Navigating Neurodiversity
A 90-minute, pay-what-you-want session to explore labels, diagnosis and how they might affect you
Session Purpose
"I've spent decades wondering why things felt different, and years more recently thinking about finding out if I'm neurodiverse. Talking to Matthew was truly liberating and has started a process that I'm looking forward to exploring.
A lot of things are starting to make more sense to me and I'd thoroughly recommend booking a session with him." - Adam, professional photographer.
Is there some aspect of your life that feels like an itch you just can’t scratch, but only distract yourself from? Do you wonder if that might be related to neurodiversity; to dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD, autism, Tourette Syndrome, or something similar?
It’s easy to fall through the cracks of the system and not have your neurodiversity spotted. This is doubly true if you don’t fit the usual stereotype of a neurodivergent person; for example, you’re female, intellectually or creatively gifted, from a minority ethnic or cultural background. It can be incredibly difficult to know how your experiences relate to those of others around you, particularly with “atypical” aspects of conditions which often get overlooked. It can lead to us feeling like we’re somehow too much and not enough at the same time.
In our time together we will explore how the ideas of neurodiversity and neurodivergent conditions might help you. It’s a space to talk about the practical, the personal, and the inter-personal, and their contradictions. A kind, non-judgemental space where you don’t have to moderate, hold back on the ideas, or be different to who you are. A place where you can see if there’s a different, easier, more alive way to be your wonderful self, and to do things your own way.
This session is for people who have a sense that they experience the world differently and more intensely than most others. It’s for those who have been dabbling with looking for a diagnosis of a neurodivergent condition, and those who have had one in the last few years. It’s also for people whose partner, kids, or friends have had a diagnosis recently and are starting to wonder about their own experiences. Ultimately, it’s about making sure you feel confident in getting the help and support you need, formally and informally, and whether that involves a diagnosis or not.
Even when life feels like a daily fight just to stay OK, you might have reached out for help and not got what you needed. You might have been ignored, fobbed-off, or given “help” you couldn’t follow or that made things worse. These difficulties and unmet needs can often leave us feeling foolish and shameful, to the extent that we might believe that no-one else can help us.
Whilst it’s often a revelation, diagnosis is usually the first step of a longer journey. Knowing what to do with this news as an adult, and how to integrate it with everything else you already are, can feel like an impossible challenge. Diagnosis itself can be an answer which raises many more questions, many of which seem to have contradictory answers. The good news here is that each step you take forward gives you more knowledge and resources, making each following step easier.
If you are looking for ways to support a neurodivergent person in your life, personally or professionally, rather than yourself, then please take a look at my Supporting Neurodiversity sessions.
Format
You will get 90 minutes of time dedicated to exploring whatever aspects of neurodiversity are most important to you. The exact format of a session is up to you, though here are some questions you might want to explore with me:
- What do I, and what don’t I, need a diagnosis for, and how do I go about getting one?
- What can I expect after a diagnosis, and how can it help?
- What non-medical ways of working with these aspects of ourselves are available, and do they work?
- Are there ways of understanding my experiences as something other than a deficit, or a problem to be fixed?
- How do I get the most out of the diagnostic process (whilst not getting overwhelmed)?
- Does a diagnosis have implications for my work or personal relationships?
- Is a particular experience or problem in my life potentially related to neurodiversity?
- What alternative ways of understanding my experiences are available, and might they help?
- Are there any conditions which I might want to investigate further?
- How can I make things better without doing more of the stuff that exhausts me?
- How do I tell my boss/family/whoever about my experiences and my condition?
- Does everyone feel this way?
You are free to choose one of these, a variation, or any combination you like! Each session stands alone, though you may find it helpful to consider multiple sessions if you are struggling to fit all you want into a single one.
After the session I will give you a written summary of what we’ve discussed, and links to further resources if appropriate. I’ll give you all I can to feel clear and confident in taking the next steps in your exploration, whatever those may be.
Why work with me?
I was diagnosed with dyslexia at the age of six. It definitely made sense, though I began to have a few doubts when I did the final-year project of my psychology degree on the experience of dyslexics in work and education. I realised dyslexia wasn’t the whole picture..
My curiosity kicked in, and I began researching and speaking to everyone I could about their experiences and their conditions. At the age of 39 I had an ADHD diagnosis, then an autism diagnosis three years later. Which, in hindsight, explains the intensive research and exploration!
The most revelatory thing about this whole process has not been finding out how I work. In my 40s, and having done a fair bit of personal development work, I was already pretty clear on that. What’s different is now I understand most other people do not experience the world the same way I - and some other neurodivergent people - do. And I want to share that understanding with you.
I now work with and for neurodivergent people, bringing together my previous personal and professional experiences. My focus is on enabling exceptional neurodivergent talents and abilities by providing opportunities to develop with appropriate support and care. I talk and write on the benefits we offer to businesses and to wider society, as well as the issues we face. I also run regular community events for neurodivergent people exploring how they can make the world a better place, for them and everyone else.
I’m not a psychotherapist, counsellor, or psychiatrist; though if you wonder what the differences between those are, and why you might want to see one or the other, I can tell you! I won’t give you a diagnosis, though I can help you understand the value of getting one, and feel confident about seeking one (or not). I can give you the space to explore things from an angle you might not have considered before, with someone who understands, and who shares many of those experiences themselves. You’re not alone in all this.
Booking, payment and pricing
This is a pay-what-you-want session. At time of booking, share your chosen price for the work. You will be invoiced after the session for that amount. Additionally, all work is covered by a money-back guarantee if you are unsatisfied with its quality.
You can use the guidance below to help you decide what you would like to pay.
The average price for a session is £150, and people usually choose to pay within £75 either way of that price.
Factors which may increase what you want to pay:
- The work you need is highly specialised and very few other people can help.
- You have a secure income and/or earn above £50,000 a year or equivalent.
- You live in a wealthier country than the UK.
- You want to support access to this and other services for those with less income.
- The main organisation you work for is solely or predominantly private-profit making (e.g. a limited company or a PLC).
Factors which may reduce what you want to pay:
- The work needed is not highly specialised or particularly difficult.
- You have a precarious income, and/or earn less than £50,000 a year or equivalent.
- You are a member of multiple marginalised groups.
- You live in a less wealthy country than the UK.
- The main organisation you work for is solely or predominantly for community benefit (e.g. a charity or social enterprise).
- This is one of a group of sessions you’ve had with me.
You can book a session with me online. After that I will be in touch to confirm the booking and answer any more questions you might have.
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