Counselling- worth it or damaging if not done with a counsellor who understands autism?

I've been in counselling for around a year and have engaged with various different therapists throughout this time. I definitely think that looking for either a neuroaffirming therapist or neurodivergent counsellor is helpful - these two things are not the same thing and the professional themselves being neurodivergent does not necessarily mean they are neuroafirming. If you a searching for private therapy I would recommend checking the website for the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy as they have a directory which you can filter through by conditions like autism/adhd and mental health issues. 

I would also to say its helpful to ask the therapist for any accomodations that would make you feel more comfortable or able to engage with therapy in a way that is helpful for you, if you are not sure what would be helpful then you can even ask the therapist how they would adapt sessions for neurodivergent clients. For example with online sessions you can ask for your camera to be off if you feel more at ease this way or if you process information visually you could ask to focus on visuals and images to help you understand the concepts. 

It may also be helpful to consider coaching or mentoring - personally I have found this more helpful than counselling to implement strategies to manage my life around my asd whilst counselling has more useful for focusing on my mental health challenges linked to autism. 

Wishing you the best of luck! 

I've been in counselling for around a year and have engaged with various different therapists throughout this time. I definitely think that looking for either a neuroaffirming therapist or neurodivergent counsellor is helpful - these two things are not the same thing and the professional themselves being neurodivergent does not necessarily mean they are neuroafirming. If you a searching for private therapy I would recommend checking the website for the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy as they have a directory which you can filter through by conditions like autism/adhd and mental health issues. 

I would also to say its helpful to ask the therapist for any accomodations that would make you feel more comfortable or able to engage with therapy in a way that is helpful for you, if you are not sure what would be helpful then you can even ask the therapist how they would adapt sessions for neurodivergent clients. For example with online sessions you can ask for your camera to be off if you feel more at ease this way or if you process information visually you could ask to focus on visuals and images to help you understand the concepts. 

It may also be helpful to consider coaching or mentoring - personally I have found this more helpful than counselling to implement strategies to manage my life around my asd whilst counselling has more useful for focusing on my mental health challenges linked to autism. 

Wishing you the best of luck!