Give Lynne a call and have a conversation with her to see how counseling or Gifted Adult Coaching can help.

Stresses Gifted Adults Face

One of the hardest things in life is having words in
your heart that  you can't utter.
 James Earl Jones

After working with gifted, creative, multi-talented people for more than ten years, I know that to create a meaningful and successful life gifted adults must do three things: 

• Understand themselves, their special abilities and unique needs;

• Learn how to meet their needs and manage their relationships;

• Learn to use themselves and their talents for their own advantage.

When gifted adults have not mastered those three things, their life is exceedingly stressful.                                                                                                                                               

To be valued within a peer culture which values conformity, gifted young people may mask their giftedness and develop alternative identities which are perceived as more socially acceptable.
Miraca Gross

Encouraging, supporting and guiding gifted, talented and creative adults to achieve their goals and realize their dreams by identifying and working through blocks and conflicts and developing skills for dealing with and solving their problems and challenges is what gifted adults need to thrive and develop their potential. 

The greatest success is successful
self-acceptance. Ben Sweet

While peers, teachers, mentors, and significant others may admire the many contributions gifted people make, they may also have inappropriate and overly inflated expectations for gifted adults and can fail to provide key instruction, support, and encouragement. 

Constant striving to live up to self-expectations--or those of others-- to be first, best, or both can be very stressful.
                Leslie S. Kaplan

When this occurs, this is exceedingly stressful for gifted adults who may expect themselves to live up to these standards and believe that they are failures or not gifted if they do not. 

I've never sought success in order to get fame and money; it's the talent and the passion that count in success.

Ingrid Bergman

 Coaching and psychotherapy with an informed gifted adult therapist or coach can help gifted adults break free from this extreme pressure and pattern of inappropriate expectations and standards.

The capacity to develop strong and lasting friendships cannot develop in the gifted individual until she herself has experienced the glad peace of being understood and accepted by "kindred spirits"--people of similar abilities, values & interests.
Miraca Gross

 Are you wondering if you, or someone you know or love, has been misdiagnosed–or properly diagnosed? 

To schedule an appointment, begin coaching or arrange a free phone consultation, email Lynne or call her at 310-828-7121

Lynne Azpeitia, MFT
310-828-7121
 3025 Olympic Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90404 

Coaching, Psychotherapy & Consultation

 Contact Lynne About Services for Gifted Adults

Coaching, Counseling &

Consulting Services Also Available by Phone & Skype

Interested in reading more? Click here for books for Gifted Adults

Lynne Azpeitia 
The Gifted Adult Coach
310-828-7121

Lynne@Gifted-Adults.com

PHONE & VIDEO SESSIONS AVAILABLE

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To schedule an appointment or arrange a free phone consultation, email Lynne or call her at 310-828-7121

Books
For Gifted Adults
&
Helping Professionals

Existential Depression in Gifted Individuals
James T. Webb, Ph.D. 
It has been my experience that gifted and talented persons are more likely to experience a type of depression referred to as existential depression. Although an episode of existential depression may be precipitated in anyone by a major loss or the threat of a loss which highlights the transient nature of life, persons of higher intellectual ability are more prone to experience existential depression spontaneously… More

Helping Gifted Students with Stress Management 
Leslie S. Kaplan
 Many gifted youngsters have a heightened sensitivity to their surroundings, to events, to ideas, and to expectations. Some experience their own high expectations for achievement as a relentless pressure to excel. Constant striving to live up to self-expectations--or those of others-- to be first, best, or both can be very stressful … More

Is Your Child Anxious Because They’re Gifted?
Rich Priesta
A child who is operating at an advanced intellectual, emotional or imaginational level may find it difficult to fit in. When compared to their peers, gifted children may have different interests, hobbies, ways of expressing themselves – in fact, they may just seem like they’re operating on a whole other level. That can make fitting in, making friends, and feeling “normal” almost impossible, all of which can lead to anxiety and depression. More

Intelligence Denied: When Gifted Children’s Abilities Are Ignored
Gail Post
Recently, Kevin Gover, Director for the National Museum of the American Indian, spoke at Brown University's commencement baccalaureate. Among other things, he noted that when he was a child, he knew that he was smart, but as part Native American, he struggled to reconcile this self-awareness with negative images portraying Indians as "dumb" in history books. He recalled, regretfully, how he attributed his intelligence to the fact that his mother was white, so completely had he internalized the powerful racist messages of that era.
What happens when gifted children know they are smart, but society or schools tell them they are wrong?  What happens when they sense they are different from their peers, but no one tells them why?
Whether their abilities are blatantly dismissed because of cultural, racial or gender stereotypes, or merely minimized due to ignorance on the part of the schools, gifted children historically have struggled to thrive under conditions that attempt to suppress them. Gifted children knowthey are different. They see how easily they grasp information, and learn more quickly than many of their peers. They sometimes become impatient with friends who don't get it. They often react to events with greater emotionality and sensitivity. They may not fit in, and feel lonely and estranged.
Without the proper nurturance and guidance, gifted children will flounder.
Unless identified early, offered a challenging education tailored to their needs, and allowed to flourish in a setting with like-minded peers, gifted children not only often fail to reach their potential, they may never understand the exceptional abilities they possess. More…

