‘The best way to help your ADHD Child is to get your own ADHD addressed’

 Dr Peter Heffernan is a Consultant Psychiatrist with 25 years experience in Psychiatry, Psychological Medicine, Psychotherapy and in the field of assessment and care of Adults with ADHD.

He undertook his undergraduate medical degree at Melbourne University, 1974-79. After training for, and working in, General Practice, Dr Heffernan undertook Post-Graduate training in Psychiatry, based in Melbourne 1987-1992. He attained the Fellowship of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists in 1992. In 1997, Dr Heffernan began additional Psychotherapy training, with the Victorian Association of Psychotherapists, and completed this training in November 2002. Dr Heffernan was accepted for VAPP Membership in April 2003.

Dr Heffernan is a member of the United Kingdom Adult ADHD Network (UKAAN) having completed the UKAAN training in the assessment and treatment of Adult ADHD at the London Institute of Psychiatry. He is also a member of the Australian Professionals Adult ADHD network (AUSPAN) organisation, and the co-convenor of the Victorian Adult ADHD Interest Group.

Adult ADHD is such an important topic as adults in Australia are extremely under-diagnosed at just 2.5% compared to children (5%) and the rate of treated adults is at just 0.2%. In this presentation Dr Heffernan will talk about many different areas to do with adult ADHD including diagnosis and treatment and medications. He will also discuss that one in three ADHD Children have at least one lived experience parent, which aides in them having emotionally attuned parents when their own ADHD is addressed.