Service categories: Counselling and therapies, Information, advice and advocacy

Service URL: https://www.autisticallybrilliant.com

I'm a HCPC and BAAT registered, autistic Art Psychotherapist and consultant, who offers neurodivergent people of different ages (with or without "official" diagnosis) neuro affirming, creative, warm, non-judgemental, as well as trauma informed counselling and art psychotherapy. I also offer relationship counselling (where one or more in the relationship are neurodivergent) and dyadic (parent and child) or family therapy. Furthermore I offer advice and support with parenting neurodivergent children/young people.

I deliver sessions mostly on Zoom, but can also use phone, text or email (or a mix of these, as appropriate) - whichever is your or your child's/young person's preferred way to communicate.

I am absolutely neuro and LGBTQIA+ affirming, and my counselling approach is positive and empowering. It is a mostly a present and future orientated zone, which helps in concentrating on change. This is not to say that we won't be exploring the past and the roots of the problems.

Together we identify your or your child's/young person's interests and strengths, using these to work towards goals (however big or small) in a gradual way, which means that change is easier and more achievable. 

In addition to counselling, I offer art psychotherapy, which can be particularly effective in treating deeper issues and trauma, which many neurodivergent people suffer from. You don't need to be an artist or "good at art" to participate and the use of artistic expression is always optional in sessions. However, it can open doors to the unconscious part of the mind. This is most often the seat of significant, but complicated issues, which are hard to verbalise. Thus this type of therapy can be especially helpful for autistic people (with alexithymia) and children/young people.

We can also use art making during relationship, dyadic and family work. This often helps people to understand each other better, as art can serve to diffuse tensions and make communication easier.

I have two decades of experience in supporting neurodivergent people, as well as people with many different mental health conditions, most recently as a senior clinician at CAMHS and as a Senior Community Advisor at Scottish Autism. I have worked with neurodivergent people in many different roles and been on many related courses, so understand the particular, as well as holistic, needs of neurodivergent people (often around issues such as LGBTQIA+, trauma, relationship issues, etc.) at different stages of life.

I am a practical, down to earth person and dedicate myself to getting to know my clients, helping them work towards their individual goals, at the speed and intensity that suits them. I tend to also be quite solution focused, thinking of ways that your or your child's/young person's wellbeing can be supported in the here and now.

The sessions are always a safe, warm, judgement free and confidential space. Whatever your or your child's/young person's situation and needs, email me and we can start making steps toward a change for the better.

Aimed at: Adolescent , Adult , Child , Children under the age of 12 years, Parent or carer of under 18, Parent/carer of a child, Parent/carer of a young person, Parent/carer of an adult, Parents or carers, families, adults, Partner, Students, Young person

Referral Sources: Yourself

Covers: Cambridgeshire, East Midlands, East of England, North East, North West, Northern Ireland, Scotland, South East, South West, Wales, West Midlands, Yorkshire and The Humber, Guernsey Health Authority, Isle of Man, Jersey Health Authority, Sark Health Authority, Antrim and Newtownabbey, Ards and North Down, Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon, Belfast, Causeway Coast and Glens, Derry City and Strabane, Fermanagh and Omagh, Lisburn and Castlereagh, Mid and East Antrim, Mid Ulster, Newry, Mourne and Down, South Belfast area, Ayrshire and Arran, Borders, Dumfries and Galloway, Fife, Forth Valley, Grampian, Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Highland, Lanarkshire, Lothian, Orkney, Shetland, Tayside, Western Isles, Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Angus, Argyll and Bute, City of Edinburgh, Clackmannanshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Dundee City, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Lothian, East Renfrewshire, Falkirk, Fife, Glasgow City, Highland, Inverclyde, Midlothian, Moray, Na h-Eileanan Siar, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Orkney Islands, Perth and Kinross, Renfrewshire, Scottish Borders, Shetland Islands, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, Stirling, West Dunbartonshire, West Lothian, Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd, Isle of Anglesey, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Neath Port Talbot, Newport, Pembrokeshire, Powys, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Swansea, Torfaen, Vale of Glamorgan, Wrexham

Specialisms: Autism, Autism and Neurodivergent , Challenging behaviour, Exclusively autism specific, Generic, Has autism-specific elements, Has autism-specific elements