Understanding ADHD
Professional ADHD assessments from someone who knows what it’s like first-hand. Get an assessment delivered by a HCPC Registered Practitioner Psychologist and Chartered Psychologist with over 12 years of specialist training.
Have you been asking yourself, "Could this be ADHD"?
If so, don’t worry.
You’re not alone.
Does This Sound Familiar?
Have you spent years wondering why life feels harder than it should? More confusing, or like everyone else has got it figured out?
Things like:
- Always running late
- Difficulty organising life
- Starting projects but not finishing them
- Feeling mentally overwhelmed
- Struggling despite being capable
If so, it’s worth considering an ADHD assessment. Getting one can help provide clarity and understanding with just what’s going on in your life.
What About Your Child?
Are you trying to understand what’s really going on for your child?
Things like:
- Difficulties with focus
- Emotional regulation challenges
- Homework battles
- School concerns
- Low self-esteem from repeated struggles
Getting an ADHD assessment for your child can help identify their strengths and support their needs.
"'To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best to make you somebody else is to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight. Never stop fighting."
E.E.Cummings
Why Seek an ADHD Assessment?
A diagnosis isn’t about putting a label on someone. Instead, it’s about helping them make sense of their experiences, and give them a clear path forward so they can live with confidence.
For Adults
- Understand years of struggle
- Reduce self-blame
- Better understand strengths & challenges
- Access workplace adjustments where appropriate
For Parents
- Better understand your child
- Support school conversations
- Identify strengths and needs
- Gain confidence in next steps
Understanding
Gain clarity about long-standing challenges
Validation
Replace self-blame with understanding
Support
Access support and accommodations
Confidence
Understand strengths & difficulties
Planning
Make informed decisions about next steps
Advocacy
Use findings to support conversations
Why A Diagnosis Matters
For many people, an ADHD diagnosis can be the missing piece of the puzzle. It can help make sense of challenges that may have felt confusing, frustrating, or difficult to explain, whether that’s struggling to stay organised, manage emotions, focus on tasks, or keep up with everyday demands.
For parents, it can provide a clearer understanding of their child’s experiences, strengths, and support needs.
With greater understanding often comes greater confidence, allowing you to make informed decisions about the next steps and access the support, strategies, or adjustments that may help you move forward.
About The Process
The ADHD assessment process is fully compliant with NICE guidelines and mirrors NHS clinical governance standards. DSM-5 diagnostic criteria are considered using standardised clinical interview as well as gathering a full developmental, family and health history.
Although I work as an independent practitioner, all complex or nuanced cases are discussed within a multi‑disciplinary framework through consultation with a specialist ADHD nurse.
This ensures shared clinical reasoning, robust differential diagnosis, and alignment with the collaborative MDT approach used across NHS ADHD services.
What Life Looks Like Before & After
While we can’t promise transformation, we can promise clarity. And with that clarity, you’ll be in the best possible place to create the change and management you want.
Life Before
- Constant uncertainty
- Second-guessing yourself
- Struggles without explanation
- Feeling misunderstood
- Not knowing where to seek support
Life After
- Greater clarity
- Better self-understanding
- Clear recommendations
- Practical next steps
- Increased confidence
How An ADHD Assessment Works
Throughout the entire assessment it’s a clear and supportive process. Here’s a breakdown of how it works.
Step 1: Get In Touch
Complete the contact form or send an email. We’ll then do a quick suitability check over email or phone to see if an assessment is a good fit for you.
Step 2: Getting Your Assessment
We’ll take your first payment instalment as a deposit and confirm the process has begun. With your consent, we’ll begin to gather collateral information from your chosen informants and will also ask you to complete several questionnaires relating to ADHD symptoms, functioning and mood.
We will also ask you to obtain a GP Summary Care Record (SCR) if possible, which should be free of charge from your GP. We will review all information on receipt.
Step 3: Getting Your Assessment
We’ll let you know when we have received all required information and will book in a time and date for online assessment that is suitable for you.
We’ll request your second payment instalment prior to completing the assessment. We’ll complete the comprehensive ADHD assessment and detailed exploration of symptoms, history and current experiences (2-3hrs).
Step 4: Receiving Your Assessment Report
Once the final payment has been received, we’ll send you a fully comprehensive diagnostic report.
You will receive a report regardless of whether you receive an ADHD diagnosis as information and guidance on symptoms, and signposting and strategy recommendations can still be helpful regardless of diagnosis. You’ll receive your ADHD assessment report as a pdf document via email.
What's Included?
Here’s a breakdown of what’s included in your ADHD assessment.
- Pre-assessment screening (email or brief phone call)
- Collateral information gathering from significant others.
- Completion of standardised questionnaires including symptom rating scales by yourself and relevant informants.
- Consideration of GP/other HCP information where relevant.
