Adult ADHD Assessment Service
Do I have ADHD?
If you have been asking yourself this question, you have most likely been struggling throughout your life with maintaining focus, remaining attentive on tasks on hand unless highly interesting, procrastination and organisation of tasks. You may also find it difficult to time manage your daily tasks, or you feel overactive and internally restless; relaxing can be difficult as your mind is constantly racing with thoughts and ideas. Emotional self-regulation can also be part of the repertoire of difficulties you are experiencing. It is possible that you could be experiencing symptoms of adult ADHD. At Oasis Psychological Services we offer comprehensive assessments by experienced and trained Clinical Psychologists. Our assessments involve thorough evaluations to understand your personal challenges and recognise your unique strengths, as we believe ADHD assessments and diagnosis are not deficit-based. Identifying ADHD can offer profound insights into yourself, fostering a better understanding of your strengths and areas of growth in your personal and work life.
What happens in an ADHD assessment?
The Journey
Asking for help may feel daunting and can take courage. We will help you going through each step of the process.
STEP 1 SCREENING: If you think you may have ADHD, after you have registered with us we will send out the most updated questionnaires to yourself and a person of your choice. This person will need to know you well and for sometime in order to be able to answer very specific questions about yourself. You may want to choose your parents, or your partner, or a very close long-standing friend. As you may have read, ADHD is a condition people are born with, and therefore we need to gather as much information as possible on your early years. We use online questionnaires so that they can be easily and timely received and scored once they are back. If you do not have anyone who you feel comfortable to ask, we will still able to carry out the assessment and we will ask you to bring as much information you can find about you as a child; this can be old school reports.
STEP 2 DIAGNOSTIC ASSESSMENT: we will invite you to attend a morning with one of our Clinical Psychologists who will carry out the assessment with you. if you think you may find a morning too long, do not worry, we will make sure there are breaks, water, and hot drinks available. It you prefer to have the assessment split into sessions, please let us know and we will be happy to arrange this. During the appointment, the Clinical Psychologist will try to find out more about you and get to know you a bit so that you can both feel at ease with each other. An assessment is not only about your weakness and difficulties, we want to understand you as a person and learn about your resources and strengths, too. The next part will be carrying out the QbCheck, a computerised test that measures your activity levels, ability to concentrate and impulse control. Following the Qbcheck, the clinician will delve in a very detailed interview using structured questionnaires such as DIVA-5 or ACE Plus. These cover in details your symptoms and how they impact on your life at home, at work, in relationships.
STEP 3 FEEDBACK: at the end of the assessment as in step 1 and 2, the clinical psychologist will discuss with you the outcome of the assessment and consider this against the DSM-5 criteria used to determine whether you do, or don't, meet the threshold for a diagnosis of ADHD. The Clinical Psychologist will also be able to discuss with you if they feel there are additional challenges that you are experiencing, such as anxiety, low mood, or possibly another neurodevelopmental condition. The Clinician will discuss with you recommendations and support available.
STEP 4 DIAGNOSTIC REPORT: following the assessment, we will send you a very comprehensive report including recommendations and treatment.
STEP 5 FOLLOW-UP SESSION: a few weeks after the assessment and once you have received the report, which will take about 2-3 weeks following the assessment, you will be offered a follow-up session. We feel that following a diagnosis people need some time to make sense, digest and process it. The session will last 50 minute and will be an opportunity to discuss anything about the recent diagnosis.
Need More Information?
If you need nore information, please do not hesitate to contact us! We will get back to you shortly to assist.
Child and Adolescent Autism and ADHD Assessment Service
I want help in understanding my child
Are you worried about your child's difficulties at school with peers? Difficulties understanding others' emotions and facial expressions? Your teenager may be able to keep the lid on these and many more difficulties while they are at school, but as soon as they walk into the car or the front door opens, they look fatigued and exhausted by having masked their true self and they need to retrieve to their room in solitude.
you may have a child or teenager who may also experience other difficulties, such as overactivity, struggling to focus on tasks unless these are of high interest? or presenting as inattentive, daydreaming but able to mask these difficulties at school while at home they may need lots of scaffolding to manage daily tasks, organise their time and activities and avoid misplacing and losing belongings all the time.
We offer specialist assessment clinics for Autism (ASC) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Our clinicians have provided specialist Autism and ADHD assessments for over 20 years both in the NHS and Private Practice. We know how important it is for parents to understand their children's difficulties and find out whether they may have a neurodevelopmental condition so that they can be supported appropriately at home and school. Recognising neurodevelopmental conditions as early as possible is crucial for mitigating potential secondary challenges, such as anxiety, depression, chronic low-self esteem, self-harming and even addictions.
