ADHD Testing & Assessment
ADHD testing is a comprehensive, clinically rigorous evaluation designed to give you accurate answers — and a clear path forward.
What is ADHD Testing?
ADHD or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder — commonly known as ADHD — is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by persistent patterns of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that significantly affect daily functioning across multiple areas of life. It is one of the most common and most misunderstood mental health conditions, often dismissed as a lack of effort or willpower when it is, in fact, a neurological difference in how the brain regulates attention, motivation, and executive function.
ADHD does not look the same in every person. For some, it presents primarily as difficulty sustaining attention, following through on tasks, and managing time. For others, it manifests as restlessness, impulsivity, and difficulty regulating emotional responses. And for many — particularly women and girls, who are significantly underdiagnosed — it presents quietly, internally, as chronic overwhelm, self-criticism, and the exhausting effort of masking difficulties that others seem to navigate effortlessly.
ADHD at TrueMe® Counseling
At TrueMe® Counseling, ADHD therapy goes beyond symptom management. We work with the whole person — addressing the practical challenges of executive dysfunction alongside the emotional and relational impact of living with an often-misunderstood condition. Using CBT, psychoeducation, skills-based coaching strategies, and where relevant, EMDR to process the shame and self-worth wounds that frequently accompany a lifetime of ADHD, we help clients build a genuinely sustainable relationship with their own minds.
Common signs ADHD testing may be for you:
- Persistent difficulty sustaining attention
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Chronic disorganization and time blindness
- Underperformance relative to apparent ability
- Working harder than others for equivalent results
If you identify with 2 or more of these, you may be a good candidate for our testing and assessment.
OUR CLINICAL APPROACH
How we treat you — and why it works
Most therapy fails because it’s generic. At TrueMe® Counseling, our therapists use a structured, evidence-based framework built around your specific needs, history, and goals — not a one-size-fits-all program. Whether you’re across the street or across the state, we’re here — in person or virtually throughout California.
Understanding More Than Just the Symptoms
Difficulty focusing, procrastination, forgetfulness, impulsivity, or feeling constantly overwhelmed doesn't automatically mean you have ADHD. Many conditions can present with similar symptoms. We begin with a comprehensive clinical assessment to understand your concerns, personal history, current functioning, and the factors that may be contributing to your challenges. Our goal is to provide clarity—not assumptions.
Conducting a Comprehensive Evaluation
An ADHD assessment is more than completing a questionnaire. We gather information about your symptoms across different areas of life, including work, school, relationships, and daily functioning. When appropriate, we also explore developmental history, family history, and other mental health concerns to determine whether ADHD—or another condition—best explains your experiences.
Differentiating ADHD from Other Conditions
Anxiety, depression, trauma, sleep difficulties, stress, learning differences, and other mental health conditions can sometimes look like ADHD. Our assessment process carefully evaluates these possibilities to ensure you receive an accurate clinical understanding. A thorough evaluation helps guide appropriate recommendations and prevents symptoms from being misunderstood or overlooked.
Providing Clear Results & Personalized Recommendations
Understanding the results is just as important as the assessment itself. Once your evaluation is complete, your therapist will review the findings with you, explain what they mean in practical terms, answer your questions, and provide recommendations tailored to your needs. Whether the results support an ADHD diagnosis or identify another concern, you'll leave with greater clarity and a plan for moving forward.
Creating a Personalized Plan
If ADHD is identified, we work with you to develop an individualized plan based on your goals, strengths, and daily challenges. This may include therapy focused on executive functioning, emotional regulation, organization, time management, coping strategies, workplace or academic accommodations, and referrals for medication evaluation when clinically appropriate. Every recommendation is designed around your unique needs—not a one-size-fits-all approach.
Turning Your ADHD Into Your Superpower
An ADHD diagnosis isn't a limitation—it's an opportunity to better understand how your brain works. Our goal isn't to help you fit into someone else's mold, but to help you harness the strengths that often come with ADHD, such as creativity, innovation, adaptability, curiosity, problem-solving, and the ability to think differently. By combining a deeper understanding of your brain with practical strategies for managing everyday challenges, you'll be better equipped to thrive at work, school, in relationships, and in daily life. When you learn to work with your brain instead of against it, your differences can become one of your greatest strengths.
YOUR THERAPY JOURNEY
What to expect in therapy
Starting therapy can feel intimidating — especially when you’re already carrying so much. Here’s exactly what the process looks like, step by step.
