ADHD Symptoms
We often push ourselves to keep up, constantly trying to “measure up,” while wondering why everyday things seem easier for everyone else.
Even when we succeed, it can be hard to fully enjoy it. Many women worry that if others saw how much effort went into keeping things together, their achievements wouldn’t seem quite so impressive. Hello, imposter syndrome.
Some common ADHD experiences in women include:
- A restless mind (and sometimes body), racing thoughts or feeling unable to switch off.
- Hyperfocusing on interesting things while avoiding the boring but important ones.
- Procrastination, often linked to overwhelm or self-doubt.
- Leaving things until the last minute because motivation arrives late.
- Sleep difficulties, sometimes made worse by hormonal changes.
- Forgetfulness that can become more noticeable with age.
- Burnout from years of masking struggles and trying to appear organised.
Coming to terms with this can be confronting. Letting go of the “lost years” without answers isn’t easy, but for many of us, an ADHD diagnosis brings enormous relief.
It’s not an excuse, but it is a very good explanation!
I can help you identify your symptoms, explore whether ADHD may be part of the picture, and develop strategies to make life a little easier
Anna
ADHD Late Diagnosis
“Better late than never.”
Whoever first said that might well have been talking about ADHD.
As a young psychologist I diagnosed many “naughty little boys” with ADHD. Not once was a girl referred to me.
Now we know why. Most of the research at the time was done on young boys, and many of us were taught that people simply outgrew ADHD in their late teens.
Years later we learned that people don’t outgrow it, but the research was still mostly based on the male brain.
Because I was working with adults, I assumed that if someone had ADHD they would already have been diagnosed as a child and probably be on medication. Case closed.
Then one day my youngest son came home from university and casually dropped a sentence in the kitchen:
“Mum… I think I have ADHD… and I think you do too.”
Well… that stopped me in my tracks.
He was right.
We were diagnosed at the same time. One of the best things that ever happened to both of us.
Now he’s on his way to becoming a psychologist, and I’m helping more women understand their ADHD, make sense of the past, and embrace what comes next.
A late diagnosis changed my life.
Discover the ADHD Assessment Steps that get you closer to a diagnosis.
It’s never too late.
Anna
ADHD Assessment Steps
Understanding whether ADHD is part of your story happens step by step - not in a single session.
Step 1 - Screening & Initial Session
We start with questionnaires and a conversation about your experiences, history, and current challenges.
Step 2 - Broader Assessment
Additional questionnaires explore areas like mood, sleep, stress, and emotional regulation, all of which can overlap with ADHD.
Step 3 - Diagnostic Interview
A structured interview looks at ADHD symptoms across childhood and adulthood, and how they’ve impacted your life.
Step 4 - Written Report
All the information is brought together into a clear report with findings and recommendations.
Step 5 – Formal Diagnosis (if required)
If you choose to pursue medication, and/or accommodations, your report can be taken to a GP or psychiatrist for formal diagnosis.
I’ll guide you through each step along the way.
For full details and fees, please see the booking page.
Anna
ADHD Counselling
Counselling… therapy… call it what you like. What matters is that living with ADHD shapes our lives in ways that deserve attention.
ADHD is neurodevelopmental. It influences how our brains grow, how we cope, and how we move through the world. Over time we develop ways of managing it - some helpful, and some not so helpful.
For many of us, the constant effort of managing life with ADHD eventually leads to anxiety, exhaustion, burnout, or sometimes depression. Sometimes we become too accommodating, too reactive, too overwhelmed, or too avoidant… simply because that reduced the pressure at the time.
The good news is that ADHD can be managed in healthier ways. Ways that benefit both us and the people around us, without losing the parts of ourselves that make us who we are.
The goal of counselling is to preserve the essence of who we are, and to help us live with ADHD in a way that feels calmer and more sustainable.
It’s something we can explore together.
Anna
ADHD Coaching
Coaching is different from counselling.
Counselling focuses on understanding your experiences and helping you make sense of the patterns that have shaped your life.
Coaching is more practical. It focuses on what works, and how we can build on it.
Together we look at the situations where your ADHD brain already functions well, and then work out why it works so we can use that as a template for other areas of life.
In many of my sessions we naturally move into coaching topics, things like: organisation, routines, planning, and creating systems that support an ADHD brain.
The challenge is that 10 Medicare-rebated sessions a year is rarely enough to cover both the emotional work and the practical skills.
Because of this, I’m planning to launch an ADHD Coaching Program for Women in the second half of 2026.
This will likely be delivered in short modules, either online or in person.
My hope is that women can begin these modules soon after diagnosis, so that our one-on-one sessions can focus on the more personal parts of their journey.
More details will come as it develops.
Anna
ADHD Medication
Not everyone with ADHD needs medication, but research shows it helps many people (Faraone et al., 2021).
Some people benefit from stimulant medications, while others do better on non-stimulants.
Some take medication every day. Others only use it during times that require sustained focus.
What many people don’t realise is that ADHD medication often helps with more than concentration.
It can also support emotional regulation: meaning we are less likely to become quickly overwhelmed, tearful, angry, or even shut down emotionally. Because when our brains are less stuck in a constant fight-or-flight state, it becomes easier to access the front parts of the brain responsible for planning, decision-making, and self-control.
Many people feel understandably cautious about medication. After all, everything we put into our bodies eventually passes through the liver and needs to be processed. That’s why doctors check things like blood tests and heart health (ECG) before prescribing ADHD medication.
If medication is suitable, my usual suggestion is to give it a fair trial, often around six months, and then decide whether it is helping or not.
