“I’m on ADHD Meds—Do I Really Need Therapy Too?”

By Dr Kirsten Abbott

Therapy helps improve functioning

So, you’ve been diagnosed with ADHD. Maybe you’ve started medication. Maybe you’ve

even noticed it’s helping a bit—you’re not losing your phone every day now, and it’s slightly

easier to sit through meetings.

…But then life hits: emails pile up, your calendar is chaos, and you still forget to send that

important text. You wonder, Isn’t the medication supposed to fix this?

Here’s the thing: medication can help reduce ADHD symptoms—but it doesn’t automatically teach you how to function well with ADHD: how you live, work, plan, and relate to others.

That’s where psychological therapy comes in.

Medication Isn’t the Whole Solution

Let’s be clear—medication works. It’s evidence-based, it helps many people focus, and it’s a

big part of ADHD treatment. But according to the Australian Evidence-Based Clinical

Practice Guideline for ADHD, medication isn’t the whole solution. The guideline recommends

combining medication with psychological therapy to improve day-to-day functioning.

Think of it like this: medication can turn the volume down on the chaos. Therapy helps you

learn how to dance in the quiet.

Why Functioning Matters More Than Focus

People with ADHD are often experts in creating complicated workarounds to get through

life—color-coded planners, last-minute panic-fuelled productivity, setting five alarms, or

avoiding anything remotely boring. These compensatory strategies may have worked (sort

of) in the short term, but they can be exhausting, inefficient, and usually break down under

pressure. Psychological therapy helps you develop strategies that are actually sustainable.

What therapy can help with:

1.      Time Management: From “Last Minute” to “Just on Time”

ADHD often warps your sense of time. You might be constantly running late or always

underestimating how long tasks will take. This is called time blindness—and it’s real.

Therapy helps by:

 Teaching you how to “externalise” time (e.g., using visual timers or calendars in plain sight)

 Breaking tasks into realistic chunks with clear start points

 Creating routines that fit your brain, not someone else’s productivity system

You’re not bad at time—you just need tools that make time visible.

2.      Motivation and Follow-Through: Getting Stuff Done (Even When It’s Boring)

With ADHD, starting tasks can feel like pushing a boulder uphill—and finishing them?

Forget it. Therapy helps you understand how your reward system works and why motivation

feels like it’s either “on fire” or “missing.”

We use:

 Behavioural activation strategies to help you start

 Accountability techniques to support consistency

 Tools to help reduce procrastination (like the “just 5 minutes” rule)

Group programs can be especially helpful here—having other ADHD brains in the room can be both validating and motivating.

3.      Emotional Regulation: When the Small Stuff Feels Huge

Many adults with ADHD experience big emotions—frustration, rejection sensitivity, mood swings. These feelings can come fast and hit hard, leaving you drained or saying things you regret.

In therapy, you’ll learn:

 How to notice and name emotional states early

 Strategies to pause before reacting

 Mindfulness techniques adapted for fast-paced minds

This isn’t about becoming calm and zen 24/7—it’s about riding the wave without getting knocked over every time.

4.      Memory and Organisation: Less Chaos, More Clarity

“Where are my keys? Did I send that email? What was I doing again?” Sound familiar?

ADHD affects working memory, which makes organising your life really tough.

Therapy can help you:

 Build practical systems (digital or paper) that actually work for your brain

 Use reminders and prompts without feeling overwhelmed

 Create checklists that don’t gather digital dust

It’s about making your environment work for you, not against you.

5.      Impulsivity: Learning to Hit Pause Before Acting

Impulsivity with ADHD isn’t just about blurting things out. It can look like overspending,

interrupting, quitting projects halfway through, or saying yes to everything and regretting it later.

Therapy supports you to:

 Notice impulse triggers in the moment

 Practice delaying decisions (even by 10 seconds!)

 Build self-awareness without shame

It’s not about perfection—it’s about progress.

Therapy Works—With or Without Medication

Some people with ADHD choose not to take medication. Others do, but still struggle in daily life. Either way, psychological therapy can help. As the Australian guideline emphasises, psychological interventions are a key part of care. In fact, they’re essential for long-term success—especially when life throws curveballs (hello, new job, parenting, burnout).

If you’re managing ADHD with medication and still feeling stuck, you’re not doing it wrong—you’re just missing half the picture. At Equilibrium Psychology in Sydney, we offer individual therapy for adults with ADHD and group skill building sessions that are supportive, practical, and tailored to common real-life challenges.

Take the Next Step. You don’t have to figure this out alone.

Visit www.equilibriumpsychology.com.au

Call us on (02) 9262 6156

Because functioning well with ADHD is absolutely possible—and we’re here to help you get

there.