Hoyte Counselling & Wellbeing

22/11/2025

22/11/2025

✨ I’m so excited to be teaching this workshop on Tuesday with Chris Hoyte! ✨

We had such an incredible response after our first workshop, and we’re really looking forward to seeing everyone again.

Tuesday is Workshop 2 in our series of five workshops for counsellors — and thanks to the amazing feedback we’ve received so far, we’re thrilled to announce that we’re adding two brand-new workshops, expanding the series to seven!

Our new workshop titles are:

🆕 Workshop 6: Understanding ADHD, Autism & AuDHD — Statistics, Differences and Overlaps

🆕 Workshop 7: Foundations of Neurodivergence — Key Concepts for Counsellors

These additions are a direct result of the thoughtful feedback from counsellors who attended our previous workshops.

Thank you — your voices genuinely shape this training series. 💛

We’ll be rolling out dates for these new workshops early next year, alongside repeating all existing workshops in person and launching online versions so we can reach even more people.

If you’re interested in joining any of our Counsellor Training Series workshops, feel free to contact me directly or visit my website:

🌐 www.helenhoyte.co.uk

We can’t wait to continue this journey with you. 💫

20/11/2025

So, if you have not had a chance to read it here is what you need to know:

On the plus side...

*The task force acknowledge that individuals with ADHD can thrive
With appropriate support and treatment,

*There is evidence that our lived experiences are being heard

*Change to transform our experience of assessment and treatment has been recommended

The task force accepts that:

*ADHD is under-recognised, under-diagnosed and under-treated in England

*The monetary cost to our economy is a wapping £17 BILLION annually

*The social and emotional cost to individuals and their families can be devastating

*Wait times are excessive, too often reaching years in some areas

*NHS Services are not even close to meeting demand

To address this the report calls for urgent transformation across health, education, employment and justice systems.

There are 27 recommendations total. Here are the game-changers:

WAIT TIMES:

ADHD wait times should have the same standards as physical health conditions

Real-time monitoring of waits needed

EARLY SUPPORT:

Schools must expand support for ADHD/neurodivergence
Help shouldn't require a diagnosis first
Support should be needs-led

PRIMARY CARE:

GPs need core training in recognising ADHD
More ADHD care should happen in community settings

QUALITY STANDARDS:

All ADHD providers must meet quality standards
Better regulation needed

ENDING SILOS:

Mental health and neurodevelopmental services should integrate
Support should cross between education, health, employment

The report emphasises: "Inaction is not an option."

HERES HOPING, RIGHT!

19/11/2025

Scientists found a shared brain pattern that may link autism and ADHD

Researchers are discovering something surprising. Autism and ADHD, two conditions that look very different on the surface, may share the same underlying brain signature. And once you understand what this signature is, the overlap makes a lot more sense.

The new research points to how certain brain networks communicate. In both autism and ADHD, scientists found differences in the way attention, social processing, and emotional regulation circuits connect and talk to each other. It is not that these networks are broken. They are simply wired in a unique rhythm that changes how a person experiences the world.

Think of the brain like a city at night. Most people have traffic lights and intersections that follow the same timing. But in autism and ADHD, some of those lights switch faster or slower. Some roads are more active while others stay quiet. This creates patterns that can lead to deep focus, creativity, sensory sensitivity, faster thinking, or difficulty shifting attention.

What matters here is the bigger picture. These conditions are not opposites. They share roots in the brain’s wiring and communication style. That is why many people have traits of both. And it is why treatments and support that work for one often help the other.

Here is the human takeaway. Neurodiversity is not a flaw. It is a spectrum of wiring styles that shape how someone pays attention, understands the world, and expresses who they are. The more we uncover about the brain, the more we realize that difference does not mean disorder. It means variation.

And variation is part of what makes the human mind extraordinary.

12/11/2025

Feeling emotionally flat doesn’t always mean you’re depressed.
Sometimes it means your nervous system is protecting you from overload.

