ADHD Counselling in Melbourne
ADHD affects approximately 533,000 adults and 281,000 children and adolescents in Australia (Brain Foundation). From 2013 to 2020, the number of Australians diagnosed with ADHD more than doubled, and by 2022-23, around 470,000 individuals were prescribed ADHD medication — a 300% increase in ten years (MJA 2025). This rise is particularly pronounced among adults, driven by growing public awareness and better recognition of the condition in women and people diagnosed later in life.
As a counsellor in Carlton, Melbourne, I work with adults living with ADHD — whether recently diagnosed, long-diagnosed, or still uncertain about whether ADHD is part of their picture. ADHD is not simply about attention. It affects emotional regulation, relationships, self-esteem, motivation, and daily functioning. Many adults I see in my practice have spent years feeling as though something was wrong with them — struggling at work, in relationships, or with a persistent sense of underachievement — without understanding why.
What does ADHD look like in adults?
Adult ADHD often presents differently from the hyperactive child most people picture. Common presentations I work with include:
- Chronic procrastination and difficulty starting tasks — despite knowing what needs to be done
- Emotional dysregulation — intense reactions, quick frustration, difficulty recovering from setbacks
- Relationship difficulties — miscommunication, forgetfulness, partners feeling unheard or deprioritised
- Persistent sense of underachievement — feeling capable but unable to follow through consistently
- Difficulty with time management and organisation — running late, missing deadlines, losing things
- Burnout and overwhelm — from years of compensating through sheer effort
In Australia, the ADHD medication dispensing rate under the PBS has risen from 8 per 1,000 patients in 2018-19 to 22 per 1,000 in 2024-25 (ABC/AIHW). Yet access to specialist diagnosis remains a significant barrier — most adults are diagnosed by private psychiatrists, with long waiting lists and substantial out-of-pocket costs. The ADHD Foundation Australia describes the situation as having reached a "crisis point" (MJA 2025).
How does counselling help with ADHD?
Medication can be effective for managing core ADHD symptoms, but it doesn't address the psychological impact of living with ADHD — the shame, the relational patterns, the years of feeling "broken." Counselling provides a space to understand how ADHD has shaped your life, your self-concept, and your relationships. I work with clients to:
- Process the emotional impact of a late diagnosis
- Address co-occurring anxiety and depression — common with ADHD
- Understand relationship patterns linked to ADHD traits
- Develop self-compassion in place of self-criticism
- Work through grief over lost years or missed opportunities
Untreated ADHD is associated with poor educational outcomes, unemployment, increased risk of substance use disorders, and higher rates of relationship breakdown (MJA 2025). In 2019, ADHD was estimated to cost the Australian community $20 billion per year. Accurate diagnosis and effective treatment — including therapy — can be transformative for individuals and their families.
You don't need an ADHD diagnosis to explore these issues in therapy. If you recognise yourself in the patterns above, that's enough to begin. I see clients online via secure video call across Melbourne and Australia, and in person at 96 Elgin Street, Carlton in inner Melbourne.
Frequently asked questions
Can a counsellor help with ADHD, or do I need a psychiatrist?
Both play different roles. A psychiatrist can diagnose ADHD and prescribe medication. A counsellor works with the emotional and relational impact — the shame, the self-doubt, the relationship patterns, the anxiety and depression that often accompany ADHD. Many people benefit from both. You don't need a diagnosis to start counselling — if ADHD traits are affecting your life, therapy can help you understand and manage them.
Is ADHD overdiagnosed in Australia?
This is a genuine debate. Diagnoses have risen sharply, particularly among adults, and some experts express concern about potential overdiagnosis — especially when complex psychosocial issues like anxiety, depression, or trauma are misattributed to ADHD. At the same time, many adults — particularly women — have lived for decades without a diagnosis that could have helped them. In therapy, the focus is on understanding your experience, not on labels.
How long does ADHD counselling take?
This depends on what you're working through. Some people come for a focused block of 10-15 sessions to process a recent diagnosis and its implications. Others stay longer to work on deeper patterns — relational difficulties, self-esteem, chronic anxiety, or the accumulated emotional toll of undiagnosed ADHD. We'll review progress together as we go.
Do you diagnose ADHD?
No. ADHD diagnosis in Australia is typically done by a psychiatrist or, increasingly, trained GPs. What I offer is a therapeutic space to explore how ADHD-related patterns are affecting your life, relationships, and emotional wellbeing — whether or not you have a formal diagnosis. If you need a referral for assessment, I can point you in the right direction.