic TBA
710 South Broadway, Walnut Creek - Contact: Donna Love: 925-687-4324
============================
2/22/2005, Tues. 7 - 9 pm
Danville Parent Meeting: -- Topic followed by Group Discussion
Los Cerros Middle School Library, Danville - Contact: Liz: 925-886-8735
============================
2/14/2005, Wed. 7 - 9 pm
Walnut Creek Adult General Support Meeting -- Ongoing, confidential
support groups for Adults with ADHD
710 South Broadway, Walnut Creek - Contact: Donna Love: 925-687-4324
============================

===Marin====================

============================
1/31/2005, Mon. 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm
Parent Resource & Support Group -- Call for directions in Mill Valley.
Mill Valley Home, Mill Valley - Contact: Victoria Vogel & Holly
Seerley: 415-383-6048 or 415-924-6656
============================
2/1/2005, Tues. 7-9 pm
Adult Support Group, with SueZee Poinsett, Professional coach and
organizer. -- Free, drop-in peer-support group, the first Tuesday of
each month. Talk with others who really understand. And share and
develop life skills. In addition, if you want to work on skills for
sorting and purging papers, bring your paper piles.
Marin Community Mental Health, Greenbrae - Contact: Beverlee: 415-789-9464
============================
2/28/2005, Mon. 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm
Parent Resource & Support Group -- Call for directions in Mill Valley.
Mill Valley Home, Mill Valley - Contact: Victoria Vogel & Holly
Seerley: 415-383-6048 or 415-924-6656
============================
3/1/2005, Tues. 7-9 pm
Adult Support Group, with SueZee Poinsett, Professional coach and
organizer. -- Free, drop-in peer-support group, the first Tuesday of
each month. Talk with others who really understand. And share and
develop life skills. In addition, if you want to work on skills for
sorting and purging papers, bring your paper piles.
Marin Community Mental Health, Greenbrae - Contact: Beverlee: 415-789-9464
============================

===Online=================

============================
1/25/2005, Tues. 6 - 8 pm PST
"Ask The Expert" Chat -- Michael Romaniuk, Ph.D., will focus on money
management
Online Chat, Internet - Contact: Chat Web Page: www.chadd.org - Support - Chat
============================
2/24/2005, Thu. 6 - 8 pm PST
"Ask The Expert" Chat --
Online Chat, Internet - Contact: Chat Web Page: www.chadd.org - Support - Chat
============================

===Sacramento================

============================
2/1/2005, Tues. 6:45 p.m.; 7-9 pm
TBA --
Sutter Center for Psychiatry, Sacramento - Contact: Greater
Sacramento CHADD: 916-552-1557
============================
3/1/2005, Tues. 6:45 p.m.; 7-9 pm
TBA --
Sutter Center for Psychiatry, Sacramento - Contact: Greater
Sacramento CHADD: 916-552-1557
============================
3/12/2005, Sat. 8:15 am - 4:30 pm
Rick LaVoie - Looking at Learning Disorders Through Three Lenses:
Philosophy, Knowledge and Techniques. -- Sponsored by the Sacramento
Learning Disabilities Association and others
Collings West Sacramento Teen Center, West Sacramento - Contact:
Sacramento LDA: 800-203-7542 or www.SacramentoLDA.org
============================

===San Francisco===========

============================
2/2/2005, Wed. 6:00 - 7:45 pm
"Developing Minds" Video: Thinking with Numbers -- Sponsored by the
SF Unified School District, Schwab Learning, the CAC, SF PTA and SF
School Volunteers.
San Francisco Public Library, San Francisco - Contact: Marilyn Dong,
Librarian: Resource Collection for Learning Differences - 415/557-4540
============================
2/28/2005, Mon. 7 - 9 pm
Adult Success Group -- Share skills and strategies for success at
home, in the workplace, in relationships, etc.
First Unitarian Universalist Church, San Francisco - Contact: Rachel
Rosenfeld: 888-759-9758
============================
2/5/2005, Sat. 8:30 am - 3 pm
High School Conference - PEN --
Lick Wilmerding High School, San Francisco - Contact: Parent
Education Network (PEN): Visit www.parentseducationnetwork.org
============================
3/9/2005, Wed. 6:00 - 7:45 pm
"Developing Minds" Video: Developing Control Over Attention --
Sponsored by the SF Unified School District, Schwab Learning, the
CAC, SF PTA and SF School Volunteers.
San Francisco Public Library, San Francisco - Contact: Marilyn Dong,
Librarian: Resource Collection for Learning Differences - 415/557-4540
============================

