Autism

The definition of autism has changed over the decades and could change in future years as we understand more. We often find that autistic people and their families with different support needs share many of the same challenges, whether that’s getting enough support from mental health, education and social care services or being misunderstood by people close to them.

Autistic people have a wide range of strengths, weaknesses, skills and challenges.

Common difficulties include:

difficulties interpreting social rules and body language, which can lead to confusion or misunderstandings
difficulty in forming and maintaining friendships
a tendency to take things literally, which can lead to communication difficulties.

Intervention and support can help you to develop skills and coping strategies. Social skills support can assist you in understanding how to read the different expectations of social situations. Counselling or psychological therapy can help you to understand and regulate your emotions.

Our Practitioners:

“Each person may come into therapy with a different goal or expectation of what they want to get from therapy, thus there are many routes that can be taken to support you and help you achieve the things you would like to. We all exist on a spectral and polychromatic arc, interpreting meaning from both internal reflections and external experiences. My training was integrative. This means I do not rely on any one modality but have experience of both psychodynamic, person-centred humanist approaches, which I can utilise as and when appropriate. This is coupled by further qualifications in narrative therapy which I employed to scaffold clients as they recount the difficult events in their lives that are causing them distress. I proactive in on using psycho education, the transfer of tools from my toolbox into the one I hope we create for you so for the most part you can maintain your own emotional equilibrium.” Jeffrey Samuels, Psychotherapeutic Counsellor and Autism Specialist

Autism, ADHD and Neurodiversity. “I work at the client’s pace and therapy is a collaboration with one another to determine the best mode and style of therapy at any given to me. My work is always client centred yet even more so when treating autistic people, those with ADHD, undiagnosed or diagnosed and with clients who are neurodiverse. Therapy will involve the client’s sense of where they are in their life, how they are impacted by neurodiversity, ADHD, ASD as well as the impact of medication. Discrimination in wider society and the workplace are common themes for clients and this is examined alongside the impact this has had on the individual and their wider identity. You can expect the therapy space to offer support and adjustment to your needs as well as the pace being tailored to you so that you can get the most out of therapy.” Sreena Pluck, Gestalt Psychotherapist >