Our diagnostic packages are designed to follow the Gold Standards Best Practice of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence for Autism and ADHD and our clinicians are fully trained in the most evidence-based approaches, so that you can feel reassured when your child is assessed by our team.
We offer therapeutic support for a wide range psychological and mental health difficulties, such as:
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Therapeutic Approaches
Following the assessment, if you wish to continue with the therapeutic plan, we are able to offer a range of evidence and research-based therapies. The clinical psychologist you meet with at the initial assessment session will help you decide what is the best therapeutic approach to address your difficulties. We specialise in the following therapeutic approaches:
How long does therapy last?
There are national guidelines (NICE guidelines) that are based on research and clinical experience that give a rough idea of the length of therapy for specific problems. Individuals’ experiences of psychological and mental health problems vary, and therefore therapy can be longer or shorter depending on personal circumstances.
What happens if I need to cancel my appointment?
We ask you that you please give us 24 hours’ notice. If less than 24 hours’ notice, the full session fee is charged.
Need More Information?
If you need nore information, please do not hesitate to contact us! We will get back to you shortly to assist.
Overcome Obstacles
If you, or your child/young person is experiencing emotional distress or mental health problems and you are struggling to find a way forward, we can help with a comprehensive psychological assessment and a therapeutic package individualised to your needs as adult or the child's needs.
Our team of Clinical Psychologists are very experienced in working with children, teenagers and adults who present with a wide range of psychological, social and behavioural difficulties. We are trained in a number of therapeutic models, including CBT, ACT and EMDR.
At Oasis Psychological Services our clinicians have expertise and experience in working with children, young people and families. We aspire to support you and your child to find the most appropriate therapeutic treatments.
Free Phone Consultation
We endeavour to make this first step easier by offering an initial 15-minute, free telephone consultation.
How does the specialist ADHD/ASC assessment for children and adolescents work?
We strive to make the assessment process as clear and smooth as possible. These steps are similar to both adult and child/adolescent specialist assessments.
STEP 1 SCREENING: If you think your child may have ADHD and/or Autism, after you have registered with us we will send out the most updated questionnaires to yourself, your child (from age 12 they can fill in self-reports) and school teachers. We use online questionnaires so that they can be easily and timely received and scored once they are back. If your child is home-schooled, you may be able to ask a sport coach, a drama teacher if they are willing to fill in the questionnaires so that we can gather as much understanding of your child across different environments.
STEP 2 DIAGNOSTIC ASSESSMENT: depending on the age of our child we will invite you and your child to attend a morning session (mostly teenagers are able to attend a longer session with breaks) or two separate sessions if your child is quite young with one of our Clinical Psychologists who will carry out the assessment. During the appointment, the Clinical Psychologist will engage your child to start with, so that it does not feel too daunting for them. An assessment is not only about your child's weakness and difficulties, we want to understand them as a person and learn about what they are good at as much as what they struggle with. The session with your child will be focusing on the QbCheck, a computerised test that measures activity levels, ability to concentrate and impulse control, and a clinical interview tailored to the child's age and abilities so that we can gather their insight. The second session or part of the morning will be with yourself. If your child wants to attend this second part, above all if they are at the age when they can understand what they are struggling with, we would prefer for them to also be present. The focus of the part 2 of the diagnostic assessment is a very detailed interview using structured questionnaires such as Young DIVA-5 or ACE. These interviews cover in details your child's symptoms and how they impact on their life at home, at school, in relationships.
STEP 3 FEEDBACK: at the end of the assessment as in step 1 and 2, the clinical psychologist will discuss with you and your child (if they wish to be present) the outcome of the assessment and consider this against the DSM-5 criteria used to determine whether they do, or don't, meet the threshold for a diagnosis of ADHD. The Clinical Psychologist will also be able to discuss with you if they feel there are additional challenges that your child is experiencing, such as anxiety, low mood, or possibly another neurodevelopmental condition. The Clinician will discuss with you recommendations and support available.
STEP 4 DIAGNOSTIC REPORT: following the assessment, we will send you and your child a very comprehensive report including recommendations and treatment.
STEP 5 FOLLOW-UP SESSION: a few weeks after the assessment and once you have received the report, which will take about 2-3 weeks following the assessment, you and your child will be offered a follow-up session. We feel that following a diagnosis people need some time to make sense, digest and process it. The session will last 50 minute and will be an opportunity to discuss anything about the recent diagnosis.
A dedicated team of mental health professionals
We have a multi-disciplinary team that is made up of experience and highly specialist professionals who have worked in both the NHS and private sector.