Free consultation call
Before anything else, you’ll have a brief, no-pressure call to share what you’re going through and ask any questions you have. There’s no commitment — just a conversation to make sure we’re the right fit for you.
Your first session
Your first session is a relaxed, open conversation — not a test. Your therapist will take time to understand your history, your current experience, and what you’re hoping to achieve. Many clients leave their first session already feeling a sense of relief just from being heard.
A personalized plan
Your therapist will work with you to create a plan tailored specifically to your needs — not a generic program, but a personalized roadmap designed around your unique history, goals, and what you’re going through right now.
Ongoing sessions & real tools
Each session builds on the last. Using CBT and other evidence-based methods, your therapist will help you identify the thought patterns and behaviors holding you back — and equip you with practical tools you can use in real life between sessions.
Tracking your progress
Healing isn’t always linear — and your therapist knows that. Progress is regularly reviewed and your plan is adjusted as needed to ensure you’re always moving in the adirection at the right pace for you.
Life beyond therapy
The goal of therapy isn’t just symptom relief — it’s lasting transformation. You’ll finish therapy with a deeper understanding of yourself, a toolkit you carry for life, and the confidence to face whatever comes next.
Meet Our Therapists
TrueMe® Counseling is a team of MFTs and PhDs with decades of combined clinical experience.
Marina Edelman
Founder | Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist #51009
Cheryl Baldi
Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist #39801
Dr. Rachel Chistyakov
Doctor of Psychology | Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist #150001
Sharalee Hall
Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist #135374
Chris Calandra
Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist #164783
Suzanne Perry
Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist #163151
Hayley Willis
Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist #163642
Jasmine Johnson
Associate Marriage & Family Therapist #137660
Sean Palmer
Associate Marriage & Family Therapist #161917
FAQ - ADHD
Frequently Asked Questions About ADHD
Honest answers from our therapists — before you take the first step.
1. Can therapy actually help with ADHD — or is medication the only effective treatment?
Therapy is a highly effective component of ADHD treatment — and for many clients, it addresses dimensions of the condition that medication alone cannot reach. Medication can reduce the neurological intensity of ADHD symptoms, but it does not teach the executive function skills, emotional regulation strategies, or organizational systems that many people with ADHD have never had the opportunity to develop. It also does not address the significant emotional impact of a lifetime spent struggling with an unidentified condition — the shame, the self-doubt, the damaged self-concept. The most effective approach combines medication with skilled therapeutic support, and at TrueMe® Counseling, we work collaboratively with psychiatrists and prescribers when a combined approach is clinically indicated.
2. What does ADHD therapy actually look like in practice — and does it involve homework?
ADHD therapy at TrueMe® Counseling is structured, practical, and skills-based. Sessions combine psychoeducation about how ADHD affects the brain with the development of specific, personalized tools for executive function, time management, emotional regulation, and self-advocacy. Like CBT, ADHD therapy does involve between-session practice — applying new strategies to real-life situations and building sustainable habits. Every strategy is tailored to your specific profile of strengths and challenges rather than applied as a generic protocol.
3. Is it possible to have ADHD as an adult if I was never diagnosed as a child?
Yes — and adult diagnosis is far more common than most people realize. ADHD has historically been underdiagnosed in girls and women, in individuals whose intelligence masked their difficulties, and in those whose ADHD presented primarily as inattention rather than visible hyperactivity. Many adults receive their first diagnosis in their thirties, forties, or beyond. A late diagnosis is an opportunity to finally understand the neurology behind a lifetime of experiences that never quite made sense.
4. How does ADHD affect emotional regulation — and can therapy help with that specifically?
Yes — and at TrueMe® Counseling, it almost always is. Brainspotting works particularly well in combination with CBT, somatic therapy, EMDR, and talk therapy approaches, each addressing different dimensions of the same presenting concern. For example, CBT may be used to address the cognitive patterns maintaining anxiety, while Brainspotting processes the underlying neurological activation driving it. Your therapist will integrate Brainspotting thoughtfully within a broader treatment plan — using it where it is most likely to be effective and combining it with other approaches to address the full clinical picture.
5. Can ADHD therapy be combined with other therapeutic approaches at TrueMe®?
Absolutely — and in our practice, it almost always is. ADHD rarely presents in isolation. CBT is particularly well-suited to the cognitive and behavioral dimensions of ADHD, EMDR addresses emotional wounds from years of being misunderstood, and somatic approaches help clients whose ADHD includes significant emotional dysregulation. Your therapist will design an integrated approach that addresses the full clinical picture — not just the ADHD symptoms, but the whole person experiencing them.
