ADHD assessment & therapy
ADHD assessment and therapy, paced around how you actually work.
I offer comprehensive ADHD assessment and evidence-based therapy for children, adolescents and adults — including adult and female presentations, which can be overlooked or misunderstood for many years.
What ADHD can look like — and why it is often missed
ADHD is a difference in how attention, motivation and self-regulation are organised in the brain. It isn’t about willpower, and it doesn’t always match the familiar image of a restless child who cannot stay still.
For many people — particularly women, late-diagnosed adults, and those whose hyperactivity is more internal than external — the signs of ADHD don’t stand out in ways that are easily recognised. This can lead to years of self-doubt, burnout, or the sense that they “should” be coping better. A formal assessment cannot change the past, but it can offer a clearer understanding of your patterns and a pathway toward appropriate support.
Across the lifespan
ADHD presents differently at different stages of life.
In children
Some children show the more familiar picture: difficulty sitting still, challenges following multi-step instructions, impulsive decision-making, or strong emotions that can overwhelm them.
Others are quieter: children who daydream through class, who appear disengaged, or who come home exhausted from working hard to manage their behaviour during the school day.
In adolescents
Adolescence can bring shifts in structure and expectations that highlight emerging difficulties — trouble starting tasks, forgetting assignments, and cycles of guilt or frustration. Some seek novelty; others withdraw socially.
Academic changes are common when self-management becomes a larger part of daily life.
In adults
Adults often describe internal restlessness more than visible hyperactivity. They may struggle to start or complete tasks, experience intense emotions, or feel worn down by years of compensating.
Assessment in adulthood often comes after burnout, a child’s diagnosis, or a major life transition that removes the routines that once helped hold things together.
What an ADHD assessment involves
There is no single test for ADHD. A thorough assessment draws on multiple sources of information to understand the full picture.
Initial clinical interview
A detailed conversation about your experiences, how they affect everyday life, and what you hope to understand. For children, this includes a parent or carer. For adults, it can include school reports or historical information where available.
Developmental history
Because ADHD is a developmental condition, early patterns are important. We explore childhood experiences across home, school, friendships and transitions.
Validated rating scales
Structured questionnaires completed by you and, where relevant, a parent, partner or other close person. These scales support the clinical picture and help guide decision-making.
Clinical impression and report
A written report summarising the findings, diagnostic impression, practical recommendations for home, school or work, and suggested next steps — including whether referral for a medication review may be appropriate.
What sessions cost
Individual sessions are $230 for 50 minutes. With a Mental Health Care Plan from your GP, Medicare rebates $98.95 per session for up to 10 sessions per calendar year, leaving a gap of $131.05.
NDIS, TAC and WorkCover funding are also accepted. See full fee information →
ADHD therapy — what we focus on
A diagnosis is a starting point. Therapy helps make sense of the patterns the diagnosis explains and builds practical strategies, skills and self-understanding.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for ADHD
Adapted CBT focuses on everyday skills such as planning, time awareness and task initiation, as well as the self-criticism that often develops over time. Research supports its use as one helpful component within a broader support plan.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
ACT focuses on how you relate to your thoughts and feelings. Many people with ADHD find the internal pressure — “I should be able to do this” — more limiting than the symptoms themselves. ACT offers ways to work with these patterns more flexibly.
Co-occurring conditions
ADHD commonly occurs alongside anxiety, depression, sleep concerns and autism. Therapy takes the whole picture into account rather than working on ADHD in isolation.
A note before going further
Not everyone who suspects they may have ADHD needs a formal assessment. For some people, self-understanding is enough — reading, online community, and reflection can do real work without a clinical process. A formal diagnosis is most useful when it unlocks something specific: workplace accommodations, NDIS access, medication review with a GP or psychiatrist, or a structured course of therapy. If you are unsure whether assessment is the right next step, a free 15-minute call is a low-pressure way to talk it through.
How to access ADHD support
Privately
You can self-refer. Medicare does not rebate the assessment itself, but individual therapy sessions are rebatable under a Mental Health Care Plan from your GP.
If medication review is appropriate after diagnosis, I can liaise with your GP for onward referral to a psychiatrist or paediatrician.
Under NDIS
The NDIS may fund diagnostic assessments for children to support understanding of their functional capacity. Ongoing ADHD therapy can be funded through your NDIS plan where it forms part of reasonable and necessary supports.
Self-managed and plan-managed participants all welcome.
Questions we hear about ADHD assessment
How long does an ADHD assessment take?
A comprehensive ADHD assessment typically involves an initial clinical interview, validated rating scales completed by you (and, where relevant, a parent, partner or close other), and a detailed developmental history. Depending on complexity, the full process usually takes between two and four appointments, with a written report provided afterwards.
Can a psychologist diagnose ADHD, or do I need a psychiatrist?
In Australia, a registered psychologist can conduct a comprehensive ADHD assessment and provide a diagnostic opinion. However, medication for ADHD can only be prescribed by a medical practitioner — usually a psychiatrist or paediatrician. If medication may be appropriate, we can coordinate with your GP and refer on as needed.
Does Medicare cover an ADHD assessment?
Medicare does not fund the assessment itself. However, individual therapy sessions — including sessions used to support you during and after an assessment — may be rebated under a Mental Health Care Plan. For NDIS participants, assessment and therapy may be funded through your plan.
What does ADHD look like in adults, especially women?
In adults, ADHD often looks less like the childhood stereotype of visible hyperactivity and more like internal restlessness, difficulty starting or finishing tasks, emotional intensity, and exhaustion from years of compensation. Many women and people assigned female at birth are diagnosed later in life after years of masking, often following burnout, a child's diagnosis, or a major life transition.
My child may have ADHD. When should I seek an assessment?
If difficulties with attention, impulse control or regulation are persistent across settings — for example, at home and at school — and are affecting learning, friendships or wellbeing, a formal assessment can bring clarity. Early support matters, but there is no age that is too late, and waiting until things are obvious is not necessary.
What does the ADHD report include?
The written report summarises the assessment findings, the clinical impression, and practical recommendations for home, school or work. Where appropriate, it also includes guidance for further referral (for example, to a paediatrician or psychiatrist for medication review) and suggested therapeutic supports.
Often alongside ADHD
Autism (ASD) assessment
ADHD and autism frequently co-occur. When both are present, an integrated assessment changes the whole picture.
Read more →Anxiety therapy
Chronic anxiety is one of the most common companions to adult ADHD, and often eases once the underlying pattern is named.
Read more →NDIS psychology
For participants accessing ADHD assessment or therapy through the NDIS.
Read more →If this reflects your experience, we can talk about what an appropriate next step might look like.
Book an initial consultation, or start with a free 15-minute call to ask whatever you need to ask first.