A safe space to drop the mask and simply be yourself.
If you’re autistic, have ADHD, are AuDHD, or are questioning whether you may be neurodivergent, you may have spent a long time trying to fit into a world that doesn’t always feel designed for you.
Masking, feeling different or constantly adapting to other people’s expectations can be exhausting and can contribute to anxiety, burnout, low self-esteem and feeling disconnected from yourself.
You don’t need to have a formal diagnosis to explore these experiences in counselling. I offer a neurodivergent-affirming, trauma-informed space where you can be yourself without having to perform, explain or fit into expectations.
Why Neurodivergent-Affirming Counselling?
I have my own experience of being late-diagnosed autistic and understand some of the questions that can come with discovering your neurodivergence later in life.
Alongside my lived experience, I bring almost 20 years of professional experience in social work, including front-line mental health services, as well as my counselling training and clinical experience.
I recognise that every neurodivergent person’s experience is different. My role isn’t to tell you how you should experience your neurodivergence, but to listen, understand and work with you to find what feels helpful.
What We Can Explore Together
Counselling can provide space to explore areas such as:
- Late diagnosis or questioning — making sense of your experiences and understanding yourself through a new lens
- Masking — exploring what masking looks like for you and what it might mean to feel more comfortable being yourself
- Burnout and overwhelm — recognising your needs and finding ways to manage exhaustion and overload
- Anxiety and self-esteem — understanding the impact of feeling different, misunderstood or like you are never quite enough
- Relationships and communication — exploring boundaries, communication and relationship patterns
- Identity and self-understanding — making sense of who you are beyond the expectations you’ve experienced
- Emotional regulation — developing ways of managing difficult emotions that work for you
What to Expect in a Session:
There is no single way that a counselling session has to look.
You don’t need to maintain eye contact, sit completely still or communicate in a particular way. If you need to move, stim, use sensory aids or look away while talking, that’s okay.
We can also adapt the pace and style of sessions around your needs. If finding the right words is difficult, we can take our time.
Most importantly, you don’t have to mask in the counselling room.
A Space Where You Can be Yourself
You may have spent years being told — directly or indirectly — that you are too sensitive, too emotional, too quiet, too much, or somehow not quite getting things right.
Counselling can offer a different experience.
A space where you can explore your experiences without judgement, understand yourself with greater compassion and begin to work out what you need — rather than constantly trying to be who others expect you to be.
Ready to Connect
You don’t need to know exactly what you need before getting in touch.
If you’d like to talk about whether neurodivergent-affirming counselling could be helpful for you, you’re welcome to arrange a free 15-minute consultation.
You can email, call or text me — whatever feels safest and most comfortable for you.
- Email: gail@igotu-therapy.co.uk
- Call or text: 07303124675
If you are contacting me about domestic abuse or coercive control, please let me know whether it is safe for me to reply by email or text, or whether you would prefer me to call you.
I Got U Therapy
1 Old Cultra Road, Holywood, Co Down, BT18 0AE
gail@igotu-therapy.co.uk
07303124675
Compassionate Counselling for Adults | Holywood & Online Across Northern Ireland
