By William Schroeder, LPC, NCC and clinically reviewed by Scott Allen, PsyD
I’m a therapist in Austin, and I have ADHD. So when someone asks me which ADHD specialists in Austin I trust, I take the question personally.
Let me first say that with ADHD, fit matters more than usual. A clinician who doesn’t get ADHD can leave you feeling more broken than when you walked in. One who does can change how you understand your whole history.
Think of this as a full list of ADHD resources in Austin, all in one place. It covers the people I refer to most: therapists and coaches, prescribers who handle medication, and clinics that do ADHD testing. I’ve sorted them by who they serve best, including age. The right fit for a 7-year-old is rarely the right fit for a 45-year-old.
How I chose. These are clinicians I know, have trained with, or have watched help people over nearly 20 years of practicing in Austin. I co-founded Just Mind Counseling, and it’s on this list. It isn’t at the top, and I’ve noted that connection, along with any others, in each entry.
ADHD specialists in Austin: therapists and coaches
1. James Ochoa, LPC-S, The Life Empowerment Center
Ask Austin clinicians who they trust with adult ADHD, and James Ochoa usually comes up first. He has spent more than 30 years helping adults with ADHD and wrote Focused Forward: Navigating the Storms of Adult ADHD. A second book, When the Shiny Wears Off, is in the works.
What sets James apart is his focus on the emotional side of ADHD: the shame, overwhelm and chronic stress that build up after years of struggling without answers. Much of his work today is with executives and leaders with ADHD, blending counseling, coaching and mentoring.
Full disclosure: Just Mind collaborates closely with James and he has been a mentor to me on ADHD. He leads trainings and consultations for our clinicians, and we’ve hosted his Living Well with ADHD workshop for clinicians and the public. We send people his way because we’ve learned from him ourselves.
Best for: executives, founders and other high-performing adults who want one of the most experienced ADHD specialists in Texas.
2. Lara Hernandez, LPC, LPA, ADHD-CCSP, Attention Lab
Lara Hernandez runs Attention Lab, which pairs therapy with hands-on ADHD coaching. Before opening her practice, she tested clients, provided therapy and coached at ADD Austin. She is also certified as an ADHD Clinical Services Provider.
Her work is practical. Clients build routines for time management, organization and actually finishing tasks. She sees adults in person and online. Lara is great and very structured.
Best for: adults who want concrete executive function skills alongside therapy.
3. Krista Kilbane, LCSW, ADHD-CCSP
Krista Kilbane is a therapist and Certified Clini-Coach who works only with adults with ADHD. She has more than 20 years in clinical practice, started out as a special education teacher, and has ADHD herself.
Krista is great and her work centers on building systems that actually stick, with an approach that pays attention to both mind and body. She sees clients online and in her Austin office, and she also offers a self-paced ADHD executive function course.
Full disclosure: Krista and I went through James Ochoa’s advanced ADHD training together. She is passionate about helping people with ADHD.
Best for: driven adults who want therapy and coaching from someone who lives with ADHD too.
4. Just Mind Counseling, led by Scott Allen, PsyD, Director of Neurodiversity Services
Yes, this is my practice. What I’d point you to is the range. We have ADHD clinicians for every age, from young kids through couples, at two Austin offices and online across Texas.
You don’t have to pick from the table below on your own. A real person on our client care team reads what you share and suggests two or three therapists who fit, usually within 24 hours.
| Clinician | Ages and clients | What they bring to ADHD work |
|---|---|---|
| Scott Allen, PsyD | Kids, teens, adults | 20 years with ADHD, autism and learning differences. Also leads our ADHD testing. |
| Kris Downing, LCSW-S, SEP | Kids, parents, adults | 25 years, including Austin ISD and Communities In Schools as their clinical director. Builds executive function skills through play and coaches parents as advocates. She also uses EMDR and Somatic Experiencing in her work with adults. Adoptive mom of two sons with ADHD. |
| Matt Murphy, LMFT Associate | Tweens, teens, adults, couples, families | ADHD in relationships, using EFT and the Gottman Method. |
| Eva Escobedo, LPC-S | Couples, adults | Couples where one or both partners have ADHD are a focus of her work. |
| Jenny Shub, PsyD | Teens 13+, adults | ADHD alongside anxiety, depression and OCD, using ACT, CBT and DBT. |
| Alisar Eido, LCSW | Teens, adults | Neurodiversity-affirming care for ADHD and autism, especially with trauma or LGBTQIA+ concerns. She also used EMDR with ADHD treatment. |
| Myya Singletary, PhD | Adults | ADHD with stress, burnout and identity questions, from a multicultural lens. |
| Ron Grace, PsyD | Adults, couples, families | ADHD with anxiety, with advanced CBT training for anxiety. |
| Evan Sadler, LCSW | Adults | ADHD tangled up with shame, anxiety, OCD or trauma. He also uses EMDR in treating ADHD. |
More Just Mind ADHD specialists: Courtney Lougheed, Daniel Crooks, Madison Flueckiger, Phil Rogers (including ADHD in couples) and Sapana Donde.
