Chapter 4:
"Non-Medication Treatment for ADHD,"
By: TE Brown & RJ Kennedy (2019)
Meet our Associate Director
Ryan J. Kennedy, DNP, FNP-C, PMHS
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Ryan is the Associate Director of the Brown Clinic in Manhattan Beach. A native of Connecticut, Ryan attended SCSU & and received his Bachelor of Science in Public Health before moving on to become a registered nurse at Bridgeport-Hospital School of Nursing. He received his doctorate in nursing practice from Quinnipiac University, and he maintains board certification as a family nurse practitioner.
He is a Pediatric Primary Care Mental Health Specialist (PMHS certification). He has completed the certificate program for the Master of Psychopharmacology through the Neuroscience Education Institute. He completed training in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy through the Beck Institute of CBT and several years of intensive training in psychotherapy at the Yale Clinic for Attention & Related Disorders.
In 2011, Ryan began to work alongside his mentor, a Yale-trained, clinical psychologist, Thomas E. Brown., Ph.D., where he worked in his private practice clinic for six years. Ryan was first Dr. Brown's research assistant and during graduate school he completed extensive training in the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of ADHD & Related Disorders in children, adolescents, & adult patients.
He has published articles in peer-reviewed journals, lectured at national and international conferences, co-author of several book publications on ADHD, and regularly provides training and continuing education lectures and workshops for medical and nursing healthcare providers & students. At the Brown Clinic, he also provides training & clincial education for resident physicians of UCLA-Harbor.
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"One of the most important things I love about my work is building strong relationships with my patients & and their loved ones. Over the years in this field, I've heard from hundreds of patients who had poor experiences in psychiatry, many people who have tried for years, and for some, decades, to search for answers to lifelong difficulties, in finding a provider who genuinely takes the time to understand the person beyond the patient. Every day, I continue to grow and learn from every interaction with my patients. I enjoy the opportunity to provide my patients a place where I can better serve them and understand their uniqueness, strengths, difficulties, and goals in life."
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"I am grateful to my patients who say that I listen to them carefully, instead of just hearing their voice... to be given the opportunity to have a space for patients to share their emotions, to validate their experiences, and to work together to find a treatment plan that is tailored to their individual needs. I hope to be the provider patients can find effective support and treatment, despite if they feel like they have given up, because of treatments that didn't help in the past, had providers who prescribed medication that didn't relieve their suffering, or patients who have 'tried it all' and hope to find a treatment plan that works for them."
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"I enjoy making connections with patients because my appointments are not confined to the typical, 15 to 30-minute appointment block... Instead, patients can schedule 1-hour appointments with me without a long wait. I can carefully listen to my patient's concerns and questions. This amount of time allows us to build a solid foundation and therapeutic relationship. This is my practice philosophy and why I am passionate about providing meaningful and effective care to patients. It is quality time that allows us to collaborate, which is essential for sustaining long-term, successful treatment of this common, yet complex, lifelong condition [ADHD]."