FAQ
Sadly no, in Ireland I would need a doctorate. However the Adult Autism Practice and ADHD Ireland are excellent resources for diagnostics. What I can be helpful for is making sense of your confirmed or suspected diagnosis.
In short, yes. Working out feelings, context, reasoning, and stories can be one way that neuroaffirming therapy is helpful.
In my experience neurodivergent people, and autistic people in particular, tend to find it refreshing and safe. There is a lot less explaining that needs to happen, which can free you up to focus on the reasons you came to therapy in the first place.
That’s my hope, but I understand the skepticism. I’m a white person raised in a white supremacist society so I’ll likely always be actively unlearning the racism that was planted within all of us. Also, western psychology has its origins in institutional oppression of targeted groups, and we live under capitalism, so decolonising therapy will always be tricky work. However my resolve is to approach these issues consciously in my practice and work to deconstruct oppressive paradigms while I continue to educate and rehabilitate myself.
One way I do this is by bringing the systemic view into the therapy room. An individualist view of mental health will not liberate us. Audre Lorde said that self-care is a radical act of political warfare. We’re not (just) talking bath bombs and self-indulgence – therapy becomes a tool to sharpen ourselves in the context of the global struggle for justice while we soften ourselves for peacetime and learning to be in community.
On “getting it wrong”, I am definitely open to learning from clients on race, but I try to do enough self-education to allow clients to keep “teaching moments” to a minimum.
Some BIPOC feel they will never find the understanding they need from a white woman therapist, and that is totally fair. If based in Ireland I recommend https://www.blacktherapistsireland.ie/.
US-based searchers might check out the National Association of Black Counselors. https://www.nabcounselors.org/Find-A-Counselora
I’m currently researching suggestions for Southwest/South/Southeast Asian culturally attuned practices. Please contact me on the form if you can personally recommend any.
I was supporting primarily trans youth at the Trevor Project for the year I volunteered in their crisis lines. Your experience will be believed and your name and pronouns will be honoured. I’ve gotten feedback that my views are in solidarity with the trans community and that my trans clients have felt supported and taken care of, though I’ll never be perfect.
I believe gender is a social construct, sex is nonbinary, and gender-affirming healthcare is a human right. I support young people’s right to puberty blockers and other life-saving care.
There is a meaningful intersection between gender diversity and neurodiversity. This is something that I’m happy to discuss in therapy.
What I don’t have is lived experience of transitioning – TENI may be a good resource if that’s what you need in a therapist, though that’s probably not new to you. Violet Psychology also has trans, neuroaffirming therapists. www.violetpsychology.com
In short, I’m quite comfortable to work with you, it’s about what you are up for trying.
I do have limited space for lower-cost sessions and unfortunately those slots are currently full.
VHI and Irish Life will accept receipts from me for reimbursement. Laya will not, sadly.
It is typically an informal conversation where we talk about the things you find interesting and important. The idea behind the humanistic method, which I practice, is that your key problems (and answers) will start to reveal themselves in therapy in time, provided the correct trust and rapport exists between us. My role then is to reflect back what you are saying, ask questions, sometimes provide feedback (especially when providing context about neurodivergence), and overall facilitate a space where you can tease out solutions or simply be as you are. This is one reason the humanistic method is usually more effective over long periods of time — its specialty is lasting growth arcs.
I try not to have a complex intake process or give you homework.
