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Neurodivergent therapy?

NAS73488

I've had therapy and counselling a few times in my life for social anxiety, but it's ineffective because they're trained to councel neurotypicals. I'm autistic with ADHD.

Is there no autistic therapy on the NHS? (With a therapist who is autistic and trained to councel autistics). I could only find one such service on the website and it's private only.

If they exist, how do I access them, please? I feel like only a neurodivergent therapist could help.

Parents

  • I've tried three therapists.

    One had an autistic step son, which I expected meant she would be more understanding but actually she wanted to "cure" me.  

    One was autistic herself.  She helped in some ways, but when I tried to explain the difficulties I had with my mother, she spent 20 minutes talking about her own experience which was the opposite of mine- she had to learn to see her mother as a person, while I was struggling with the fact that my morher was too much person and not enough mother.

    My current therapist is NT, but he works with a person centred approach that validates what I say and he is willing to adapt to what I need.  For example, when I explained that I had difficulty understanding what other thought about me and couldn't read their reactions, he went on to clearly and specifically state his positive feelings about them.  I have never felt so very seen in my life.  

    I've been seeing him now for 6 months, as opposed to the other two who lasted the 6 week minimum.  It's really working with him.  He also lets me do once a fortnight as once a week is too much pressure and gets me fixated on the issues.  The longer break lets me wind down in between.  Also we work online, which means less stress of going out and all that entails.

    So I don't think it's so much about the neuro status of the therapist themself, but on how much they are willing to listen and understand. 

Reply

  • I've tried three therapists.

    One had an autistic step son, which I expected meant she would be more understanding but actually she wanted to "cure" me.  

    One was autistic herself.  She helped in some ways, but when I tried to explain the difficulties I had with my mother, she spent 20 minutes talking about her own experience which was the opposite of mine- she had to learn to see her mother as a person, while I was struggling with the fact that my morher was too much person and not enough mother.

    My current therapist is NT, but he works with a person centred approach that validates what I say and he is willing to adapt to what I need.  For example, when I explained that I had difficulty understanding what other thought about me and couldn't read their reactions, he went on to clearly and specifically state his positive feelings about them.  I have never felt so very seen in my life.  

    I've been seeing him now for 6 months, as opposed to the other two who lasted the 6 week minimum.  It's really working with him.  He also lets me do once a fortnight as once a week is too much pressure and gets me fixated on the issues.  The longer break lets me wind down in between.  Also we work online, which means less stress of going out and all that entails.

    So I don't think it's so much about the neuro status of the therapist themself, but on how much they are willing to listen and understand. 

Children
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