If you’ve been asking yourself this before reaching out, you’re not alone — and the short answer is no.
At ValYou, self-identification is honored as valid. You don’t need a formal ADHD or Autism diagnosis, a specialist’s letter, or a completed assessment to start therapy here. If you’ve done the research, recognized yourself in other people’s stories, and you’re confident this is who you are — that’s enough to begin.
Why self-identification matters
Getting an official diagnosis as an adult can be genuinely hard. Assessments are expensive and waitlists can stretch for months. On top of that, many adults — especially women and late-diagnosed folks — have been told that they’re “too high-functioning” to qualify, even when their lived experience says otherwise. Requiring a formal diagnosis before someone can get support just adds another barrier potentially among many others. That’s not the standard here. We start from where you are, not from a formal identification.
What we ask instead
Rather than requiring documentation, we start with a conversation about what you’re noticing in your own life — patterns, challenges, the way certain things have always felt harder than they “should.” That’s the real starting point for the work anyway, whether or not a diagnosis is attached to it.
If you do have a formal diagnosis, that’s welcome too — it’s simply not a requirement.
If you’re still not sure
You don’t have to be certain to reach out. A lot of people who end up feeling at home at ValYou started out unsure, mid-research, or just curious whether what they were noticing had a name. That uncertainty is a completely normal place to start from.
If this is you, reach out on Instagram @val_you_ed or through the Let’s Connect page on valyoufl.com — no diagnosis required, no pressure, just a conversation.
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