NeuroDiversity Affirming Training and Supervision

14/02/2026

I had the most beautiful experience of accessibility at an appointment the other day.
• Everything was clearly explained to me.
• I was shown around.
• I was offered the use of a quiet room.
And all WITHOUT disclosing a diagnosis.

They also didn't know, but I had spent 4hrs on the train to get there, and I was starting to run low on internal resources. I then still had to wait over an hour for my scheduled appointment time, and without the quiet room, I totally would have had a meltdown because I was soooo overloaded. But I didn't, because there was thoughtful accessibility. I turned the lights down, I closed the door, I sat on the comfy couch, put on my headset to play music, and had my laptop to do familiar things on.

This is how it should be. When we design our processes, systems and physical spaces from the outset for inclusion, everyone benefits. When we tack it on as an afterthought, it rarely works.

And what made this really work is that they understood that not all disability is visible, so it is offered to everyone. It wasn't gate-kept behind disclosure; I didn't have to prove my struggle to deserve comfort, meaning they weren't worried about a disability con (that is, people will fake disability or exaggerate needs for personal gain).

Sadly, this is a rare experience, but it’s also hopeful to see that some places are truly doing a good job.

12/02/2026

Our clients don't need to keep to a therapy manual - what they need is for us to be fully and purposefully present.

Person centred therapy lends itself beautifully to being neurodiversity affirming.

Congruence: show up as your real self—set a weekly intention and practice the transparency that builds trust.

Empathy: slow the pace and add meaning‑checks (“How does this land?”) to understand the person’s experience on their terms.

Unconditional Positive Regard: create a consent centred space, drop pathologising language, welcome stims, and change conditions before requesting personal change.

Small, visible intentions beat scripted perfection. Let presence do the work.

Alt text:
How might leaning into
Roger’s core conditions shape your neurodiversity affirming practice?

ntred

12/02/2026

If you ever seen an autism cause theory that you thought was impossible for anyone to believe...
or seen autism “cures” and wondered how people tolerate downright dangerous and harmful methods...
This live online workshop is for you.

We’ll trace where these ideas came from, how they spread, and the ways they continue to influence practice and public perception today.

Unmasking the autism cure
22nd Feb
10:30am (AEDT)
Tickets start at $10
Book here: www.trybooking.com/DHMQD

(This live online workshop will be recorded for those who cannot attend on the day)

About me
I am an AuDHD therapist, supervisor, writer & educator, working in Canberra. The focus of my counselling work is working with Autistic/ADHD/AuDHD adults as well as people recovering from trauma. This often involves supporting adults through the late diagnosis process for autism & ADHD, as well as providing support through the post-diagnosis phase. I also provide clinical & professional supervision to other Autistic counsellors or those who work with Autistic adults. I also train and provide consultation to organisations on providing neurodiversity affirming services

Unmasking the autism cure
22nd Feb
10:30am (AEDT)
Tickets start at $10
Book here: www.trybooking.com/DHMQD

02/02/2026

Understanding and perspective- taking is a two-way street, but too often for Autistic people it is framed as a one-way deficit. You can co-create meaning and check with your client how your framing lands.

Suggested actions:
1. Practice allowing for longer processing time for clients.
2. Create opportunities for clients to request clarification from you, for example, by doing explicit meaning-checks (e.g. by asking: "how does this land with you?").
3. Add a weekly self-reflection prompt for yourself to check when you defaulted to mind-reading and when you utilised explicit meaning-checks.

Alt Text
First column is titled Medical
Subtitle: Therapeutic Assumptions
- Make global assumptions
- Literal thinking = defensive
- Poor perspective taking

Reasons to avoid
Global deficit assumptions; pathologise cognitively valid styles and ignore processing differences.

Second column is titled Neurodiversity Affirming: Subtitle: Therapeutic Assumptions
- Individualised goals and needs
- Literal thinking = explicit communication
- Double empathy problem

Reasons to use
Provides explicit scaffolds and time; accepts bottom‑up processing and reduces prediction errors.

31/01/2026

And just like that we sailed past 750 followers!

If you are new on this page, welcome! I am an multiply neurodivergent therapist, supervisor and training and I use this page to talk about therapy for Autistic and ADHD adults. Because we tend to have a lot of co-neurodivergences, I will also sometimes talk about other neurodivergences.

If there is content you would like to see, please get in touch. My brain is bursting with ideas to get out and I might as well get out what you want most. High on my list for this year is releasing a new workshop about Couples Counselling for Autistics (or for Autistic/NT relationships).

Again, welcome. Feel free to introduce yourself and let me in what way Autistic adults feature in your life (are you Autistic, do you work with Autistics, or both....).

