Counsellors and psychotherapists will inevitably work with autistic clients, whether they are aware of their neurodivergence or not; as mental health conditions within the autistic population are significantly higher than in the neurotypical population. This presentation seeks to offer therapists an understanding of an autistic client's needs in therapy, and how those needs might be met.
Neville is a counsellor and supervisor in Shropshire, and is the only neurotypical member of our family.
And Karen, who was diagnosed as being autistic at the age of 50, will provide an insight into the lived experience of being autistic.
Learning Objective Participants Can Expect From This Event
- Hopefully attendees will have a better understanding of autism.
- Having a greater confidence of working with autistic clients.
- Be more confident in exploring with a client whether they may be autistic.
Who is This Workshop Appropriate For?
- Counsellors, psychotherapists, and other mental health professionals.
Course Content
Presenter
Karen was given a diagnosis of autism 6 years ago. Originally she wasn’t going to seek a formal diagnosis as she had identified with a lot of what she had heard when our children were going through their diagnoses. However she ultimately went through the process after our son asked her to because he wanted to know where it came from.
Karen is an accountant by profession but, in Neville’s opinion, is the most important person at our presentation as she provides a lived experience of being autistic.
Since her diagnosis, Karen has set up a late diagnosis ‘coffee and catch up’ group with other women who have also received neurodiversity diagnoses in adulthood.
I qualified as a counsellor at the University of Chester in 2010. And I subsequently returned there to complete an MSc in Psychological Trauma.
My interest in researching, and reading papers and books about Autism developed when both our children were given a diagnosis of the condition. This led me to write an article (‘Living with Autism’) for the BACP’s private practice journal in 2019.
During the ensuing Covid years I completed a National Autistic Society endorsed PG Cert in Autism at Sheffield Hallam University. Consequently I put together the presentation ‘Understanding and Serving the needs of Autistic clients’ which we have been delivering to trainee counsellors at a local college since 2021.
The presentation is regularly tweaked and updated and is only ‘good to go’ when our children and Karen have given it the thumbs up.
