Do Any of These Sound Like You?

"I've spent my whole life managing myself so that other people don't notice — and I'm exhausted."

"I can hyperfocus for hours on the things I love, but I can't make myself do a simple task that bores me — and I hate myself for it."

"Someone says something mildly critical and I fall apart for hours. I know it's disproportionate. I can't stop it."

"I've achieved a lot on paper. Inside, I feel like I've been white-knuckling it the whole time."

"I got diagnosed as an adult and I'm still processing what that means — for who I was, and who I might be now."

"I've read everything about ADHD. I understand it intellectually. I still can't seem to change anything."

For many people, an ADHD diagnosis — whether it comes at 25 or 55 — is a moment of profound relief, quickly followed by grief.

Relief, because suddenly so much makes sense: the abandoned projects, the paralysis before simple tasks, the way criticism cuts deeper than it should, the years of being told you just needed to try harder.

Grief, because of everything that came before the understanding.

Many clients who come here have spent decades developing highly sophisticated systems to mask, compensate, and perform. They've succeeded — often impressively so — while quietly running on empty.

What Counselling Can Offer

This isn't coaching or skills training — though understanding how your brain works is part of the work.

Counselling for late ADHD diagnosis focuses on four layers:

The emotional layer — Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD), shame, the inner critic that developed from years of "not meeting potential."

The identity layer — Who were you before you learned to mask? What do you actually want, separate from what you've trained yourself to manage?

The grief layer — For diagnoses that came late. For years spent misunderstood. For the version of your life that might have looked different with earlier support.

The relational layer — How ADHD has shaped your relationships, your communication, and your sense of safety with other people.

Approaches used include IFS-informed principles, somatic awareness, and nervous system regulation — all of which are particularly well-suited to ADHD presentations.

A Note on Neurodivergence

ADHD rarely travels alone. Many clients also carry traits associated with autism, high sensitivity, or complex trauma — and the intersection of these experiences can make it harder to know where one ends and another begins.

You don't need a formal diagnosis to explore this work. If ADHD is part of your story — diagnosed, suspected, or just beginning to surface — you're welcome here.

Note: I don't provide ADHD assessments or medication management. For assessment or medication, I'll work alongside your GP or psychiatrist.

Book a session to get started.