Working with neurodivergent clients is an area I care deeply about, both personally and professionally. I am particularly interested in how psychotherapy can become a space where neurodivergent ways of communicating, relating, feeling and making sense of the world are genuinely understood and respected, rather than unintentionally measured against neurotypical expectations.

I recently published a research proposal in the European Journal of Psychotherapy & Counselling exploring this question. The research invites therapists to reflect on the assumptions we may bring into the therapy room, particularly around what emotional expression, connection and communication are supposed to look like, and how these assumptions can sometimes lead to neurodivergent clients being misunderstood. 

At the heart of the research is the idea of epistemic justice. Put simply, this is about recognising people as credible knowers of their own experience. In therapy, that means being willing to listen when someone tells us what their inner world is like, even when the way they experience or express it is different from what we expect. My hope is that this kind of reflection can help create therapeutic relationships in which neurodivergent people have more freedom to be understood on their own terms, rather than having to adapt or mask in order to be recognised. The research draws particularly on experiences of misinterpretation and relational harm reported by neurodivergent people in therapy. 

I have made the Accepted Manuscript available below for anyone who would like to read more.