===Santa Clara=================

============================
2/2/2005, Wed. 7:15 - 9:30 pm
"What's the Big Deal about Order?" -- Speaker, Frances Strassman,
ADHD Coach and Professional Organizer
Friends Meeting House, Palo Alto - Contact: Silicon Valley Warmline:
650-949-5472
============================
2/3/2005, Thu. 7:15 - 9:30 pm
Kitty Petty ADD/LD Institute - Discussion & Sharing Strategies &
Coping Skills Peer Group for ADDults. --
Friends Meeting House, Palo Alto - Contact: Kitty Petty ADD/LD
Institute: 650-329-9443 or visit www.kpinst.org
============================
3/3/2005, Thu. 7:15 - 9:30 pm
Stop, Look and Listen: Prioritizing Your Life From the Inside Out --
Speaker, Mary Dabaghian, Professional Life Coach and Organizer
Friends Meeting House, Palo Alto - Contact: Kitty Petty ADD/LD
Institute: 650-329-9443 or visit www.kpinst.org
============================


*************************
>> ANNOUNCEMENTS <<
*************************

Laptop Needed!

Two CHADD of Northern California volunteers recently completed
comprehensive training in a program designed to teach parents and
teachers about ADHD.

They are now prepared to present this workshop throughout the Bay
Area, and we are very grateful to them because they already perform
considerable service for CHADD members locally.

All they lack are laptops that can run Powerpoint presentations.

If you have an extra laptop sitting around, would you please consider
donating it to CHADD? It is tax-deductible!

Please remember: CHADD NorCal is run entirely by volunteers. We need
your support to continue providing critically needed outreach and
awareness.

Here are the requirements.

Requirements:
--A computer that will run the Microsoft Office latest software,
including Powerpoint.
--A USB connection so it can be connected to a projector and a CD/DVD
slot to load the programs.

--Pentium 3 processor, 40 to 80 gig hard drive, 256mgs of memory or more.
--Apple: G3 or 4, prefer 4, needs to run system 10, 40 to 80 hard
drive, 256 or more memory.

Thank you!

***************************
>> FEATURE ARTICLE <<
***************************

Where I Belong: Finding my place in a non-ADD world
By Amy Seefeldt

The best thing that's happened to me in a very long time happened two
weeks ago. I was fired from my job. This was a job where I sat at my
computer in my dark office every day, dreaming about quitting, but
never had the guts to do it. It wasn't until I found the
advertisement for my position on craigslist that I realized my boss
was trying to replace me. I printed out the ad, brought it to her,
and told her that if she was going to fire me to do it now so I can
collect unemployment. So she did. And that day, I walked out of my
office feeling weightless.

I was diagnosed with ADD a year ago, just around the time that I was
hired for this job as Marketing Coordinator. After seeing my
psychiatrist, I begged for the drugs to kick in and rid me of this
"disease". At only 25 years old, I had already endured numerous jobs
from secretary to waitress to struggling freelance copywriter. I had
started countless projects, like writing and illustrating a
children's book and various short stories but never finished them. I
wanted a career, a focus. And I wanted to impress the people at my
new job, for once.

My job as a Marketing Coordinator was a daily struggle to hide my
difficulties. Detail, multi-tasking and toleration of tedium were
required skills. I remember the day that my cover as a flawless
employee was blown. About two months into the job, my boss called me
from her business trip, reprimanding me for handing in an important
document with errors. The document was a detailed form of which I had
entered the wrong information. After hanging up the phone, I walked
out of the office to an alley and cried. I knew I'd be fired.

Surprisingly enough, I wasn't fired. I actually managed to stay in
the job for a year, enduring three different bosses. Trying to be the
reliable, hard-working, competent businesswoman, my goal was to prove
somehow that I was smart. And sometimes I succeeded. I designed their
first promotional brochure. I revamped the company's entire website.
I even rewrote their strategic marketing plan on my own. But I what
held me back at my job were the detail slip-ups. I was required to
fulfill many administrative tasks and, no matter how hard I tried,
documents were often handed in with errors and important papers were
sometimes even lost.

