ADHD COUNSELLING
ADHD COUNSELLING
This is the short version (TL:DR)
I offer ADHD counselling for adults and young people over 16, in person in Kingsbridge, Devon, and online across the UK.
ADHD counselling may help if you feel overwhelmed, burnt out, anxious, emotionally intense or as though you are failing at adulting.
You do not need a formal diagnosis to begin.
This is not about fixing you, making you more productive, or forcing you into systems that do not work for your brain.
It is about understanding yourself, reducing shame, making sense of your patterns, and finding more compassionate ways to live, work and relate.
Scroll down for the longer version...
When you have spent years feeling like you should be able to do better
Many people with ADHD carry a deep sense of shame. Not because they have done anything wrong, but because they have spent years trying to meet expectations that do not fit how their brain works.
You might ask yourself, “Why can’t I just do the thing?” You might know exactly what needs to happen, but still feel unable to start. You may put things off, miss deadlines, forget messages, lose track of time, or feel constantly behind.
From the outside, this can be misunderstood as laziness or lack of effort. Inside, it often feels like exhaustion, frustration and guilt.
When everyday life feels harder than it looks
ADHD can make ordinary life feel surprisingly demanding. Starting tasks, finishing tasks, managing time, keeping on top of messages, making decisions, remembering appointments, staying organised and dealing with life admin can take far more energy than other people realise.
You may be brilliant in a crisis but struggle with daily routines. You may start things with enthusiasm and then lose momentum. You may feel full of ideas, but find it hard to turn them into consistent action.
Counselling can help you make sense of these patterns without turning them into personal failings.
What ADHD counselling is, and what it is not
ADHD counselling is not about telling you to buy another planner, make a better list, or shame yourself into being more organised.
It is not about forcing you into systems that do not fit your brain. It is not about assuming you are lazy, careless or unmotivated. It is not about making you more productive at the expense of your wellbeing.
ADHD counselling is about understanding how your attention, energy, emotions, motivation and nervous system work. It can help you notice what gets in the way, what supports you, and what you may need to do differently rather than more perfectly.
A space where you do not have to arrive organised
In therapy with me, you do not have to come with a neat list, a clear plan, or a perfectly organised explanation of what is going on.
You can arrive scattered. You can lose your train of thought. You can talk quickly, slowly, emotionally, messily, or in loops. We can pause, untangle things, come back to what matters, and work in a way that suits your attention, energy and processing style.
Therapy does not have to be another place where you feel you are failing to do things properly.
Understanding shame, overwhelm and executive dysfunction
Executive dysfunction can be one of the most painful parts of ADHD. You may know what matters to you, care deeply about doing it, and still feel stuck.
This gap between intention and action can create a lot of shame. You may criticise yourself for procrastinating, avoiding things, overcommitting, forgetting, or leaving tasks unfinished. You may feel lazy, even when you are exhausted from trying.
Counselling can help you recognise these patterns with more compassion. Instead of asking, “What is wrong with me?”, we can begin to ask, “What is happening here, and what might actually help?”
Emotions, relationships and rejection sensitivity
ADHD is not only about attention. It can also affect emotions, relationships and self-esteem.
You may feel things intensely, react quickly, or struggle to come back down once you are upset. You may be very sensitive to criticism, rejection, disappointment or changes in someone’s tone. You may people please, over-explain, apologise often, or feel constantly worried that you have got something wrong.
Over time, this can make relationships feel exhausting. Counselling can help you understand your emotional patterns, build boundaries, and respond to yourself with less blame.
Moving from chaos and self-criticism to something kinder
For many people with ADHD, therapy is not about becoming a perfectly organised person. It is about understanding yourself more clearly and finding ways of living that are more realistic, compassionate and sustainable.
That might mean recognising executive dysfunction, reducing shame and guilt, understanding emotional intensity, building boundaries, or learning how to work with your brain rather than constantly fighting against it.
I work with ADHD and AuDHD clients in a neurodiversity-affirming way, integrating person-centred, Gestalt and CBT approaches. The aim is not to turn ADHD into a “superpower”, or to pretend it is not difficult. It is to help you understand yourself, reduce self-criticism, and move towards a life that feels more manageable and more authentically yours.
You may also find my pages on Autism Counselling, AuDHD Counselling helpful if those experiences feel relevant to you.
Send me a message
You do not have to write the perfect message, explain everything clearly, or know exactly what you need before you get in touch. A simple message is enough.
I offer ADHD counselling in person in Kingsbridge, Devon, and online across the UK for adults and young people over 16.
