Central London therapy for ADHD
Supporting you to manage the impacts of ADHD and thrive
With over 5% of the UK’s population estimated to have ADHD, it’s vitally important that therapists offer a neuro-affirming approach. Specialist help is available in Kings Cross, Oxford Circus and online.
How can I improve ADHD?
Living with ADHD in a world that is structured to suit neurotypical people can be exhausting. In other ways it can be really positive. So while ADHD shouldn’t be seen as something to be fixed, there are definitely things that you can do to make your life easier.
These include:
Taking medication for ADHD. Stimulants (such as methylphenidate and lisdexamfetamine) and atomoxetine can improve attention and reduce impulsivity and hyperactivity.
Engaging in ADHD-affirmative therapy. As well as providing practical advice on living with ADHD, therapy can help you to better understand how your ADHD interacts with other issues in your life, and to get support with all of it
Identifying your triggers and negative thoughts. ADHD can come with all sorts of negative “should” thoughts about how you should be able to do things, should behave like others, etc, and these can lead to feeling ashamed. Understanding when these thoughts are triggered for you and learning to challenge the thoughts can greatly reduce the shame. A good therapist can help you with this.
Avoiding sensory overload. ADHDers can be prone to sensory overload. By identifying which of your senses get overloaded and what sights, sounds, touches, smells or tastes are most triggering to you, you can better manage your environment and recognise when and how to change environment before reaching the point of overload.
Establishing a schedule to support self-care. This might include setting up a consistent sleep plan, getting regular exercise, blocking out time for hobbies, managing your diet and scheduling social activities.
Using technology to help with daily tasks. Organisations like Goblin Tools and Llama Life have created software to help ADHDers with tasks including decision-making, scheduling and gauging the tone of a text.
How do I know if I have ADHD?
To get a diagnosis, you would need to be seen by a healthcare professional with specialist expertise in ADHD. You can do this through your GP, though NHS waiting lists for assessments can be long. There are also many private organisations offering this service. You can find them easily online, but do make sure that the person you see is qualified to diagnose.
Psychotherapists are not qualified to diagnose, but if you’re thinking about getting a diagnosis I can support you with that by:
exploring together what getting a diagnosis would mean to you, and what it would mean to you if you were told you didn’t have ADHD
going through a screening checklist to assess whether a diagnosis of ADHD is likely
thinking about what other factors might be contributing to any difficulties you’re having
supporting you through the process of going for a diagnosis, which can be very emotional.
How does ADHD affect life?
There are different types of ADHD; some people struggle more with attention, others are more hyperactive, and of course there is a lot of individual variation within those types.
Common effects of ADHD on everyday life include:
forgetfulness
losing track of possessions
difficulty in starting and completing tasks
mood swings
thoughts jumping around a lot
finding social interactions difficult or confusing
a feeling of fidgetiness, wanting to move
not noticing internal states such as hunger or tiredness
problems with time management
sensory overwhelm.
As a result of feeling ill at ease in a neurotypical world, ADHDers might adopt coping strategies such as:
withdrawing from social situations
losing themselves in fantasy or fixations
masking (consciously acting as they think others want them to be, at the expense of their own needs).
What makes ADHD worse?
There may be times in life when your ADHD feels worse. Research has shown that this may be due to:
Does ADHD need therapy?
No, but it helps. The purpose of ADHD-affirmative therapy is not to get rid of the ADHD, but to support you to live a happier, less stressful life.
How does ADHD therapy work?
Therapy starts with an initial consultation, which is a 50 minute session in which I find out about you and what you’d like to work on in therapy. It’s also your chance to get a feel for how I work and whether I’m the right therapist for you.
At the end of the initial consultation, I’ll ask you whether you’d like to continue with me. There’s no pressure. If you want to continue with me, we’ll arrange a regular weekly 50-minute appointment, which can be in person (in Kings Cross or Oxford Circus) or online.
If you want to continue with therapy but decide that I’m not quite right for you, I’ll be happy to refer you to one of my colleagues and pass on my notes from the initial consultation so you don’t have to start from scratch with them.
