STRENGTH PROTOCOL | Community & Resources: Your Architecture Between Visits

Why Community Is Part of the Intervention

Traditional weight loss programs give you a plan and send you home. For neurodivergent adults, that’s where the plan dies. Adults with ADHD must constantly create external structure to manage daily life (Becker et al., 2023). Online peer support reduces isolation and enhances engagement (Isser & Gazit, 2025). Peer support improves weight loss outcomes when structured sessions become less frequent (Leahey et al., 2020). Group structure itself is the intervention — “belonging to a context” was a primary therapeutic theme in nurse-led ADHD lifestyle intervention (Björk et al., 2021). The CHAMPS trial (Leahey et al., 2025, JAMA Internal Medicine) demonstrated that patient-delivered continuous care produced significantly better weight loss maintenance and superior cardiovascular outcomes than professionally delivered treatment over 18 months. The Strength Protocol Community is Intentional External Scaffolding between visits.

What the Community Provides

External Accountability — Weekly group discussions function as body doubling, providing the urgency your brain doesn’t generate internally. Structured Resources — Tiered gamification (Level 1: Quick Reference Cards/Templates, Level 2: Worksheets, Level 3: Magnet Guides, Level 4: In-Depth Resources, Level 5: Program Modules), each unlocking with engagement to maintain novelty and participation. Peer Support — Validation, belonging, and connection for late-diagnosed adults who have felt isolated in their struggles. Maintenance Bridge — Sustained connection and accountability after graduating from the biweekly intensive.

Who Has Access (Provider Referral or Direct Enrollment Only)

Referred patients in the biweekly intensive program | Waitlisted patients referred by a provider | Graduates transitioning to maintenance. For waitlisted patients: calculate TDEE, engage with Level 1 resources, participate in weekly accountability groups, and connect with others during a 4-week onboarding period designed to prepare for the intensive.

Privacy — No PHI, clinical advice, or medication management occurs in the community. All clinical care occurs through 1:1 telehealth sessions. The community is an educational and accountability resource, not a clinical environment.

Weekly Resiliency Groups

Facilitated by clinical staff, integrating tools from the University of Pennsylvania’s Master Resilience Training program: system adherence, friction mapping, cognitive reframing (identifying thinking traps, building mental agility), wins/setbacks, and peer support. These are structured accountability sessions — not therapy — designed to provide the Intentional External Scaffolding your neurobiology needs between visits.

© Strength Protocol | Dylan Kratochvil, MSN, NP-C