 Overexcitability and the Gifted
 Sharon Lind 
 .....Overexcitabilities are inborn intensities indicating a heightened ability to respond to stimuli. Found to a greater degree in creative and gifted individuals, overexcitabilities are expressed in increased sensitivity, awareness, and intensity, and represent a real difference in the fabric of life and quality of experience. Dabrowski identified five areas of intensity-Psychomotor, Sensual, Intellectual, Imaginational, and Emotional. A person may possess one or more of these. “One who manifests several forms of overexcitability, sees reality in a different, stronger and more multisided manner”...More 

Do Nothing Day
Chellie Campbell
After I had the revelation about my habit of getting sick in order to get out of commitments, I decided I had to change my behavior. I had to learn to say “No” to more things and break the cycle of over-commitment. I had to focus on my priorities, and one of them had to be my health. I took a long, hard look at my calendar and all the activities I planned each week. I realized I was on the go too much—even with fun things. I needed more “do nothing time.”  .... So I created “Do Nothing Day.”...More

Why Gifted Students Are Targeted by Bullies
Sherrie Gordon
Every day, numerous gifted children and adolescents are targets of teasing and bullying. In a foundational study on bullying and gifted students, researchers at Purdue University found that by eighth grade, more than two-thirds of gifted students have been victims of bullying, with 19% of teasing specifically related to intelligence and grades.
A review of studies on bullying and gifted students from 1970 to 2014 revealed that gifted students are victimized at similar rates as other targeted groups (sometimes slightly more, sometimes slightly less); however, they may be targeted for unique reasons, and may also respond to bullying differently...often more intensely and more prolonged.
Why Gifted Kids Become Targets of Bullying
One reason gifted students are bullied is because of their exceptional school performance, as well as the attention, resources, and opportunities that center around these high academic achievers. Bullies are either envious of their success and grades, or they see them as a threat to their own personal status and academic success. What's more, they also may be considered the “teacher’s pet” or a “know-it-all.”
More…

Branding the Gifted
Celi Trépanier
From their precocious first words, they were branded. At a very early age, the gifted are branded with the expectation of achievement.
”Oh, my gosh, he’s so smart! He’s going to go far in life”
”Wow, her vocabulary is so advanced. She’s going to breeze through school!”
Honor roll, straight A’s, Principal’s Award, valedictorian, Ivy League college, master’s degree, Ph.D. Everyone expected the gifted kid to excel, do great things, and undoubtedly be notably successful in life.
“He’s going to be famous one day!”
“I predict she will be a doctor, a scientist, a CEO, or our future president!”
Far too many gifted people feel the pain of that branding. It burns, and it scars, sometimes for life.
Gifted underachiever is a common term. Gifted students swell with shame when their grades are not what’s expected by teachers, parents, and others. Gifted adults who have not achieved the greatness others presumed they would feel like failures. The branding of gifted people indelibly shapes their lives, roping them with unrealistic expectations of achievement. More…

Stanford Commencement Address
Steve Jobs 
I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories.
The first story is about connecting the dots.  I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out?
It started before I was born...More

 Bill Watterson's Uplifting Advice To College Grads, Illustrated In 'Calvin & Hobbes' Style
Creating a life that reflects your values and satisfies your soul is a rare achievement.......More 

Managing the Blessing & Burden of Being A Gifted, Talented & Creative Adult
Lynne Azpeitia
"Sometimes when you climb a mountain, the oxygen is a little thin.”
Being a Gifted, Talented, and/or Creative adult can be a challenge. There are so many things that you want to do (and are capable of doing) that it can be overwhelming to figure out what to focus on first…
And there’s also the trouble of dealing with people who are jealous and don’t really understand you, which can lead to even more challenges in relationships or at the workplace. If this is you and you’ve been going through a season of struggle, support is on the way. There are healers who have trained their entire careers to be there for you when times get tough. Our guest today is one of them. Lynne Azpeitia joins us to talk about how to create a focused, balanced, and goal-oriented daily routine that puts Self-Appreciation at the forefront, and is created with your unique needs in mind. Join us for some love, laughs, and “ah-ha” moments as we explore how you can "Manage the Blessing and Burden of Being a Gifted, Talented, and/or Creative Adult". More…

Shame and the Gifted: The Squandering of Potential
Celi Trépanier
Giftedness has a multiplicity of meanings depending upon which population or group one queries—from various clinical definitions to the differing identification criteria used in gifted education programs and the often-misguided societal perceptions of gifted people. The complexity which encompasses giftedness is tremendous and can be a detriment to gifted individuals. 
Societal Perceptions
Predominant stereotypes of gifted individuals can be seen portrayed in television shows such as Young Sheldon and Scorpion, both painting a picture of utter genius—extreme intelligence of which the predictable outcome will be a high level of achievement, success, and eminence most of us will not achieve in our lifetimes. Stereotypically, the expected product of giftedness is not accurate for many gifted individuals, but the portrayal of geniuses as misfits in society often is.
Educational Stereotypes
Our educational system has unfortunately unintentionally promoted these inaccurate stereotypes by setting gifted identification criteria based on academic achievement, exemplary behavior in the classroom, and notable extra-curricular attainments—none of which are incontrovertible benchmarks of giftedness in children. As gifted education programs continue to populate their classes with high-achieving, ambitious and driven students who garner note-worthy academic achievements in school and above-average accomplishments outside of school, an erroneous and hurtful stereotype has emerged which plagues gifted individuals throughout their lives. More…