One area that I specialise in is autism spectrum disorders. I provide a counselling service for individuals who have autism and associated conditions (whether they have received a diagnosis or not). This includes Asperger’s Syndrome, high-functioning autism and autism spectrum disorder. I also provide a counselling service to family members, friends, carers, and the wider community that support individuals who have autism and associated conditions.

I have experience of working with people with autism and their families within a counselling capacity and as a specialist mentor. My familial experiences of autism means that I can relate to, and have experienced first-hand, some of the challenges resulting from neuro-diversity.

Maybe you would like some support with understanding what autism is and therefore what being autistic may mean for you and your family? Or perhaps you are wondering if you or a family member might be autistic and you might not be too sure what to do? You might be experiencing a range of feelings resulting from a late diagnosis or a misdiagnosis that you wish to work through. I support individuals to work through difficulties with social communication or with establishing, managing and sustaining relationships. I also explore the management of autism within an education or workplace setting, and with understanding sensory experiences and preferences. Finally, you might be a female who is looking to understand your presentation of autism as a female.

Autism is a spectrum disorder that can affect individuals in a number of ways. Whilst autistic individuals will share certain difficulties, they will experience these difficulties differently. I modify counselling sessions to accommodate the individual needs of each client. My counselling services are autism friendly so I would be very happy to discuss your individual needs and I invite you to contact me to discuss your needs.

Some of the modifications that I can make include: incorporating special interests into sessions, altering the length or frequency of sessions, encouraging additional breaks, following a clear structure, setting an agenda, reducing environmental noise and visual distractions along with displaying information visually where appropriate. Further to this, I allow extra processing time and I am therefore comfortable with extra silences.

Please contact me to discuss your individual needs.