Neurodiversity-affirming practice

Many autistic and ADHD people come to therapy having had mixed, frustrating, or disappointing experiences of previous support. You may have felt misunderstood, found approaches too rigid, or been given strategies that simply didn't fit the way your brain works.

Part of this relates to the fact that understanding of neurodiversity within mental health services has continued to evolve. Historically, many practitioners received limited training in autism and ADHD, particularly in relation to how neurodivergence presents in adults, women, people who mask, and those with co-occurring mental health difficulties. As a result, important aspects of people’s experiences have sometimes been missed or misunderstood.

Some neurodivergent people describe previous therapy as focusing too heavily on changing behaviours without fully understanding their purpose. Others have felt pressured to appear more "typical" or push through sensory or emotional overwhelm.

I don't claim to be able to work in a way that suits every neurodivergent person, however my approach begins with curiosity and a willingness to learn from your lived experience. This allows me to adapt the models I am trained in where needed, work with your strengths, and find approaches that feel relevant, meaningful, and achievable for you.

  • Many autistic and ADHD individuals have spent years trying to understand themselves through frameworks that were not designed with neurodivergent experiences in mind. This can lead to feelings of confusion, self-criticism, or a sense that something is "wrong" with them.

    Therapy can provide a space to explore how your brain works, understand recurring patterns, and make sense of experiences that may not have been fully understood before.

  • Neurodivergent people experience the same range of mental health difficulties as anyone else, but these difficulties can sometimes show up differently or be influenced by factors such as masking, sensory overwhelm, social experiences, executive functioning challenges, or repeated experiences of feeling misunderstood.

    I work with autistic and ADHD clients experiencing anxiety, depression, emotional overwhelm, burnout, trauma, low self-esteem, and relationship difficulties. Therapy aims to understand the whole picture rather than viewing every difficulty solely through a neurodiversity lens.

  • Neurodiversity-affirming therapy recognises neurodivergence as a natural variation in how people think, communicate, process information, and experience the world.

    Rather than expecting you to adapt to a particular style of therapy, I aim to adapt therapy to you. This may involve adjustments to pacing, communication style, session structure, sensory considerations, or the way psychological ideas are explored.

    My goal is to work with your brain, not against it.

If this approach sounds helpful to you, make an enquiry.