Recommendation from my therapist who specializes in ADHD?

[NiceScientist]

I recently got a master from a top 10 program. I was enrolled in the PhD program, but I was required to graduate because of poor research progress. Almost immediately afterwards I was diagnosed with ADHD and anxiety. Suddenly my life started making sense!

I was born with ADHD and it appears that I had anxiey from a very young age, but I didn't grow up in the US and people in my country know basically nothing about mental illness, so nobody including me ever considered that I had a problem other than laziness and being "a bad, selfish person." Despite my ADHD and anxiety, I graduated Summa cum Laude from a very good institution in the US, and excelled in undergraduate research. According to my therapist, I developed excellent coping skills for both ADHD and for keeping my anxiety in check.  But in grad school I joined a group where the PI likes to micromanage their students, so I did not have the flexibility to apply my coping skills. In my first year of grad school, my anxiety increased so much that it significantly affected my rate of progress. Then I started getting help for anxiety which increased my confidence and motivation. But I felt that I needed to work much harder and catch up, which made my ADHD symptoms much worse. I was making so many careless mistakes in lab, and I wasn't even able to realize that until someone else was pointing them to me. That did not allow me to make faster progress.

After my diagnosis, I started medication and I have been seeing a therapist who specializes in ADHD for quite a few months now. I have made significant progress in understanding myself and how all of ADHD, anxiety, and cultural differences have affected me. At this point I don't think anyone gets me better than my therapist. He is convinced that I could be very successful in another top 10 PhD program as long as I won't have a micromanager as an advisor. 

I will get a very strong letter of recommendation from my undergraduate research advisor. My Master advisor told me that he will give me a positive letter of recommendation, but it will not be the strongest because he doesn't know what of my performance was my ADHD and anxiety or my real ability. My Master advisor is much better known in the community and I also worked with him more recently than with my undergrad advisor, so I think his letter will carry more weight. I also have no way to explain my poor performance to the places I apply without disclosing my past undiagnosed ADHD and anxiety, and I am worried that they will question my ability to handle another stressful program. I was thinking of asking for a letter from my therapist who has worked with me more recently than my Master advisor, and who knows everything about how I learned to not make ADHD a problem anymore. Also in the past few months I have been even more stressed than in grad school by other personal stuff, and my therapist has seen how well I have been able to handle a great deal of stress.

How unusual would it be to get a letter of recommendation from a therapist? Also, if I do get it, should I still get 3 letters from professors or would 2 be enough?

Thanks for your opinions!

[shadowclaw]

Well, I'm not an expert on admissions committees, but I'm pretty sure they won't be very impressed with a letter from your therapist, and I think it would probably do more harm than good.

Also, it's not really that helpful if your masters advisor is better known or that you worked with him more recently if his letter isn't strong. However, you really need a letter from your advisor or it will probably raise some red flags with the adcomm. So it's very important that you find a third recommendation that is also strong AND from a professor. Preferably someone who has done research with you.

[MarineBluePsy]

If you're concerned about admissions committees feeling that you may not be able to handle the stress of a graduate program then getting a letter from the therapist that is treating you is not a good idea.  You're not required to disclose this to them and there are a lot of reasons why you shouldn't.  I agree with the other poster that finding another letter writer that can discuss your academic and/or research abilities is best.  

As for how to explain your past struggles in school?  I attended a workshop put on by several people who have worked in admissions and it was all about preparing for graduate school.  One of the attendees had an undiagnosed learning disability that greatly affected his grades, but once it was discovered and he got proper help things improved.  His question was how to explain this without disclosing his diagnosis.  What they suggested he do is use his SOP to briefly mention that during that time he was under extreme stress due to personal or family circumstances and once he received adequate support he was able to focus more on school and improve his grades.  Then immediately move on to something positive like why he's a great fit for their program or what he's done to prepare for the rigors of graduate school.

I've never worked in admissions so I can't say their advice is perfect, but I like that their suggestion leaves the matter vague so you're not lying about anything.  Admissions committees can *assume* whatever they want, but you're making it clear that its a private matter you're not going to discuss.    

[NiceScientist]

Thank you both. These are very helpful.