Do I have ADHD?
A lot of adults are asking this question. Maybe a friend has been diagnosed, or a family member, often one of your children, and you’ve started to notice your own challenges mirroring theirs.
You’ve probably also heard that everybody’s got ADHD, or read the latest article saying it’s overdiagnosed. And yet for years you’ve wondered why life seems so much harder for you. You’re smart and capable, but you can’t do things consistently, and when you look at your peers, you can see you’re having a harder time.
So you worry about faking it or being an impostor. You worry you won’t be believed, just like the other times you raised it and someone said, “but everybody does that.” Or that you’ll look like you’re jumping on the latest bandwagon.
An assessment is there to help answer your questions. It brings together information from different sources to understand whether you struggle with something individually, or whether there’s a big enough cluster of traits that we would call it ADHD.
It should give you context and awareness of your challenges and your strengths, so you can begin. The assessment is where the process starts. If ADHD is part of the picture, it can open the door to learning how your brain works and making changes that fit your life.
I have 17 years of professional experience working with ADHD, and I also bring a personal understanding to my work, because I’m a late-diagnosed ADHDer too.
The assessment process
Clear. Structured. Collaborative.
Looking for an ADHD assessment can feel like a really big step, especially if you’ve spent years wondering whether you’re just not trying hard enough or not smart enough. My role is to make the process informative, straightforward and supportive.
1 Questionnaires at home
You complete structured questionnaires at home, in your own time. These help build the initial picture of whether ADHD traits are showing up in your life.
2 Two one-hour sessions
We meet for two focused sessions, usually about a week apart, to:
- explore your history, your experiences and the patterns you’ve noticed
- understand what’s been difficult for you and what actually works
- look at the systems and workarounds you’ve created to get on with life and meet your challenges
Some people like to bring a partner, a parent or someone they trust to help tell the stories from earlier in their life.
3 Report and next steps
You’ll receive a clear written report.
Fee
$850 for the full ADHD assessment and report
Paid in two parts across the process.
If ADHD is indicated, we’ll talk through your next steps, which may include:
- sharing your report with your GP
- a referral to a psychiatrist, if you’re interested in a medication trial
What happens after the assessment
For some people, the main value in an assessment process and report is simply knowing, and feeling more comfortable with a neurodivergent identity.
For others, it’s about finding active strategies and ideas to meet the challenges they have, and adjusting their life to better fit a neurodivergent brain. Some people want ongoing support with this, and we can talk about it as a separate step.
Whatever your preferred outcome, that can be accommodated.
Next step
If you’ve been wondering about ADHD for a while, this is a place to start.