- Comprehensive clinical and developmental history taking as part of full clinical interview. Clinical interviews take between 2 and 3hrs to allow for full exploration of symptoms and history. The interview takes place online but does require a camera to be switched on due to the observational element of the assessment.
- Use of NICE aligned assessment and clinical interview tools for ADHD including DIVA-5.
- Shared clinical reasoning and MDT decision making.
- Full comprehensive diagnostic report to keep.
- Guidance, support and signposting regarding next steps.
Optional add-on services at an additional cost if required (see Additional Support Options below).
Why I'm Qualified
Living with ADHD myself has shaped the way I practise as a psychologist. I know what it feels like to not have a name for your struggles, to mask (often unknowingly) to work twice as hard, and to constantly feel like you’re missing something everyone else seems to grasp. Being diagnosed as an adult — and parenting neurodivergent children — has given me a deep, personal understanding of how ADHD shows up in real life, especially in women and girls. That lived experience motivates me to offer assessments that are validating, compassionate, and genuinely reflective of how ADHD feels day‑to‑day.
Professionally, I am an HCPC‑registered psychologist with extensive experience in various clinical and educational settings. Alongside my therapeutic work, I have also trained specifically in ADHD assessment, psychometrics, differential diagnosis, and clinical interviewing, working within a multi‑disciplinary framework. My combination of lived experience and professional expertise means I offer assessments that are both empathetic and rigorously evidence‑based.
Dr Katie Lightfoot
BSc(Hons), PGCE, QTLS, PGCertHEP, MSc(Hons), SFHEA, DHealthPsych, CPsychol, AFBPsS, HCPC Practitioner Psychologist (Health Psychologist)
"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day...'
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Pricing
The full assessment costs £1125, broken down into these payment stage.
Initial Deposit
£375
Questionaire Completed
£ 375
Paid before the day of the assessment.
Covers full clinical interview and history taking, review of collateral information and psychometrics, further reviewing and clarification of information.
Assessment Completion
£ 375
Paid before report release.
Covers formulation, MDT consultation, comprehensive diagnostic report and recommendations.
Additional Support Options
For those who would benefit from additional guidance, further services such as the below may be available.
Workplace Support Letters
Supporting conversations around reasonable adjustments
School Guidance
Helping schools better understand a child’s needs
Parent Consultations
Practical strategies and psychoeducation
Get In Touch
I love helping my patients develop the tools they need to cope with their life challenges. Contact me today by completing this form to learn more and to book a session. Any queries will be happily received. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Below you’ll find answers to some common questions.
Are assessments completed online?
Yes. All assessments are completed online via secure video call. Remote ADHD assessments are widely used across NHS and private services and are fully acceptable when conducted using validated tools, multi-informant information, and a structured clinical interview — all of which are included in our process.
How are children assessed online?
How long will it take to complete the ADHD assessment process from start to finish?
Do I need a referral?
No, a referral is not required to book a private ADHD assessment. We do accept referrals from private health insurance providers, although it is important to check that full ADHD assessments are covered and included as part of the plan.
Can you prescribe medication?
Psychologists are not trained to prescribe medication, and medication decisions must always be made by a prescriber. However, I provide guidance on next steps and can signpost you to appropriate medication pathways that you could explore if requested.
Will my GP prescribe medication for ADHD if I receive an ADHD diagnosis from the assessment?
ADHD medication cannot be initiated by a GP; you will need a referral from your GP to your local NHS Neurodiversity or Right to Choose service to be considered for and commenced on medication via the NHS. Discussing with your GP whether they offer ‘Shared Care’ for ADHD medications once titration has occurred by a specialist prescriber may be worthwhile, as not all GPs will offer it.
Will the NHS accept my assessment report?
Most GPs accept private ADHD assessments when they meet recognised clinical standards, and our assessments are designed to meet those standards. Our assessments follow NICE guidelines, include developmental history, validated psychometrics, collateral information, MDT consultation and consideration of differential diagnosis.
What Happens After an ADHD Diagnosis?
Receiving a diagnosis is the beginning of understanding your needs — not the end of the journey. After your assessment, you will receive a full diagnostic report and a clear set of next steps tailored to your situation. Some people want to move straight into support whereas others simply want clarity and understanding. There is no “required” next step — you choose what feels right.
Receiving a diagnosis is the beginning of understanding your needs — not the end of the journey. After your assessment, you will receive a full diagnostic report and a clear set of next steps tailored to your situation. Some people want to move straight into support whereas others simply want clarity and understanding. There is no “required” next step — you choose what feels right.
What if ADHD is not diagnosed?
If ADHD is not diagnosed, your report will still include a clear explanation of your profile, strengths, and any relevant recommendations or signposting. Many clients find this equally helpful for understanding their needs