It’s your body saying, “I’ve been coping for too long — I need quiet.”

Healing begins with gentleness, not pressure.

Here are 3 small ways to start reconnecting:

🌱 Notice one thing that reaches you — a sound, a colour, a texture.
🪞 Name one thing that gives you a flicker of steadiness or interest.
🚶‍♀️ Move — gently. Emotion often follows motion.

Over time, these small, sensory moments begin to thaw the freeze.

If this resonates, save it as a reminder that numbness isn’t failure — it’s a sign of a body that’s been trying its best to survive. 💛

09/11/2025

So many of my clients come to therapy feeling deeply frustrated and confused.

They know they’re intelligent, capable, creative — yet they find it so hard to function in the day-to-day.

They struggle with relationships, with work, with focus and motivation. They try harder than anyone around them, and still feel like they’re falling behind.

It’s heartbreaking — because they know they’re capable of so much more, and that gap between what they can imagine and what they can do becomes painful.

ADHD and neurodivergence can make this gap even wider. It’s not laziness or lack of willpower — it’s a real, biological difference in how the brain processes motivation, focus, and emotional regulation.

In my counselling and coaching work, I help people:
🌱 Understand why they feel this way — separating their sense of self from the symptoms.
🧭 Build self-compassion and learn to work with their brains instead of against them.
🧰 Create realistic strategies for daily life — routines, boundaries, and emotional regulation tools that actually fit who they are.

Healing often begins when we stop blaming ourselves and start understanding ourselves.

If this feels familiar, you’re not alone — and there is a way through.

Resources and tools in comments

04/11/2025

✨ Workshop 2: Understanding ADHD – Impact on Daily Life, Executive Function & Coping Strategies
📅 Tuesday 25th November | 9:30am – 5:00pm

This full-day interactive workshop is designed for counsellors and trainee counsellors who want to deepen their understanding of ADHD and learn how to support clients with lived experience in meaningful, practical ways.

We’ll explore:
🧠 How ADHD affects daily life, relationships, and emotional regulation
💡 The role of executive function and what it means when it’s impaired
🤝 How to integrate theory, psychoeducation, and lived experience in the therapy room
🛠️ Practical strategies and tools you can use with clients
💬 Real-life insight, discussion, and demonstration — led by Helen & Chris Hoyte, both bringing professional expertise and lived experience

If you’ve ever found yourself wondering, “How can I best support clients with ADHD?” — this workshop is for you.

Spaces are limited – book your place now to join us!
👉 email Helen hoytehelen@gmail.com for a booking form

31/10/2025

A dyslexia fact sheet. Thanks to Understood for this graphic. www.DyslexiaConnect.com

31/10/2025

Ever feel like you’re performing just to get through the day?

For neurodivergent individuals, masking can feel like a necessary survival strategy. It’s not about being “difficult” or “shy.” It’s your brain trying to navigate environments that aren’t built for you.

Some common masking behaviors include:
🎈 Mimicking social behaviors
🎈 Overthinking every interaction
🎈 Forcing eye contact
🎈 Hiding struggles or needs
🎈 Suppressing stims or movements
🎈 Avoiding topics of personal interest
🎈 Always arriving early
🎈 Constantly monitoring speech
🎈 Overworking and overachieving
🎈 Suppressing anxiety
🎈 Over-apologizing frequently
🎈 Rehearsing what to say before speaking

These patterns can be exhausting and take a toll on mental health, self-esteem, and energy. Masking helps you cope in the moment, but can leave you feeling disconnected from yourself.

At Blue Sky Learning, our neurodiversity-affirming therapists and coaches help you recognize masking, honour your authentic self, and develop strategies to navigate social situations without losing your energy or identity.

Together, we can shift from “I have to hide who I am” to “How can I show up authentically and still feel safe?”

Book a free 20-minute consult at www.blueskylearning.ca or email hello@blueskylearning.ca

We also offer consulting for inclusive workplaces and schools: www.blueskylearning.ca/consultants