The unmet needs of people with attention difficulties are increasingly highlighted across all media. Clinicians are seeking guidance about how to respond to people looking for help and support, and are encouraged to use the new AADPA Australian Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guideline for ADHD. The Guideline has been endorsed by professional bodies including the Australian Psychological Society and the Royal Australia and New Zealand College of Psychiatry; and by advocacy groups ADHD NZ, ADHD Australia and The World Federation of ADHD. It has not been endorsed by the New Zealand Psychological Society or the New Zealand College of Clinical Psychologists. While ACT takes a transdiagnostic view of human struggle, clinicians are under growing pressure to diagnose and treat ADHD specifically. Organisations and individual clinicians who are using the guideline, should be familiar with its limits and weaknesses (Bahr & Keizer, 2023; Jeram Patel, 2023). This webinar will focus on the significant problems in the guideline: its weak evidence base, conflicts of interest, and the omission of important ADHD research. We will look in detail at research about the significance of relative age effects, the risks of diagnosis, the negative outcomes of stimulant medications and important emerging alternative treatments. Workshop attendees will leave knowledgeable about a broad body of ADHD research, better informed about how to respond to people who may have ADHD, and with practical ideas about what to consider when assessing people for attention difficulties.
When: Jan 21, 2026 07:00 PM Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/A51mwC-rSA-VHbjOUpf7-g
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Bio: Giselle Bahr has long been interested in understanding distress in context. She works as a clinical psychologist in private practice in Aotearoa New Zealand. Previously she worked in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, in NGOs, and at Victoria University training clinical psychologists. She provides therapy, supervision, training and courses. She is part of Excellence in Mind.