Meanwhile, I was involved in an ADD women's group. As I shared my
trials with them, I realized something important. I didn't even want
to be in marketing. I hated sitting at a desk all day, performing
research and organizing files. What I really wanted to do was so
different from what my family wanted me to be. But I set my dream
aside for a long time because it wasn't practical. This dream was to
paint. So I signed up for a painting class that year and finally
found my creativity escalating, along with my self-confidence.

But my job came to a halt when my former boss left and they hired a
new one. This manager was a difficult one who valued only an eye for
detail and organization and scoffed at my creativity. I knew that
this wasn't going to work for me. That's why, after I was let go, I
decided to do what I'm good at and what I enjoy. I've started to
teach knitting classes, I'm painting and I'm going to volunteer as a
gardener.

It took a lot of time for me to accept myself after spending so many
years wanting to be like everyone else. That thought crossed my mind
just the other day during my interview for the position of gardening
volunteer. As I walked around the gardens with the Volunteer
Coordinator, he said something that struck me.

"What's remarkable is that we're able to grow a lot of different
kinds of plants and trees from around the world. There are a huge
variety of species that can live here," he said, "But also if you
come to think of it, there are many plants that won't grow here. Try
to plant a cherry tree or certain kinds of apple trees in these
gardens and they'll just die. But grow them on the east coast and
they'll thrive."

Then he pointed to a gorgeous tree who's leaves glistened a with silvery sheen.

"You see this?" he said as he closely tilted one of its leaves toward
me, "Each leaf has tiny hairs that reflect the sun. This keeps the
sun's rays from drying out the leaves. A tree like this does well in
moist, cool, foggy environments like San Francisco. In most other
places, this tree would dry out and die."

And I thought, that's just like people. Especially us ADD people.
Each of us was born with specific traits and talents. Stick us in the
wrong environment where those very aspects of our individuality are
hindered, and we will shrivel up. But put us in a place where our
abilities are nurtured and encouraged, a place where we were made to
belong, and we will thrive with grace and beauty.

I don't regret leaving my job as a Marketing Coordinator. It was
never right for me from the start. Neither were my jobs as a
secretary or a store manager or a waitress. I've made an honest pact
with myself to be what I am and pursue what's right for me, despite
other people's demands. And for the first time I feel right about it.
Perhaps that means that I'm just beginning to grow.

[Amy is participating in a Continuing CHADD women's group after
having completed an introductory 8-session workshop for women with
ADD. For more information, see the CHADDNorCal website. She welcomes
responses to her article and can be reached at amy_seefeldt@...]

**************************
>> PLEASE TELL US <<
**************************

We thank members for their responses to the Newsletter. Any comments,
suggestions, or criticisms will be greatly appreciated. Please
continue to help us make this newsletter and CHADD of Northern
California more beneficial to you all.

We also invite readers to share their experiences with us and other
members. Please feel free to write to us about anything that you
would like to see published.

You can e-mail your comments to us at Lew@.... Simply
replying to this e-mail will also send your message to the editor.

Lew Mills, Editor

************************************
>> SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION <<
************************************
UNSUBSCRIBE
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
Center_of_Attention-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

This will not affect your CHADD membership.

SUBSCRIBE
If this was forwarded to youŠ
You can subscribe by sending an e-mail to:
Center_of_Attention-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Feel free to forward this newsletter to others
and they can subscribe the same way.

CHANGE ADDRESS
To change your e-mail address, simply:
1. Unsubscribe from the old address
2. Subscribe from the new one

*****************************
>> CHADD INFORMATION <<
*****************************
Visit our webpage at http://www.chaddnorcal.org if you wish toŠ
* See the up-to-date schedule
* Read this newsletter and the archives
* Join CHADD of Northern California or renew your membership

About the Newsletter:

The Center of Attention is CHADD of Northern California's bi-weekly
newsletter. The newsletter is designed to keep you up to date with
CHADD of Northern California's activities and updates in the field.

* CHADD Works to Improve the Lives of People with
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder through Education, Advocacy,
and Support *

Contact:

--

Lew Mills, PhD, LMFT
Editor, "Center of Attention"
CHADD of Northern California, Chapter # 504
mailto:Lew@...
http://www.chaddnorcal.org/newsletter
Fax or Voice Message: 510-291-2950
Toll Free 888-759-9758