Supporting Your ADHD-Diagnosed Employees
You have employees with ADHD diagnoses. Some you know about; many you do not.
Research suggests that around 4% of working adults have ADHD — in a team of 100, that is roughly four people whose executive function, attention, and emotional regulation differ significantly from the neurotypical norm.
This page explains what the CBT for ADHD programme is, how it supports your legal obligations under the Equality Act 2010, what it costs, and how your employees access it.
The programme
CBT for ADHD is an eight-session online group programme for adults who have recently received an ADHD diagnosis. It is delivered by a BABCP-accredited CBT psychotherapist with specialist training in CBT for ADHD (Russ Harris, Psychwire).
Each session is 90 minutes, delivered via secure GDPR-compliant video, with groups of six to eight participants.
The programme uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), a well-evidenced third-generation CBT approach shown in published research to improve outcomes in adults with ADHD (BJPsych Open, 2024; Journal of Child and Family Studies, 2020).
It addresses the workplace-relevant domains of:
- Task initiation and completion
- Working memory and planning
- Attentional flexibility
- Time management and time estimation
- Emotional regulation at work
- Motivation and values-based action
- Burnout recognition and prevention
- Self-compassion and sustainable performance
Your legal obligations
Under the Equality Act 2010, ADHD qualifies as a disability where it has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on a person's ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. The majority of adults with an ADHD diagnosis will meet this threshold.
What the law requires of you:
You must make reasonable adjustments once you are aware (or ought reasonably to have been aware) that an employee has ADHD. You cannot wait for the employee to request adjustments. You have a proactive duty to make reasonable enquiries.
A 2025 Employment Appeal Tribunal ruling (Stedman v Haven Leisure [2025] EAT 82) confirmed that employers must proactively make enquiries where circumstances indicate an employee may be disabled.
Failure to make reasonable adjustments constitutes discrimination under the Act, with unlimited compensation for injured feelings.
Funding a structured post-diagnostic programme at £300–400 per employee is unambiguously a reasonable adjustment. It is well below the cost threshold courts consider unreasonable, and directly addresses the functional impairments the Act requires you to mitigate.
The business case
Beyond legal compliance, there is a clear financial return on supporting neurodivergent employees.
£4.70 returned per £1 spent on employee mental health support (Deloitte, 2024)
£51bn annual cost of poor mental health to UK employers (Deloitte, 2024)
4% of working adults estimated to have ADHD — often the highest-energy people in your workforce
Undiagnosed or unsupported ADHD in the workplace manifests as:
- Higher-than-average absence
- Underperformance reviews
- Conflict with management
- Higher staff turnover
Supporting employees following diagnosis reduces all of these outcomes.
One prevented resignation — with typical replacement costs of £3,000–£30,000 depending on seniority — more than covers the cost of a full cohort programme many times over.
Cost and how it is funded
Option 1 — Access to Work (employee applies, government pays)
In most cases, the programme cost is recovered through Access to Work — a DWP government grant that funds ADHD support for employed people. The employee applies directly.
Once approved, you pay for their place and claim the full cost back from DWP.
For employers with:
- Fewer than 50 staff: £0 contribution (full reimbursement)
- 50–249 staff: £500 contribution (remaining cost reimbursed)
- 250+ staff: £1,000 contribution (remaining cost reimbursed)
Your role is to:
- Confirm the employee's employment when DWP contacts you
- Pay for the programme place once approved
- Submit a straightforward claim form to recover the cost
We can support you and your employee through this process.
Learn more about Access to Work →
Option 2 — Employer direct purchase
Individual place: £300–400 per employee
Fund a single employee's place directly. Appropriate where the employee has a confirmed diagnosis and you wish to provide support promptly rather than waiting for Access to Work approval.
Cohort block booking: £2,400–3,200 per cohort of 8
Secure a cohort of places for neurodivergent employees. We schedule dedicated sessions for your organisation's cohort. Includes aggregated anonymised outcome data for your wellbeing reporting.
Accreditations and commitments this evidences
Commissioning this programme provides concrete evidence toward the following employer frameworks:
Disability Confident (DWP)
Demonstrates active provision of specialist support for disabled employees. Meets Level 2 requirements and contributes to Level 3 Leader status.
Mental Health at Work Commitment (Mind / MHFA England)
Directly evidences Standards 2 (safe and fair work), 4 (support for poor mental health), and 6 (meaningful work).
Investors in People — We Invest in Wellbeing
Demonstrates specific wellbeing investment with measurable personalised outcomes, not generic provision.
Neurodiversity in Business Charter
Provides evidence of specialist post-diagnostic support that goes beyond awareness training.
ESG Social Pillar reporting
Outcome measures data from the programme (anonymised, aggregated) provides objective evidence of inclusive employment impact for sustainability reporting.
How to refer an employee or book places
Referrals are always made with the employee's knowledge and consent. We do not accept mandatory referrals.
The process:
Share the client information guide with your employee and ask if they would like to be considered for the programme.
If the employee wishes to proceed via Access to Work, encourage them to apply at gov.uk/access-to-work. Support them by confirming their employment when DWP contacts you. Average approval time is 12 weeks.
If you are purchasing places directly, contact us to discuss cohort scheduling, invoicing, and the information we will need to confirm the employee's eligibility.
Once a place is confirmed, we handle all communication with the employee regarding session times, technical access, and programme materials.
Contact us
For employer enquiries, cohort bookings, or to discuss how the programme fits your neurodiversity strategy:
Lisanne Davie
lisanne@lisannedavie.com
BABCP-Accredited CBT Psychotherapist
We aim to respond to all employer enquiries within two working days and are happy to arrange a brief call to answer questions before any commitment is made.