If you come for ADHD-affirmative therapy with me, there are a lot of things we might discuss, including:
practical strategies for making your daily life with ADHD easier
how having ADHD impacts your identity
any co-occurring challenges (such as anxiety, depression, childhood trauma, gender dysphoria and PTSD, which can often exist alongside ADHD)
how you deal with structural ableism and prejudice
the strengths that your ADHD gives you
whether you neglect your inner states and emotions, and ways to notice them more
internalised ableism
how your caregivers and other loved ones have responded to your ADHD
your negative thoughts and how you can challenge them
your friendships and intimate relationships, and how they are impacted by your ADHD
ways to increase your social confidence
all the regular stuff of life like work and family - I don’t make the mistake of assuming all you want to talk about is ADHD.
Of course, these might not all be relevant to you and there will likely be things you’d like to talk about that aren’t on this list. We’ll discuss what’s important to you.
What type of therapy is best for ADHD?
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) has shown to be effective for people with ADHD. CBT does tend to be researched more than other types of therapy, so it’s not quite as straightforward as saying CBT is the most effective - it’s the most scientifically supported. That said, the principles of CBT are really relevant to ADHD and I incorporate CBT in my approach.
Generally speaking, the type of therapy is less important than how comfortable you feel with the therapist and whether you can open up to them (Hubble and Miller, 2022).
People with ADHD are likely to feel comfortable with someone who:
really understands what ADHD is and how it affects people
is quite structured, explains what to expect and is active, rather than the blank slate type of therapist
allows clients with ADHD to be who they are, for example stimming in the therapy room and not needing to mask
doesn’t pathologise ADHD and understands the force of ableism
is skilled in working with trauma, attachment and early childhood experiences, as these come up regularly in therapy for ADHD.
You can read more about my approach in Supporting clients with ADHD.
Can couples have ADHD therapy?
Yes, absolutely. In relationships where one or both partners have ADHD, it can be really valuable to have couples therapy with an ADHD-affirmative therapist. Alongside all the usual stuff of couples therapy, like improving communication, reducing conflict and building intimacy, we can look at how ADHD impacts your relationship. That might include a neurotypical partner understanding ADHD better, building empathy between the two of you and making accommodations both ways.
Where do you offer ADHD-affirmative therapy?
I provide therapy for ADHD at my two lovely therapy rooms in Central London:
My Kings Cross room is two minutes’ walk from the station and also within easy walking distance of St Pancras, Euston and Russell Square. It is convenient for Clerkenwell, Bloomsbury, Pentonville, Islington, Barnsbury, Camden and Angel.
My Oxford Circus room is in a quiet street five minutes’ walk from Oxford Circus itself and also within easy walking distance of Goodge Street, Warren Street and Holborn. It is convenient for Fitzrovia, Soho, Regent Street, Mayfair, Bloomsbury, Harley Street and Marylebone.
Is ADHD therapy available online?
Yes, I’m happy to provide ADHD-affirmative online therapy. Some of my clients have all their sessions online; others see me in person when they can and online when that isn’t possible.
How much does ADHD therapy cost?
For an initial consultation, I charge £50 for individuals (£45 if it’s online) and £90 for couples (£80 if online).
My full fee structure is explained in How I work.
How long does ADHD therapy take?
That’s really down to you and how much you want to bring to therapy. I work in an open-ended way, which means your weekly slot is held for you for as long as you want to come. If you want to set an end point when you start therapy, that’s fine. Otherwise we just keep going until you’re ready to end. Clients typically feel a benefit after just a few sessions then they keep going because they want more benefit!
Why choose me?
With over 15 years’ experience in individual psychotherapy and couples therapy, I’ve become a skilled therapist with a depth of expertise. Clients with ADHD tend to feel comfortable with me because I’m easy to talk to, straightforward and friendly. I’m very organised and keep a very calm, tidy therapy room, so there’s no clutter or confusion to detract from the therapy.
My therapy practices are conveniently located near Kings Cross and Oxford Circus, and I also offer online therapy. I offer free introductory chats and half price initial consultations so that you don’t have to spend a lot to get a feel for whether I’m a good fit for you.
Most clients who come for an initial consultation with me choose to continue with me, but if I’m not the right fit for you I will be happy to refer you to a colleague. I manage a large team of therapists so if I’m not the perfect fit for you there’s a good chance I know someone who is!
Next steps
If that sounds good to you, it’s easy to book an initial consultation or a free introductory phone call here…
If you want to find out more first, feel free to contact me and I’ll get back to you promptly.