Blog

When supporting neurodivergent clients, increasing numbers of practitioners are looking to bridge a gap left by many counselling and therapy trainings. Ruth Williams, a psychotherapist specialising in neurodivergence, including autism and ADHD, has seen both the damage done by ill-informed therapy and the transformative power of attuned, informed, flexible practice. She shares some of the reasons therapists seek specialist supervision in the area of neurodiversity – including the experiences of neurodivergent supervisees.

The school year is drawing to a close amid reports of rising pupil absences and warnings of a ‘national crisis in education’. But what is being done to understand and address the psychological aspects of persistent absenteeism, including unmet additional needs? Suzy Rowland, CBT practitioner, autism / ADHD specialist trainer and founder of the happyinschool project, reflects on the difficult emotional dynamics around what is still unhelpfully termed ‘school refusal’ – and shares some suggestions for improving communication between school, families and children.

Cooking, as a therapeutic intervention, encourages us to respond with creative instinct and purposive focus, left and right brain working together. Ahead of World Autism Awareness Day on April 2, attachment-informed psychotherapist Charlotte Hastings explains how her Kitchen Therapy practice was inspired by her work with neurodivergent young people and informed by Winnicott’s concept of ‘indwelling’.