Alum gets psychological in annual colloquium
Abigail Levrini ’02 discussed adult ADHD at the annual psychology colloquium. Photo courtesy of psychedconnections.com
By Nora Tidey, Staff Writer
On Friday, October 16 the annual psychology colloquium was held in Bowen Auditorium.
Gettysburg alumna Abigail Levrini gave this year’s talk entitled, “Beyond Distraction: Exploring the Lesser Known Symptoms, Outcomes and Treatment World of Adult ADHD.”
Earlier in the day, Levrini attended a luncheon for psychology majors and spoke about how she progressed from Gettysburg to where she is now, giving advice to current students on how to successfully continue their endeavors in the field of psychology.
Levrini graduated from Gettysburg College in 2002 and received her PhD from Florida State University.
Levrini and her then-adviser, Professor Bob D’Agostino, spoke fondly of each other as D’Agostino introduced the talk. Levrini thanked him for all of his help throughout her college career. Levrini now has a private practice, PsychEd Connections, and two American Psychological Association published books. She currently resides in Florida and is actually a second-generation Gettysburg psychology homecoming colloquium speaker: her father gave the colloquium several years ago.
The objective of Levrini’s presentation was to provide understanding and increase empathy for those with ADHD, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
She addressed the misconceptions and inaccurate media portrayals of ADHD, describing how both can be harmful to people with ADHD and to the public’s understanding of the disorder. Levrini asserted that media depictions can reinforce negative self-images, but she kept her talk light with several playful examples of popular characters that exhibit certain symptoms of ADHD.
She used Homer Simpson as an example of ineffective prioritizing, Winnie the Pooh as forgetfulness and Dug the Dog from Up as easily distracted. Treatment techniques for ADHD were another topic in Levrini’s presentation, and she discussed some of the unique methods she uses with her clients. One example is a motivation system of automatic withdrawals from a client’s bank account when they do not accomplish what they need to in time; the money withdrawn goes automatically to an organization that they do not support, thus creating motivation to get important tasks accomplished.
If readers are interested in learning more about the world of adult ADHD or Dr. Levrini’s work, her private practice website is www.psychedconnections.com. Her two books are titled, “Succeeding with Adult ADHD” and “ADHD Coaching: A Guide for Mental Health Professionals.”
