ADHD Psychologist Melbourne
Assessment, diagnosis support, and evidence-based therapy for adults living with ADHD — including women and late-diagnosed individuals.
Adult ADHD Assessment and Therapy in Melbourne
ADHD in adults is far more common — and far more varied — than many people realise. If you’ve struggled with focus, organisation, impulsivity, or emotional regulation your whole life and are wondering whether ADHD might explain it, our psychologists can help.
At The Talk Shop, we offer comprehensive ADHD assessment for adults, and evidence-based psychological therapy to help you manage ADHD in everyday life. We work with men and women across Melbourne’s north, north-east, south-east, and via telehealth.
ADHD in Adults: What It Actually Looks Like
It’s not just about being distracted
- Difficulty sustaining focus on tasks that aren’t inherently interesting
- Hyperfocus on engaging activities (at the expense of other responsibilities)
- Poor working memory — forgetting what you were about to do, losing things constantly
- Difficulty starting tasks (procrastination driven by executive dysfunction, not laziness)
- Emotional dysregulation — intense reactions, rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD)
- Chronic lateness, missed deadlines, financial disorganisation
- Restlessness or mental ‘noise’ even when physically still
ADHD in women: often missed until adulthood
Women with ADHD are more likely to have the inattentive presentation, which is quieter and less disruptive — and therefore often missed in childhood. Many women are diagnosed in their 30s or 40s, sometimes after a child’s ADHD diagnosis triggers recognition of their own experience.
Common presentations in women include: daydreaming, emotional sensitivity, perfectionism as a coping mechanism, and extreme self-criticism around perceived failures.
What an ADHD Assessment Involves
A psychological assessment for ADHD is a structured process that looks at your history, current symptoms, and how they affect your functioning across multiple areas of life.
Clinical Interview
A detailed conversation covering your childhood, education, work, and relationships — plus your current symptoms and their impact.
Rating Scales
Validated questionnaires (such as CAARS or DIVA 2.0) to quantify symptom frequency and severity compared to population norms.
Collateral Information
Where appropriate, information from a partner, family member, or old school reports to corroborate childhood symptom history.
Differential Diagnosis
ADHD symptoms overlap with anxiety, depression, and trauma. A thorough assessment considers and rules out other explanations.
After the assessment, you receive a written report summarising findings and recommendations. This report can be shared with your GP or psychiatrist to support a formal ADHD diagnosis and, if appropriate, a referral for medication assessment.
Therapy for ADHD: What We Offer
Medication helps many people with ADHD, but it doesn’t teach skills. Psychological therapy builds the executive function strategies, emotional regulation tools, and self-understanding that help you thrive with ADHD — not just cope.
CBT-A (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy adapted for ADHD)
The most evidence-based psychotherapy for adult ADHD. Focuses on building planning and organisational systems, challenging negative self-beliefs formed around ADHD struggles, and developing strategies for procrastination, time-blindness, and emotional reactivity.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Helps you develop psychological flexibility — accepting ADHD as part of who you are while committing to values-based action. Particularly useful for the self-criticism and shame that often accompanies late diagnosis.
Psychoeducation
Understanding how your ADHD brain actually works is itself therapeutic. Many clients find that a thorough explanation of ADHD neuroscience reframes years of confusion and self-blame.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a psychologist diagnose ADHD?
In Victoria, psychologists can conduct ADHD assessments and provide comprehensive reports, but a formal diagnosis is typically made by a psychiatrist or paediatrician. Our assessment report is accepted by most GPs and psychiatrists.
Do I need a referral?
No referral is required to book an assessment. However, if you wish to access Medicare rebates for your sessions, a Mental Health Treatment Plan from your GP will be needed.
What’s the difference between an assessment and therapy?
An assessment answers the question ‘do I have ADHD?’ Therapy answers ‘now that I know, how do I manage it?’ Many clients do both — some start with therapy and get an assessment later; others assess first and then begin therapy.
Can you help if I’ve already been diagnosed?
Yes — you don’t need an assessment to access ADHD therapy. If you already have a diagnosis, we can move straight into building the skills and strategies that make a real difference.
Book an ADHD Assessment or Therapy Session
Available in-clinic across Melbourne’s north, north-east, and south-east, and via telehealth Victoria-wide.
Locations: Preston • Bundoora • Thomastown • Epping • Coburg • Glen Waverley • Wheelers Hill • Online Nationwide