With You In Mind – Dr Claire Stubbs
Claire is a counselling psychologist qualified in ADHD assessments, supporting young people through trauma, promoting inclusion, and creating resources to empower change in parenting, education, and emotional wellbeing.
ADHD Assessments
ADHD is classified as a neurodevelopment condition. Meaning the onset occurs during the developmental period (typically early childhood) and has a strong genetic component. As a neurodevelopmental condition, ADHD is considered an innate neurodivergence (meaning a person is born with it).
Confusion has arisen recently between PTSD and ADHD, with some clinicians arguing that we are over diagnosing trauma as ADHD, or we are overly focusing on the trauma and missing the ADHD.
Sound familiar?
The parts of the brain that regulate emotions, attention, and focus are impacted by ADHD. ADHD has the following characteristics:
- Difficulty regulating attention
- Hyperactivity and impulsivity
While present from birth, ADHD may not be noticeable until demands exceed capacity (for example, when a person starts college and their workload becomes more intense or after the birth of a second child). Many children develop sophisticated compensatory strategies to offset areas of struggle. In these cases, it may be even later in life that the person’s ADHD is recognised.
With waiting times in the NHS exceeding two years, experiencing symptoms, and waiting for a diagnosis can leave someone feeling overwhelmed, lost, and frightened.
We are offering private ADHD assessments for young people aged 5-17 and for adults aged 18 and over using the DIVA-5. You will receive either a face to face assessment in Eastbourne or online for approximately 90 mins and then we will write and submit a report with the outcome of that assessment.
