Nominated for the BBC Radio 4 All in the Mind Awards (Professional category) 2025
Adult ADHD Assessments
As someone with personal experience of neurodivergence I understand how important this diagnostic process can be for my clients and I do my best to make it as stress free and helpful as possible. I feel strongly that for any diagnosis to be helpful to anyone, it’s important that it’s the right diagnosis so I will always consider alternative explanations and discuss these with you if appropriate.
As a psychologist I aim to make the assessment process therapeutic in itself; hopefully by the end, irrespective of the diagnostic outcome, you will have a better understanding of what has brought you to assessment and what might be helpful to you in the future. If you receive a diagnosis of ADHD from me, the assessment can also provide a useful foundation for future psychological intervention.
Information on the diagnostic process
My diagnostic process follows the best practice guidelines of the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, a government body that advises the National Health Service on effective service provision. This is a useful point of reference for people seeking diagnosis because it sets out the criteria for a good assessment and irrespective of whether you choose to use my services, I recommend that you use it when looking at diagnostic providers.
ADHD is considered a ‘neurodevelopmental’ condition so it is critical to establish that it was present in childhood, as well as in adulthood. The assessment process therefore gathers information from a number of sources and it is important to have the perspective of the person as well as other significant people in their life. It is invaluable to speak to a parent or childhood caregiver and to have school reports or similar if available. It can also be helpful to speak to a partner or friend who knows the person well and can comment on their symptoms now.
Structure of assessment
The psychological assessment process takes place by video call and can therefore include participants in different locations. It is often better to schedule a number of sessions – at least one long one for the assessment and a further, shorter session for feedback.
I charge a fixed fee of £1500 for the assessment & diagnosis and this includes a comprehensive report with recommendations. The process comprises the following five steps:
1.
1
Questionnaires are sent out to the client and informants (parent/partner/
friend), completed electronically and analysed
2
Clinical Interview of roughly 1-2 hours duration to take a background history
3
Structured Diagnostic Interview using validated Diagnostic tools and taking 1-2 hours, ideally with informant (parent/childhood caregiver) present
4
Feedback meeting of up to an hour where I present my findings in the format of a draft written report. This covers not only diagnostic conclusions, but also recommendations on what might be most helpful going forward. Amendments can be made before the report is finalised
5
The final report is sent out to the client and, with written consent, any other health professionals involved
Occupational recommendations
If you would like a report for your employers, with recommendations for Reasonable Adjustment, I can provide a separate, shorter report, focussing on your occupational context. The costs for this varies, depending on the outcome of the assessment and recommendations and therefore the length of time needed to produce an employer’s report. Cost is likely to range from £150 - £300 as an estimate.
Complex presentations
If someone has multiple complex difficulties then further assessment sessions and/or liaison with other professionals or informants may be recommended. This will always be discussed with the client first. For example, a client may present with symptoms of an additional neurodevelopmental disorder such as Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Any additional investigations would incur an additional cost to be negotiated with the client.
Medication
If you receive a diagnosis, you may be interested in medication for ADHD. As a Psychologist, I do not prescribe medication and if you require this, I will connect you with the Consultant Psychiatrist I work alongside who is able to prescribe ADHD medication. He will not need to repeat your assessment, but will need to conduct a medical assessment for suitability for medication. He is experienced in navigating NHS shared care protocols for medication once clients are established on medication.
Psychological interventions
In addition to diagnosis, I specialise in psychological interventions for ADHD and assessment with me provides a helpful basis for this work. When I work with individuals, I usually integrate a solution focussed coaching paradigm with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for ADHD, an evidence based approach tailored to help people with ADHD understand their strengths and challenges and provide tools to maximise your strengths and minimise the challenges. I also draw on my knowledge and skills in neuropsychology and neurorehabilitation, as well as other relevant approaches such as Acceptance & Commitment Therapy and Systemic Therapy, where appropriate. In addition to individual work, I sometimes offer a CBT for ADHD online group incorporating similar principles in a cost effective format that also draws on the various perspectives and experiences of the group members. Further to this, I work with a lot of neurodivergent couples, usually around relationship issues, but sometimes on a “couples assisted” basis where it is helpful for the person with ADHD to have the involvement of a significant other in their ADHD focused therapy.
Access to Work funding
If you receive a diagnosis of ADHD and it is thought that intervention would be beneficial for your employment, it is possible that you could get government funding for a course of intervention targeted on employment issues via Access to Work. If you were interested in pursuing this further, I would be happy to advise you on the process as part of your diagnostic feedback.