ADHD Therapy in Calgary and Virtually Across Alberta
ADHD Doesn't Have To Run Your Life
Living with ADHD as an adult can feel overwhelming, and often, people assume that by adulthood, you “should have it all figured out.” But the truth is that ADHD affects your day-to-day life in real and meaningful ways: work performance, relationships, emotional regulation, organization, motivation, productivity, and overall well-being.
At Bluebird Psychology, we provide ADHD counselling and coaching for adults, both in person and online, to help you build practical systems, develop confidence, and gain momentum so you can move forward with clarity and success.
What Adult ADHD actually Looks Like
Most people picture a hyperactive child when they think of ADHD. But adult ADHD often looks very different, and for many people, it went unrecognized for decades.
By adulthood, you've usually developed workarounds. You've learned to function - sometimes at a high level - but at a cost. The mental effort required to do things that seem effortless for others is exhausting. And despite the coping strategies, certain things keep slipping through: deadlines, relationships, projects, promises to yourself.
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Not laziness - a genuine difficulty initiating tasks, especially ones that feel boring, overwhelming, or unclear. You know you need to start. You just can't.
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Consistently underestimating how long things take, losing track of time entirely, or being either chronically late or so anxious about being late that you arrive very early.
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Frustration that flares quickly, rejection sensitivity that hits hard, or emotions that feel more intense and harder to manage than they seem to be for other people.
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Difficulty planning, organizing, prioritizing, and following through - especially on multi-step tasks. The idea is clear but translating it into action is where things break down.
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The flip side of distractibility - losing hours to something interesting while important tasks go untouched. Hyperfocus can look like productivity, but often isn't directed where it needs to go.
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Forgetting appointments, losing things, missing details, or feeling like your brain has too many tabs open all the time - even when you're trying hard to stay on top of things.
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Years of working twice as hard to keep up - compensating, masking, and pushing through - that eventually catches up. Burnout in adults with ADHD is common and often misdiagnosed as depression.
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Forgetting important things, interrupting, difficulty following through on commitments, or emotional intensity that affects partners, friends, and colleagues - even when the intention is good.
What Is Adult ADHD Counselling?
It’s Support That Works With Your Brain, Not Against It
ADHD counselling is a collaborative process that focuses on developing the skills, tools, and insight adults need to reach their goals. It is deeply supportive, solution-focused, and tailored to the realities of your everyday life.
Together, we explore what’s getting in the way and build strategies that actually fit how your brain works.
Who We Support
Our ADHD counselling is ideal for adults in Alberta who experience:
Chronic procrastination
Poor time management
Struggles with task initiation
Emotional overwhelm or burnout
Difficulty with follow-through
Perfectionism and fear of failure
Executive functioning challenges
Forgetfulness, disorganization, or mental clutter
Low motivation or confidence
Challenges balancing work, relationships, and personal goals
Whether you were diagnosed recently or have lived with ADHD for years, coaching can help you build meaningful change in your daily life.
ADHD Counselling That Understands Real Life
Because ADHD Isn’t About Trying Harder
We know that ADHD isn’t a character flaw, it’s:
A brain wired differently
Executive functioning differences
Emotional experiences that can be intense
Decades of trying to “just push through”
Our approach is compassionate, practical, and grounded in real-world success, not judgment.
What ADHD Counselling Focuses On - Practical Tools That Make Life Manageable
Every session is personalized to you but may include:
Manageable goal setting
Productivity systems that fit your brain
Time management strategies
Routines that reduce chaos
Emotional regulation tools
Accountability and support
Skills for navigating work or school
Communication and self-advocacy strategies
We focus on what matters most to you so that your counselling is directly tied to growth in your real life.
We Offer Accessible Support Throughout Alberta
Whether you're in Calgary, Edmonton, Red Deer, Grande Prairie, Lethbridge, Fort McMurray, or rural Alberta, you can access counselling online through secure video sessions.
Online counselling is great if you:
Prefer the comfort of home
Have a busy schedule
Live outside major cities
Experience anxiety or transportation barriers
Or Meet Face-to-Face in a Supportive Environment
If you prefer in-person support, we offer local in-person sessions at our Calgary office. You’ll meet in a warm, judgement-free space where your experiences and goals are understood and respected.
The fee for a 50-minute in-person or virtual appointment is $240. Many insurance providers cover the cost of the appointment. Check with your insurance provider for more information.
Meet Your Therapist
Shawna Cunha, Registered Provisional Psychologist
Shawna works with adults navigating ADHD, anxiety, burnout, and the challenges that come with feeling like your brain works differently from everyone else's. Her approach is warm, practical, and grounded in real life - focused on building skills that actually work rather than systems that look good on paper. Shawna offers sessions both in person at our Calgary SW office and online across Alberta.
Frequently Asked Questions
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No. You can begin ADHD therapy without a formal diagnosis. Many adults come to us with strong suspicions about ADHD that haven't been formally confirmed - and therapy can be genuinely helpful regardless. If a formal diagnosis would be useful to you (for medication access, workplace accommodations, or simply clarity), our team also offers adult ADHD assessments. We can discuss both options during your free consultation.
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ADHD coaching typically focuses on practical skill-building and accountability — goal-setting, time management, organisation. ADHD therapy, delivered by a registered psychologist, goes deeper — addressing the emotional and psychological dimensions of ADHD, including shame, anxiety, burnout, and relationship patterns, alongside the practical skill-building. At Bluebird, Shawna integrates both practical tools grounded in psychological understanding.
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This varies considerably depending on your goals and the complexity of what you're working on. Some adults find significant benefit from 8–12 sessions focused on a specific challenge. Others prefer ongoing support as a form of accountability and continued growth. We review progress regularly, and you're never locked into a set number of sessions - you stay as long as it's useful.
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Many extended health plans cover sessions with a Registered Psychologist or Registered Provisional Psychologist under "psychological services." We recommend checking your specific plan. We provide detailed receipts after every session for reimbursement.
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Generic talk therapy often isn't particularly effective for ADHD — not because therapy doesn't work, but because ADHD requires a specific approach. Our sessions are structured, practical, and actively focused on the executive function and emotional regulation challenges that drive most ADHD difficulties. If previous therapy felt too open-ended or didn't produce real-world change, a more targeted ADHD-specific approach is often what makes the difference.
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Yes - and for many adults with ADHD, a combination of therapy and medication is the most effective approach. Medication can reduce the severity of ADHD symptoms, while therapy builds the skills and self-understanding that medication alone doesn't provide. If you're interested in exploring medication, your family doctor or psychiatrist can assess whether it's appropriate alongside your therapy.
Have questions?
We’re here to help!
email us at office@bluebirdpsychology.ca
call us at (587) 288-6884
Or book individual adult counselling with Registered Provisional Psychologist, Shawna Cunha, here.