Also experienced with ADHD: Abi Tesfaye, Alan Nelson, Alyssa Van Lopik, Ana Sofia Guerra, Ariana Freshour, Bella Lyon, Bill Campbell, Brett Brightwell, Caitlin Senger, Celina McDonald, David Jenkins, Helen Evans, Julie Osofsky, Kari Somera, Kay Suttle-Field, Kellie Caroselli, Leila Levinson, Loren Lomme, Melody Clark, Mike Rosenthal, Nancy Puga, Teri Schroeder and William Schroeder.
Parenting a child with ADHD? Kris Downing, Matt Murphy, Ron Grace, Scott Allen, Nancy Puga and Ana Sofia Guerra all specialize in helping parents.
Best for: families who want one practice that can see a child, a parent and a couple, or adults who want help finding the right fit. Learn more about our ADHD counseling.
ADHD prescribers in Austin
Therapists don’t prescribe. If medication is part of your plan, these are the prescribers I trust to take ADHD seriously and coordinate with your therapist.
| Prescriber | Ages | Why I refer here |
|---|---|---|
| Robin May-Davis, MD | Adults | Harvard Medical School graduate and board-certified adult psychiatrist, trained at UCLA, with additional training in integrative medicine. Treats ADHD alongside mood and anxiety concerns, in person near Lost Creek and by telehealth. Her site says she is not taking new patients right now, so call to check. |
| Westlake Psychiatry | All ages | Its clinicians trained at schools including Harvard Medical School, Yale, Duke, Vanderbilt, NYU and UCLA. Two Austin offices plus telehealth, pairing medication management with attention to nutrition, exercise and therapy. |
| Vaughn Mankey, MD | Kids, teens, adults | Harvard-trained psychiatrist, board certified in both adult and child and adolescent psychiatry. Offers therapy and medication together, in West Lake Hills. |
| Nakia Scott, MD, Holistic Mental Health | Kids, teens | UT Southwestern medical graduate who served as chief fellow in child psychiatry at Scott and White/Texas A&M. Board certified in child and adolescent psychiatry, general psychiatry and integrative medicine, with a special interest in ADHD. Combines medication and therapy with complementary approaches like nutrition and exercise. Named an Austin Monthly Top Doctor every year since 2015. |
Medication works best with skills and support around it. A good prescriber will also ask what else you’re doing to manage ADHD.
Where to get ADHD testing in Austin
A formal evaluation helps when you need accommodations at school or work, or when anxiety, trauma or a learning difference might be part of the picture. These are the testing options I recommend.
| Testing provider | Ages | What stands out |
|---|---|---|
| Dr. Adam Creasy, EdPsyched | Kids, teens, adults | Cognitive and educational evaluations with classroom-focused recommendations. In-person testing is done in a single appointment, and virtual evaluations are available. |
| Just Mind Counseling | Kids, teens, adults | ADHD and autism evaluations with Scott Allen, PsyD, in person at our North Austin office. |
| Austin Center for Therapy & Assessment (ACTA) | Kids, teens, adults | South Austin practice off William Cannon. Offers ADHD testing, neuropsychological evaluations and school accommodation evaluations. |
| Neurobehavioral Institute of Austin | Kids, teens, adults | A group of independent professionals offering neuropsychological and psychological assessments, psychiatry and Cogmed working memory training. |
Not sure you need testing yet? A therapist can screen for ADHD first and help you decide whether a full evaluation is worth it.
How to choose the right ADHD specialist
Most people I talk with have tried therapy before. The real question is whether this time will click. A few things to ask on a first call:
- How much of your caseload is ADHD? You want someone who sees it every week, not once a year.
- Do you work with the emotional side? Planners and timers help. Years of shame and “why can’t you just” need attention too.
- Do you work with my age group? Child ADHD work looks very different from adult work.
- Will you coordinate with my prescriber? Good ADHD care is a team effort.
Give it two or three sessions. If you don’t feel understood by then, it’s fine to try someone else.
ADHD therapy in Austin: common questions
Do I need a diagnosis to start therapy?
No. Many people start with a therapist, get screened, and then decide whether formal ADHD testing is worth it.
What’s the difference between ADHD coaching and counseling?
Coaching focuses on systems and accountability. Counseling does that too, but also works with the anxiety, shame and relationship strain that often come with ADHD. Many people benefit from both.
Can therapy help ADHD without medication?
For many people, yes. Skills, structure and support make a real difference, and some combine therapy with medication for the best results. Read more about ADHD and motivation or why procrastination is so hard to beat.
What if ADHD is straining my relationship?
Look for a couples therapist who understands ADHD. Our post on ADHD in marriage and the Gottman Method is a good place to start.
Not sure where to start?
Finding ADHD specialists in Austin is easier with a guide, but if this list still feels like a lot, that’s normal with ADHD. Tell us what’s going on, and we’ll match you with an ADHD therapist who gets it, at Just Mind or elsewhere on this list.
