Therapy

You might find it helpful to borrow or buy this book, which includes discussion of various types of therapy and counselling, together with advice on choosing the right therapist or counsellor - all from an autistic person's viewpoint. Several of us here have found it very helpful, myself included:

The Autistic Survival Guide to Therapy

When I saw an autism specialist counsellor a few years ago, I found her through the listings on Psychology Today. There are a few in my area who seem to actively specialise in autism, whereas some just seem to tick every 'specialism' box because they can. Once you've narrowed it down, it is worth emailing them and mentioning the autism and any other problems. It causes a lot of anxiety to make that first contact - but it can be worth it.

Most therapists will do either a free telephone call and/or a free face to face visit to help you decide if their services are right for you. Fees are usually on a per-appointment basis, so there is no financial 'commitment' as such.

Its worth noting that private therapy can be quite different to NHS therapy. You are not limited to a certain number of sessions, there won't be much (if any) box-ticking/questionnaires, and they probably won't be disappointed if you aren't magically 'cured' after 6 weeks.

Unknown said:

What do you think about medical cannabis?

I've always had concerns about the addictive qualities of cannaboids and the use of them to essentially be mildly intoxicated to help cope with stress.

The smell so many of them have is also a bit turn off for me as I find it quite sickly.

I prefer the approach of treating it at source (ie the mind) rather than masking it with drugs, but if it works for you then good luck.

Dear NAS63129, 

You may like to have a look at the Autism Services Directory for therapists in your area: https://www.autism.org.uk/directory. 

This guide produced by NAS may be of interest. It collates suggestions on ways professionals can make mental health talking therapies better for autistic people.   

Content note- the guide contains sections on suicide and self-harm: Good practice guide for professionals delivering therapy  

Kind Regards,

Rosie Mod

Ellie said:

Does anyone know any therapists that specialise in Autistic and Neurodivergent people?

It is a very good idea to ask about the therapists knowledge and expereince of working with eurodivergent poeple when you are finalising your shortlist - you can normally have a free 15 mins session to interview them so build up a list of questions that can be answered quickly and cover whay you are most concerne with in their ability.

I found a therapist who has neurodivergent children (grown adults now) so has had long history with our needs and knows how challenging we can be to get through to sometimes.

Having a degree in psychology was one of my criteria too, but most important was the amount of autistic patients they have had success in helping over a long period of time.

The final hurdle was whether they knew what sort of questions to ask to get information from me. Being direct and focussed got results and not just telling me what to do helped me really undetstand the choices I had to make.

Hi there. You can find therapists and counsellors specialising in autism at the link below, and you can narrow it down to your part of the country.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/counselling?category=autism