Autism Therapy
When you're fluent in a language that isn't yours
You've learned to read social cues like studying a foreign language. Eye contact, small talk, knowing when to laugh - none of it comes naturally, but you've worked out the rules. People think you're fine. They don't see the effort it takes just to be in a room with them.
Maybe you were diagnosed as a child. Maybe you've only just realised as an adult why you've always felt like an outsider in your own life. Either way, you're tired. Tired of translating yourself. Tired of pretending the world makes sense when it doesn't.
Most therapy for autistic people focuses on making you more neurotypical: better social skills, managing sensory issues, fitting in. As if the problem is you rather than a world that wasn't designed with you in mind.
But you don't need to learn to mask better. You're probably already exhausted from masking. What you need is space to understand what it's cost you - psychologically, emotionally - to spend your life translating yourself into a language that doesn't fit.
I can't diagnose autism - I'm not qualified to. If you need an assessment, I can point you towards appropriate services. But if you already know or strongly suspect you're autistic, we can work together on what that means for you.
This work isn't about teaching you to be less autistic. It's about understanding the psychological impact of growing up different in a world that pathologises difference. The shame that came from being "weird." The isolation of never quite connecting. The anger at having to work so hard at things others take for granted.
It's also about separating what's autism from what's trauma from living as an autistic person. The social anxiety might be about genuine difficulty reading social cues. Or it might be about years of being rejected for getting it wrong. Probably both.
And the emotional overwhelm that comes with it. The meltdowns when everything becomes too much - too loud, too bright, too many demands. The shutdowns where you go blank and can't access language. The alexithymia where you know something's wrong but can't name what you're feeling. You've probably been told you're "overreacting" or "difficult," when really your nervous system is doing exactly what it's wired to do in response to overwhelm.
We meet weekly or twice-weekly and work with what you're actually struggling with. The relationships that keep failing in ways you don't understand. The work situations where unwritten rules trip you up. The chronic exhaustion of constant performance.
I won't expect you to make eye contact if it's uncomfortable. You can stim if you need to. You can say when the lights are too bright or I'm speaking too fast. This is one space where you don't have to pretend to be neurotypical.
We'll pay attention to what masking has cost you. The versions of yourself you've suppressed to be acceptable. The interests you've hidden because they're "too much." The energy it takes to constantly monitor and adjust yourself.
The work is about reclaiming what's actually yours underneath all the adaptation. About grieving what you've had to give up. About finding ways to live that work with your neurology rather than constantly fighting it.
This isn't quick work. Years of masking don't dissolve in a few sessions. But over time, you might find yourself less exhausted, less angry, less apologetic for taking up space in a body and brain that work differently.
£70
Note: I can't provide ADHD or autism assessments - I'm not qualified to diagnose. If you need a formal assessment, I can point you towards appropriate services. But if you already know or strongly suspect you're neurodivergent, we can work together on what that means for you.