Coaches, Therapists & Psychologists
Psychological support alongside medical treatment — ADHD coaching, CBT, DBT and mindfulness-based approaches for the patterns medication alone does not change.
Why psychological support sits alongside medical treatment
Medical treatment can change how well you can attend, sit still and hold back an impulse. What it does not do on its own is undo the habits, workarounds and beliefs built up over years of managing without a diagnosis.
That is the work psychological support does. NICE NG87 recognises non-pharmacological approaches as part of adult ADHD care, and they can be used alongside medical treatment or instead of it, if that is your preference.
Approaches that may help
NICE NG87 recommends that non-pharmacological treatment be considered for adults with ADHD. The evidence for these approaches is promising rather than conclusive: they may help with symptoms and with coping strategies, but no approach works for everyone, and none is a guaranteed outcome.
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
For the thinking patterns that keep avoidance going
Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT)
Particularly for emotional regulation
Mindfulness-based approaches
Attention training, and noticing before reacting
ADHD coaching
Practical systems for planning, prioritising and following through
Practitioners and their registers
Psychological support at Kiam is provided by practitioners registered with the body appropriate to their profession. Practitioner psychologists are registered with the HCPC, whose title is protected by law. Counsellors and psychotherapists are typically registered with the BACP or the UKCP, and CBT therapists with the BABCP.
ADHD coaching is not a statutorily regulated profession in the UK, so we tell you what a coach's training and accreditation actually are, and we do not describe coaching as therapy.
Coaching is not a substitute for clinical assessment
Coaching and therapy support how you manage ADHD. They do not diagnose it, and they are not a substitute for a clinical assessment. If you have not been assessed, start there.
Self-help you can start with today
Tools people often find useful between appointments. We link to them; we do not provide them.
- Daylio Mood and habit tracker — useful for spotting patterns between sleep, activity and symptoms.
- DBT Coach Guided dialectical behaviour therapy exercises for emotional regulation.
Psychotherapy and ADHD coaching at Kiam
Dr Nazee Akbari MBE is the clinic's accredited psychotherapist, working integratively and offering ADHD coaching and management alongside therapy, in English and Farsi/Dari.
Want to talk it through?
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