28/01/2026

The cornerstone of neurodiversity affirming therapy is rejecting global assumptions and manualised practice and instead individualising therapy by honouring your client’s autonomy, pace, safety, and capacity.

27/01/2026

A great initiative by a Canberran social enterprise

Is the young person in your life finding it hard to be ready for, and find work?

Do they have a disability, neurodiversity, mental health condition, or just find the process of finding work confusing and maze-like?

We can help! The Easy Read Toolbox is launching our ELSEY* Work Coaching! Our experienced coaches have both lived and professional experience supporting young people in this area (and more).

Be part of shaping our pilot program, by signing up for our starter package of 3 x 1 hour sessions for $500.

Your young person will get:
- 3 hours of one on one time
- Going as fast or as slow as they need
- Easy to understand resources
- A workbook including planned / suggested goals and next steps
- The opportunity to continue sessions.

Find out more by DMing us here, or email ELSEY@easyreadtoolbox.info

* ELSEY - Easy Life Skills for Every Youth.

[3 photos of young people, including a non-binary person using an ipad, 2 young women hugging, and a young man reading a menu. Text: Work Coaching; Individual, Realistic, Easy to Understand; For young people finding it hard to find work. ELSEY logo]

26/01/2026

Prioritise regulation and explicit communication over eye contact and conformity. Centering special interests increases Autistic wellbeing.

Suggested actions:
1. Reflect if you have any default goals you steer clients towards, especially those that demand masking or normalisation (like forced eye contact) or if you let clients set their own goals.
2. Reflect on how much you know about Autistic culture and make a plan to reduce any identified gaps.
3. Invite clients to set a self defined wellbeing marker linked to their special interests (for example, feeling positive emotions)
Alt Text
First column is titled Medical
Subtitle: Therapy Goals.
- Reduce Stimming
- Teach eye contact
- Eliminate special interests
- Fit into dominant culture

Reasons to avoid
Targets visible behaviours to improve social acceptability, often at the expense of regulation.

Second column is titled Neurodiversity Affirming: Subtitle: Therapy Goals
- Stimming = regulation
- Honour explicit communication
- Special interest support wellbeing
- Validate Autistic culture

Reasons to use
Protects nervous system safety and communication clarity; special interests are core to wellbeing.

25/01/2026

Everytime I move I come across this card and I still love how we went about this process. We then repeated it with his autism diagnosis too. Oh and we had cake.

I love my little Autistic family 💜

19/01/2026

When the person you quoted shows up in your comments…

I made a post about the new Barbie and used Dr Stephen Shore’s classic line, “If you’ve met one Autistic…” on Facebook and LinkedIn.

We’re not even connected on LinkedIn, but the post still made its way into his feed — and he commented on it.
I don’t think that’s ever happened to me before. Wild.

19/01/2026

Swap pathologising labels for descriptive ones, this is basic harm reduction.

Language sets the therapeutic agenda. You can swap “deficit” for “trait”, and “treatment” for “support”, to demonstrated understanding that autism is just another neurotype and doesn't need to be treated and increase collaboration with your client.

Suggested actions:
1. Audit where medical framing still shows up in your templates, reports or website and update it to neurodiversity affirming language.
2. You might create a one page glossary for your practice (trait vs deficit, dynamic capacity vs functioning labels, support vs treatment) and share it with clients and your team to standardise neurodiversity affirming language.
3. Add a context question to add to your intake form: “What adjustments increase safety for your nervous system?” (lighting, sound, predictability, pacing, seating, transitions).

Alt Text
First column is titled medical.
Subtitle: Language used:
- Disorder/deficit
- Symptoms & treatment
- High/low functioning
- Compliance

Reasons to avoid
Labels imply disease and cure; people are measured against neuronorms and rewarded for compliance.

Second column is titled Neurodiversity Affirming: Subtitle: Language used:
- Difference/trait
- Traits & support
- Avoid functioning labels
- Agency & autonomy

Reasons to use
Describes neurology without moral judgement; centres self‑determination and fluctuating capacity.

18/01/2026

This is part 2 of a resource pack for therapists who want to work in a neurodiversity affirming way with Autistic clients.

In Part 1, we looked at the differences between Medical treatment and neurodiversity affirming therapy, to help you deepen your understanding of neurodiversity affirming therapy.

Part 2 helps you by putting theory into practice through a 4 step reflection framework to effect change in your counselling practice.

If you find this resource useful, please share it with your networks!

You can find part 1 here: https://www.facebook.com/NeuroDiversityAffirmingTrainingandSupervision/posts/pfbid02D28VCbRTrTwCfm4aU67PBg759RLBPBpevAdfVzJzBM52iShd5r8qnZWaFQP8469kl