Unlocking Potential: How the Personal Consultancy Approach Empowers Neurodivergent Individuals

Hi, I’m Jules and those of you who follow my organisation Diverse Thinkers, will know that while navigating leadership roles in brand film production and responsible business, I was also juggling being a Mum to two autistic young people. This was coupled with a realisation that I’m also neurodivergent, fitting most of the criteria for Dyspraxia, a condition affecting coordination and spatial awareness, that I share with my son. One of the ways that I coped with this was to begin a journey to find out more. I worked first on a crisis helpline for young people in a bid to understand some of the issues my own family were going through, and eventually retrained in Personal Consultancy. This is an approach to psychotherapy that integrates elements of more traditional counselling, along with coaching to look at setting goals and focussing on solutions.

Personal Consultancy itself wasn’t specifically designed for neurodivergent individuals. The idea behind it was that it would bridge a gap. It could be helpful for people who go for coaching, perhaps because they don’t like or associate with the mental health connotations of counselling or psychotherapy but would actually need to explore more in-depth issues based on their past experiences. Likewise some of those going for counselling might also want to look at solutions or goal setting, alongside a more psychodynamic or person centred approach.

In my academic research into counselling and coaching for neurodivergent individuals I’ve found that numerous studies have shown that any approach is only effective if it is neurodiversity informed. In other words the practitioner has a deep understanding of the condition that their client presents with. Many of the individuals I’ve spoken to, both in my practice and in the academic study I’m currently running, have told me that the ability to understand what being autistic or an ADHDer, dyslexic or dyspraxic means and to advocate for themselves have been one of the most beneficial outcomes of therapy for them. And while every neurodivergent person is different, some of the barriers to social communication can mean that the type of therapy that requires the therapist to be a blank screen, with prolonged silences while they wait for the client to talk, can be particularly uncomfortable.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) which uses tasks and goal setting, was once considered the ultimate approach for autistic people but more recent research has shown that unless this is adapted for them it can be ineffective. For example the idea of homework can be so off putting that clients won’t return for another session.

Personal Consultancy is a fluid framework for therapy that allows the therapist to work with the client at their own pace, moving between in-depth work and what’s going on at the surface level. It also allows for movement between being with the client, getting to know and understand what’s going on for them, along with doing with, so actively working with them and drawing on techniques that work best for them. This might mean different things with different clients, from practising conversations to brainstorming ideas around communication, to working out their values and goals. It might also mean using more traditional techniques to simply listen or help reach new insights based on their experiences.

Get in touch if you’d like to find out more about how this approach can be tailored for your needs and how we can work together.

Some further reading that has shaped this blog and my research:

Bölte, S. (2021). “We believe in good jobs, fair jobs, dignifying jobs that give you a good sense of identity”: Career and job guidance counseling in autism. Autism, 25(4), 857–861. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361321990325

Bowers, C., & Widdowson, M. (2023). Transactional analysis psychotherapy with clients who are neurodivergent: Experiences and practice recommendations. International Journal of Transactional Analysis Research & Practice, 32–54. https://doi.org/10.29044/v14i1p32

Di Francesco, C., Murahara, F., Martin, V., Flanagan, T., & Nadig, A. (2021). The value of employment support services for adults on the autism spectrum and/or with intellectual disabilities: Employee, employer, and job coach perspectives. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 55(3), 283–296. https://doi.org/10.3233/JVR-211163

Dipeolu, A. O., Storlie, C., & Johnson, C. (2015). College students with high‐functioning autism spectrum disorder: Best practices for successful transition to the world of work. Journal of College Counseling, 18(2), 175–190. https://doi.org/10.1002/jocc.12013

Doyle, N. (2020). Neurodiversity at work: A biopsychosocial model and the impact on working adults. British Medical Bulletin. https://doi.org/10.1093/bmb/ldaa021

Doyle, N. E., & McDowall, A. (2019). Context matters: A review to formulate a conceptual framework for coaching as a disability accommodation. PLOS ONE, 14(8), e0199408. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0199408

Autism spectrum disorder in adults: Diagnosis and management | Guidance | NICE. (2021, June 14). National Institute for Healthcare and Excellence. https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg142/resources/autism-spectrum-disorder-in-adults-diagnosis-and-management-pdf-35109567475909

Johnson, T. D., & Joshi, A. (2016). Dark clouds or silver linings? A stigma threat perspective on the implications of an autism diagnosis for workplace well-being. Journal of Applied Psychology, 101(3), 430–449. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000058

Klugg, R. (2023, October). Autism at work. BACP Workplace, October 23. https://www.bacp.co.uk/bacp-journals/bacp-workplace/october-2023/autism-at-work/

Lindsay, S., Osten, V., Rezai, M., & Bui, S. (2021). Disclosure and workplace accommodations for people with autism: A systematic review. Disability and Rehabilitation, 43(5), 597–610. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2019.1635658

Martin, V., Flanagan, T. D., Vogus, T. J., & Chênevert, D. (2023). Sustainable employment depends on quality relationships between supervisors and their employees on the autism spectrum. Disability and Rehabilitation, 45(11), 1784–1795. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2022.2074550

McDowall, A., Doyle, N., & Kiseleva, M. (2023). Neurodiversity at Work 2023 Demand, Supply and a Gap Analysis. Birkbeck University of London. https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/50834/

Meeting the needs of autistic adults in mental health services. (2023). NHS England. https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/meeting-the-needs-of-autistic-adults-in-mental-health-services/

Miller, T. (2017). Telling the difficult things: Creating spaces for disclosure, rapport and ‘collusion’ in qualitative interviews. Women’s Studies International Forum, 61, 81–86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wsif.2016.07.005

Murza, K. A. (2016). Vocational rehabilitation counselors’ experiences with clients diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder: Results of a national survey. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 45(3), 301–313. https://doi.org/10.3233/JVR-160831

National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health (Great Britain), National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Great Britain), British Psychological Society., & Royal College of Psychiatrists. (2021). Autism: Recognition, referral, diagnosis and management of adults on the autism spectrum. The British Psychological Society and the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

Nicholson, E. (2016). What works when counselling autistic clients? Healthcare Counselling and Psychotherapy Journal, 16(4). https://www.bacp.co.uk/bacp-journals/healthcare-counselling-and-psychotherapy-journal/october-2016/what-works-when-counselling-autistic-clients/

Petty, S., Richardson, H., Eccles, N., & Tunstall, L. (2023). Supporting autistic employees: Understanding and confidence in UK workplaces. Industry and Higher Education, 37(3), 448–454. https://doi.org/10.1177/09504222221124505

Popovic, N. (Nash), & Jinks, D. (2014). Personal consultancy: A model for integrating counselling and coaching (First Edition). Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.