Bangalore has more options for ADHD therapy than almost any other Indian city. That is good news and bad news. Good, because you actually have choice. Bad, because the variety in quality, philosophy and pricing is wide enough that the wrong first call can cost you three months and a chunk of money. This guide is here to help you ask better questions on your first phone call, and to know what a reasonable answer sounds like.
The Bangalore landscape for ADHD support
If you map out the ADHD therapy options in Bangalore today, you will find roughly four layers. The first is the big hospital and chain clinic system, with names you will know from outdoor advertising. The second is the standalone clinic, usually founded by a developmental pediatrician or a senior child psychologist, often with a team of therapists. The third is the freelance therapist, who works out of a small clinic or your home. The fourth, which has grown a lot in the last three years, is the at-home and online specialist service that sends therapists to your house on a structured programme.
Each layer has trade-offs. The chain clinics are easy to find, but the same therapist may not see your child every week. The standalone clinics often have more continuity but you pay for the location and the brand. Freelance therapists can be excellent or untrained, and the variability is high. The at-home services usually charge a little more per session but save you the time and traffic tax of clinic visits.
If you are still weighing the broader format question, our piece on ADHD therapy options in India compares behaviour therapy, OT, CBT and parent coaching in plain language.
Credentials and qualifications to look for
The Indian ADHD therapy world does not have a single regulatory body that filters who can call themselves a therapist. That means the credentials piece is on you. The qualifications that actually matter for ADHD work are: a Master's degree in clinical psychology, child psychology or counselling psychology; or a degree in special education with a focus on developmental disorders; or for an occupational therapist, a Bachelor's or Master's in occupational therapy with paediatric specialisation; or, for medication and diagnosis, a developmental paediatrician with MBBS, MD or DCH and developmental paediatrics training.
For ADHD specifically, ask what proportion of the therapist's practice is children with ADHD. A therapist who sees mostly adult clients and takes the occasional child is not who you want. A therapist who has spent five years working with school-age children with ADHD across CBSE, ICSE and IB schools knows things no textbook can teach.
Certifications in specific frameworks, like cognitive behavioural therapy or parent-child interaction therapy, are a plus. They are not strictly required, but they signal that the therapist has invested in continuing education beyond their main degree.
Typical fees and session structures in 2025-26
Fees in Bangalore for ADHD therapy in 2025-26 fall in a wide range. A clinic session with an experienced child psychologist usually sits somewhere between 1,500 and 3,500 rupees per session. Senior clinicians at well-known centres can charge more. At-home sessions are typically a little higher because of the travel time involved. Developmental paediatrician consults, which you may need at the start for diagnosis and medication review, sit higher still and are usually billed separately.
One thing worth knowing: cheaper does not always mean worse, and more expensive does not always mean better. What you really want is a therapist whose qualifications and approach fit your child, at a price your family can sustain for at least six months. Therapy that you cannot afford to continue is not actually cheap therapy. It is just a few sessions before you stop.
The frequency matters more than the per-session price for total monthly cost. Most school-age children with ADHD do well on one to two sessions a week. Plan a six-month budget at that frequency before you sign on. Our piece on the at-home ADHD session format covers what an hour looks like, which helps you judge whether the per-session price is fair for the work being done.
At-home vs centre-based options
For ADHD specifically, at-home therapy in Bangalore has a real edge for many families. The traffic from HSR Layout to a centre in Indiranagar at 4 p.m. is its own form of therapy interruption. More importantly, the work that helps an ADHD child most is the work that changes what happens in their real environment. A therapist who can sit with you at your child's actual desk on a Tuesday evening will often do more in six weeks than a clinic-based therapist will do in six months.
Centre-based therapy still has its place, particularly when your child needs equipment-heavy work like swings and ball pools for sensory regulation, or when group social skills work is part of the plan. For many ADHD families, a hybrid model works well: at-home for the core behaviour and parent coaching work, plus an occasional clinic visit for specific sensory equipment or group sessions.
If you are leaning towards at-home, our walk-through of an at-home ADHD therapy session covers what an hour actually involves, so you know what you are buying.
Red flags and questions to ask in your first call
Some things to listen for in that first phone or video call, before you commit. A good therapist will spend more time asking questions than promising results. They will not guarantee that your child will be "like other kids" by a fixed date. They will not pressure you into a six-month package on the first call. They will be willing to share their qualifications, their training, and what a typical session looks like. They will tell you who else from their team might see your child, if anyone, and they will be honest about which presentations of ADHD they have the most experience with.
Questions worth asking on the first call include: how many children with ADHD have you worked with in the last year, what does a typical first month of work look like, how do you involve parents, how do you measure progress, and what happens if my child does not seem to be responding to the work after three months. Good therapists welcome these questions. Therapists who get defensive about them are telling you something useful.
One subtle red flag is the therapist who positions themselves as the only person who can help your child. Bangalore is a big enough city that you have real options. A clinician who is generous with referrals, who can name another therapist they would send you to if their style does not fit, is usually a clinician worth working with.
You can also explore the full range of Carely's at-home services in Bangalore if you would like to start from a single point of contact rather than calling around individually.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find a child psychologist in Bangalore who actually specialises in ADHD?
Look for a child psychologist who can tell you, without hesitation, what percentage of their caseload is ADHD and what their typical first three months of work looks like. Generalist child therapists exist, and they have their place, but for ADHD you want someone with focused experience.
Do I need a developmental paediatrician before starting therapy?
For a formal ADHD diagnosis, yes. For starting some skill-building work like parent coaching or behaviour therapy, not always. But before you spend many months on therapy assuming ADHD, get a proper assessment from a developmental paediatrician or qualified clinical psychologist, so you are sure of what you are treating.
Will my child's school accept a Bangalore therapist's report for accommodations?
Most CBSE and ICSE schools in Bangalore accept reports from qualified clinical psychologists and developmental paediatricians, especially for routine accommodations like extra time. For board exam accommodations, the school will usually ask for specific documentation in a particular format. Ask your therapist if they have done this paperwork before.
What if I cannot afford weekly sessions long term?
Talk to your therapist about a tapered model. Many families do intensive weekly work for the first three to six months, then move to fortnightly or monthly check-ins as the home routines stabilise. A good therapist will support this kind of plan rather than insist on indefinite weekly sessions.
Can I switch therapists if it is not working after a few months?
Yes. The relationship between your child and the therapist is a real ingredient in the work. If after three months you do not see your child engaging, or you do not see any shifts in your daily life, it is fair to have a frank conversation and consider a change. Ask for handover notes if you do switch.