Some people want to know what we’ll talk about before we begin. Others need time to think before answering, or find it easier to talk while moving around. Some aren’t sure what would help, especially after years of getting through appointments by doing what they thought was expected of them. That’s fine. We’ll work it out together.
Neurodiversity-affirming counselling treats autistic and ADHD ways of thinking as differences, not problems to fix. It starts with understanding how you experience everyday life. If you’re autistic or have ADHD, or think you might be, we’ll ask what you’d like us to understand about how you communicate, what takes a lot of effort and where you’d like support.
Two people with the same diagnosis can want very different things from counselling. We don’t assume we know which kind of person you are.
We ask how you prefer to communicate
Some people like a direct question. Others find it easier to start with something they’ve written down. We might ask, “Would it help if I asked one question at a time?” or “Would you like me to explain what I mean by that?”
If you need a pause to think, we’ll give you the time. If you bring notes, you can read from them or show us the part you’d like to talk about. You can look away while you think, or tell us you’d like to come back to a question later. Whatever your usual way of communicating is, you’re welcome to use it, and we’ll adjust to it.
We make room for movement and breaks
Halfway through a conversation, concentrating can get harder. You might want to stand up, stretch, use a fidget or take a quiet break. If moving helps you think, we can keep talking while you move. If you’d prefer a pause, we’ll come back to it when you’re ready.
You can also tell us when something about the appointment is making it harder to take part, such as the lighting, the pace of the conversation or being asked too many questions at once. Then we can work out together what to change.
We work on what matters to you
Picture coming home from work so drained that deciding what to cook, or answering a simple question, feels like too much. We could look at what you’ve had to manage throughout the day and what happens in that first half-hour at home. You might decide to have some quiet time before talking about dinner, or practise explaining to the people you live with why that time matters. Sometimes the answer is changing what’s expected of you, not changing you.
For someone else, the priority could be asking for clearer instructions at work, talking through a difficult relationship, or making sense of a recent diagnosis or a late realisation about themselves.
We might ask, “If one part of your week felt a little easier, what would you want it to be?” Your answer gives us somewhere to start.
Taking the first step
If you’re wondering whether Looking Up might suit you, you can start with a free 15-minute phone call. Ask how we work, tell us what would make an appointment easier, or simply say, “I’m interested in counselling and I’m unsure where to begin.”
Book a free 15-minute introductory call
