Talking Therapies for People with ADHD: What Does Best Practice Look Like?
Associate Professor in Social Psychology, University of Cumbria
Consultant Clinical Psychologist, CNTW; Research and Development Director, NCIC; and Honorary Professor, University of Cumbria
Associate Professor in Environment, Health and Wellbeing, University of Cumbria
Adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are more likely than the general population to experience anxiety and depression. Many receive support through NHS Talking Therapies, which provides psychological treatments such as cognitive behavioural therapy. However, relatively little is known about how well these services meet the needs of people with ADHD or whether therapies and referral pathways need to be adapted.
This project will explore the experiences of both people with ADHD and the therapists who support them. The researchers will first conduct interviews with adults who have used NHS Talking Therapies and with therapists who have experience of working with people with ADHD. These interviews will examine what has worked well, what difficulties people have encountered and how confident therapists feel in providing appropriate support.
The findings will then be used to design national surveys for people with ADHD, therapists and service managers. These surveys will help the team understand how services across England currently identify and support people with ADHD, whether any local adaptations have already been developed and which services may be interested in further work.
People with lived experience of ADHD will be involved throughout the study. A panel of experts by experience will help shape the research materials, interpret the findings and develop practical recommendations. The project will also use flexible ways of taking part to make the research as accessible and inclusive as possible.
The long-term aim is to identify what good talking-therapy practice for people with ADHD should look like. The findings could support staff training, improve access to therapy and inform the development of more suitable treatment pathways in North Cumbria and across the NHS.