For many people, including myself and many of my clients, it has made a remarkable difference in daily living.
It’s something we can talk through together when the time comes.
Anna
ADHD Brain Health
Two things live in our heads: our brain and our mind.
Our brain is the hardware - the computer itself. It only works as well as we look after it. It needs good nutrition, the ability to absorb what we eat, enough sleep to repair itself, and a healthy body to support it.
Our mind is the software - the patterns of thinking and brain pathways that shape how we experience life. Like any computer, the software works best when it’s updated from time to time.
But updates only run properly when the hardware is working well. You might be here because it’s time to update the software (your thinking), the hardware (your brain and body)… or both.
Years ago I was taught that the brain finished developing at age 21. Then that moved to 25. Research now suggests that some brain systems continue maturing into the early 30s (Arain et al., 2013).
After that we’re certainly not stuck, we just have to work a little smarter to support change.
Through sleep, nutrition, exercise (more than a walk), self-care (more than a spa day), and structure we can significantly improve how our ADHD brains function.
We never want to change the essence of who we are, or unique ADHD brand of creativity and spontaneity, we we do want to access and but to support them to our full potential.
Let me show you how.
Anna
ADHD Women's Health
Hormones play a role in our lives all the time - we really can’t escape them.
Through puberty, pregnancy, peri-menopause, and post-menopause, we feel the ups and downs. For women with ADHD, these hormonal changes can often make things feel even more intense.
Unfortunately, research in this area is still catching up. For many years, women were simply harder to study because our hormonal cycles were seen as something that complicated research. Ironically, that’s exactly why we need better research now, because hormones influence both our bodies and our mental wellbeing.
Having been through these stages myself, I understand the good, the bad, and sometimes the downright ‘drive-you-round-the-bend’ frustrating!
But there are also wonderful parts: when hormones support connection, relationships, sexuality, and family life.
Understanding how hormones interact with ADHD can make a big difference to how we experience life.
I’m always happy to talk about this with any woman sitting on my couch, and to refer her to knowledgeable health professionals who can offer additional support, if needed.
Anna
ADHD Relationships
As you probably realise, ADHD doesn’t just affect the person who has it, it also shows up in relationships.
Partners often experience the everyday effects of ADHD too. Things like forgetfulness, distraction, emotional reactions, or difficulty with planning can easily be misunderstood.
Over time this can lead to frustration on both sides. One person may feel overwhelmed trying to keep up with everything, while the other may feel like they’re constantly reminding, organising, or carrying the load.
Understanding ADHD can make a huge difference in how couples see these patterns.
Sometimes I invite partners to attend a session so they can better understand what ADHD is, how it works, and how it may be affecting your day-to-day life together.
These conversations are about education and understanding, not relationship counselling.
If a relationship is experiencing deeper difficulties or conflict, I will usually recommend seeing a psychologist or therapist who specialises in couples work.
The goal is always the same: Helping both people understand ADHD so that the relationship can feel calmer and more supportive.
Anna
ADHD Work
ADHD is not about intelligence. We are quite capable and hardworking, yet work can still feel far harder than it should.
We forget things we meant to do.
We miss deadlines we were sure we would get to.
We sit staring at a task that should take ten minutes… and somehow it takes two hours to start.
Then other days we suddenly hyperfocus and do half a week’s work in one afternoon.
Over time this can become frustrating. We start wondering why work seems easier for everyone else.
ADHD affects the brain systems responsible for planning, organisation, working memory, time awareness, and getting started on tasks. It’s about how our brains manage attention and action.
I spend a lot of time talking with women about how ADHD shows up at work, and in their work relationships.
Together we work out what keeps getting in the way and how to make work life run a little more smoothly for our ADHD brains.
Because most of the time, we’re not the problem.
Our systems just weren’t designed for ADHD brains.
Come and learn how to re-design systems just for your brain.
Anna
ADHD Lifestyle Balance
Living well with ADHD isn’t only about understanding the brain, it’s about supporting the life around it.
Many women with ADHD spend years pushing themselves just to keep up. Work, family, relationships, responsibilities… everything can start to feel like a constant juggling act.
When we’re always running on empty, our ADHD symptoms tend to get louder. Focus becomes harder, emotions run closer to the surface, sleep suffers, and overwhelm creeps in.
That’s why lifestyle balance matters so much for ADHD.
Things like sleep, nutrition, movement, structure, and downtime aren’t luxuries - they’re the foundations that help our brains function better.
It’s not about becoming perfectly organised or rigid.
It’s about building a life that supports your brain, rather than constantly fighting against it.
Finding that balance can make a remarkable difference to how ADHD shows up day to day.
Come and jump on my ‘Life-Scale’ and lets figure out how to balance it - for you!
Anna
ADHD Neurodiversity
Many neurodivergent conditions overlap. ADHD and Autism (ASD) are two of the most common examples.
It’s quite common for people with ADHD to also show some autistic traits, and for people with Autism to experience ADHD traits as well.
Sometimes the differences can be subtle. Other times they shape how someone experiences communication, routines, sensory input, relationships, and daily life.
When women come to see me, we look carefully at the full picture of their experiences.
My work focuses primarily on ADHD in adults, particularly women.
If ADHD appears to be the main pattern, we can explore that together and work on strategies that support the ADHD brain.
However, if it becomes clear that Autism is the primary neurotype, I will usually suggest a referral to a psychologist who specialises in Autism assessments and support.
That way you receive the most appropriate guidance for your needs.
The goal is always the same: Helping you understand how your brain works, and finding the support that fits you best.
Anna