UK psychologists gain important insights with this CPD course on emotional dysregulation in ADHD across the lifespan.
Emotional dysregulation is frequently missed in ADHD, and this course gives UK practitioners a self-regulation framework for understanding it. It integrates executive functioning, motivation and emotional processes, showing how dysregulation appears at different life stages through anxiety, shame, withdrawal, anger or impulsivity. The influence of masking, compensation, cognitive load and rejection sensitivity on presentation and assessment is considered, with a shift from symptom-based to functional, developmentally informed thinking. Practical strategies for formulation and multimodal support are included, and it can be logged as a learning activity in an HCPC CPD record.
This course offers a clinically grounded exploration of emotional dysregulation as a central and often overlooked feature of ADHD. Moving beyond traditional understandings of ADHD as primarily a disorder of attention and behaviour, the training adopts a broader self-regulation framework, integrating executive functioning, motivation, and emotional processes. Participants will examine how emotional dysregulation presents across the lifespan, including both internalised patterns such as anxiety, shame, and withdrawal, and externalised responses including anger and impulsivity. The course highlights how these presentations are frequently misunderstood or misattributed, despite reflecting underlying regulation difficulties rather than intentional behaviour.
A key focus of the training is the interaction between executive functioning, dopamine-based motivation systems, and emotional regulation. Participants will also explore the impact of masking, compensation strategies, cognitive load, and the cumulative emotional effects of sustained effort and regulation demands. Through a clinically informed lens, the course supports a shift from symptom-based interpretations toward a more functional and developmentally informed understanding of ADHD, with practical applications for assessment, formulation, and intervention integrated throughout.
Designed for mental health professionals, this training provides practical, evidence-informed strategies to enhance compassionate and effective support for individuals with ADHD across the lifespan. Participants will gain greater confidence in identifying meaningful treatment targets and applying a multimodal support approach that recognises the complex interplay between emotional, cognitive, and behavioural regulation.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this talk, participants will be able to: