What is autism?
Autism is a neurodevelopmental difference in how a person experiences, processes, and interacts with the world — including how we communicate, relate to others, process sensory information, and manage change and routine. It isn't a mental illness and isn't something to be "fixed" or "cured" — it's a fundamental part of how someone's brain works, present from birth. Autistic people are enormously varied, and there's no single "autistic profile" — but many autistic adults share experiences of masking (consciously or unconsciously hiding autistic traits to fit in), sensory sensitivities, a strong need for routine or predictability, deep and focused interests, and finding some social situations more effortful than others seem to. For many, discovering they are autistic brings a mix of relief, grief, and a need to re-understand their own history through this new lens — which is often exactly where exploratory sessions can help.
Support for Autistic young people and adults
Have you recently received an autism diagnosis, or are you starting to wonder whether autism explains experiences you've had throughout your life? Whether you're newly diagnosed, self-identifying, or have an established diagnosis without the space to properly explore what it means, I can help you make sense of it.
I also work with autistic young people and adults who are struggling with the effects of navigating a world that often isn't built with them in mind — including the impact of past distressing experiences.
Exploratory sessions
Understanding you're autistic is often just the beginning. Many people find they need space afterwards to work out what it actually means for their life, their relationships, their work, and their sense of identity.
I offer exploratory sessions, tailored to what's useful for you. Some areas people often want to explore:
Understanding your individual autistic profile and how it shows up for you specifically
Making sense of your journey to diagnosis, including any grief, relief, or confusion that comes with it
Reflecting on strengths as well as challenges
Identifying your values and non-negotiable needs
Weighing up the pros and cons of disclosing your diagnosis to others
Requesting reasonable adjustments at work or in education
Understanding and preventing autistic burnout
Building a positive, integrated sense of identity as an autistic adult
Connecting with community and further support
Autism and eating disorders
There is a well-established link between autism and eating disorders, particularly anorexia and ARFID, and increasingly research is recognising autistic traits in adults with other eating disorder presentations too. Sensory sensitivities around food, a strong need for control or predictability, difficulty reading or trusting internal hunger and fullness cues, and anxiety around social eating situations can all play a part. Many autistic adults with eating disorders have felt misunderstood by services or therapists who didn't take their neurodivergence into account, or have had their eating difficulties dismissed as "just fussy eating." As someone who specialises in both autism and eating disorders, I bring both lenses together — so if food and eating difficulties are part of your picture alongside being autistic (or vice versa), you don't need to explain this connection to me from scratch.