04/13/2026
"When I was studying to become a psychologist, I never once heard the word giftedness brought up. We didn’t even hear about IQ testing, unless it had to do with measuring disability. Admittedly, that was nearly twenty years ago...but still, many of the psychologists, psychiatrists and other helping professionals I train today report that they either had a short mention of giftedness in their training, or, like me, none at all.
I know a training program can’t cover everything, and when the numbers of gifted people are so very small (common research says that less than 5% of the population is gifted), it somehow makes sense that giftedness as a topic would get low priority.
But then, what about those less than 5%? What are they supposed to do when they need to reach out for mental health support from professionals who are missing essential information about how their unusual brain works? These are moments when ignorance really can hurt. I have heard stories from countless clients about their search for, and failure to find, a therapist who could help them understand their (gifted) mind.
A few common hurtful mistakes therapists and other helping professionals make - much of the time out of ignorance - include:
▪️Telling their clients that giftedness does not exist
▪️Telling their clients that “everyone is gifted in their own way”, so their giftedness is nothing special to look at or consider
▪️Telling their clients that their need to discuss or explore their giftedness is a sign of arrogance or elitism
And this is, of course, when a client is aware of their giftedness. Many times (and perhaps more often), the client is not aware of their giftedness, and again many usually ignorance-induced mistakes are made in therapy and coaching, such as:
▪️Treating the client as though their mind is “normal” and thus should follow normal goals, values, and healing course
▪️Missing that gifted people can experience extreme trauma in conjunction with their giftedness ("gifted trauma", i.e. extreme feelings of alienation, intellectual/emotional starvation, and so on); or that many gifted clients have elements of Complex-PTSD from feeling the gifted part of themselves chronically invisible, unseen, uncared for, or exploited
▪️Misdiagnosing gifted traits such as high excitability and meta-thinking as ADHD or a neurological disorder
▪️Misdiagnosing gifted and traumatized clients with personality disorders, such as Borderline Personality Disorder or Narcissistic Personality Disorder
The list goes on, but these are some main points to consider. Of course, since gifted clients are human, there are overlaps in diagnoses, goals and values with their non-gifted counterparts; but it is important that the professional supporting them does not dismiss, diminish or ignore the role giftedness plays in all of the above."
This is an excerpt from Jennifer Harvey Sallin's article on our blog: "Supporting Gifted People: Guidelines for Therapists & Coaches (and Advice for Gifted Clients)".
What about you, therapists? Did you learn about giftedness in your training? If so, what were you taught about it, and did what you learn prepare you well for recognizing and supporting adult giftedness?
What about you, clients? Did your therapist recognize your giftedness and know how to support you in a way that incorporated your unique mind and your particular gifted needs?
___
More reading & training on this theme:
Supporting Gifted People: Guidelines for Therapists & Coaches (and Advice for Gifted Clients) --> https://intergifted.com/supporting-gifted-people/
Bringing our Giftedness into Therapy: Struggles and Growth for Gifted Therapists & Gifted Clients --> https://intergifted.com/giftedness-therapy/
Your Rainforest Mind: A Guide to the Well-being of Gifted Adults & Youth --> https://rainforestmind.com/your-rainforest-mind-the-book/
Gifted Psychology 101 & Giftedness Profiling Training for therapists & coaches --> https://intergifted.com/gifted-psychology-training/
