Highland ADHD Counselling Access


If you're on the NHS Highland ADHD waiting list, have been told you don't meet the criteria for assessment,
or have simply been left without a pathway - this service is for you.

Following the suspension of adult ADHD assessments across NHS Highland, we know that more than a thousand adults are living without support.
Many are managing work, parenting, finances, and relationships while carrying the weight of not knowing - and being told there is nothing available.

Highland Well-Ness Collective has received funding through the HTSI Intensive Capacity Building Fund to offer Free, Neuro-affirming Counselling - up to 12 sessions


Starting April 2026, we will be offering up to 12 free one-to-one counselling sessions for adults in Highland who are experiencing emotional distress as a result of being in this limbo.

This is not clinical assessment or diagnosis.
We are a counselling service, and we are clear about what we are and are not here for.
What we are here for is the emotional experience of waiting - the frustration, the self-doubt, the exhaustion, the shame that can build when a system doesn't have space for you.

Sessions are available:

  • Online, across all of Highland

  • In person in Inverness

  • Outdoor therapy across Inverness-shire

  • By telephone, text or email if internet access is limited or speaking feels difficult

  • Evenings and weekends for working adults and unpaid carers

All counsellors are trained in trauma-informed and neuro-affirming practice. Sessions are person-centred, non-judgmental, and paced by you.

What we're offering


This service may be right for you if:

  • You are 18 or over and living in Highland

  • You are currently on the NHS Highland ADHD waiting list, have been told you don't meet criteria for assessment, or have been excluded from a diagnosis pathway

  • You are experiencing emotional distress as a result - this might look like low mood, anxiety, overwhelm, isolation, burnout, or difficulty coping day to day

  • You are not currently receiving one-to-one counselling elsewhere

  • You are unable to access private counselling support due to financial barriers - we won't ask you to prove this or define it; financial pressure looks different for everyone

  • You are able to commit to attending sessions regularly over a number of week.

Is this for me?


This is a one-year funded pilot. Places are limited and we expect demand to be high, so we want to be honest about that from the start.
There will be a waiting list. We will work through it as fairly and quickly as we can, prioritising those experiencing the most significant distress.

We encourage you to add your name now, even if you're not sure yet. Completing the form below does not commit you to anything, it simply means we can reach you when a space becomes available.

Places and waiting list


  1. Complete the short form below

  2. We'll review your response and be in touch asap

  3. If the service is a good fit, we'll arrange an initial 20 minute online conversation to talk through what support might look like for you

  4. From there, sessions can begin when a space is available

What happens next