Sam and Zara’s Counselling Conversations: New Podcast

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We’re always looking for meaningful ways to support our community of practitioners. This is why we are delighted to share something new; a podcast series, Sam and Zara’s Counselling Conversations, that allows us to better understand our work with neurodivergent clients. We want to provide a space to make sense of theory, navigate good practice, share knowledge and explore dilemmas.

 

The podcasts will be hosted by owner and course facilitator, Samantha Crapnell, alongside Zara Winstanley, who co-designed and leads the specialist CPD course Working with the Functionality of Neurodivergent Children and Young People. Sam and Zara have always engaged in peer supervision, reflecting on their work as counsellors, psychotherapists, clinical supervisors and training facilitators, to help them reflect and learn from each other’s experience.

 

“This podcast isn’t just about our professional insight; it provides a personal analysis from our own lived experiences. Both Zara and I bring our own understanding of what it means to be neurodivergent in the world, in relationships, and in practice. This dual perspective allows us to speak not only as therapists working with neurodivergent clients, but also as people with our own neurodivergent identities. We know first-hand the challenges that can arise, and we approach these conversations with honesty, empathy and a strong belief in the value of authenticity,” says Sam.

 

Both Sam and Zara are facilitators on the Working within the Functionality of Neurodivergent Children and Young People CPD, meaning their practice centres around working with neurodivergent clients, clients on the pathway to getting a diagnosis or clients questioning why they find aspects of their life challenging. The podcast invites people into Sam and Zara’s ongoing conversations about how they respond to this work with care, curiosity and integrity.

 

These short 30 minuet recordings offer a glimpse into their peer supervisions, where practitioners can listen in on the questions they ask, the knowledge they share, and the moments where they pause and reflect.

 

Zara shares, “We want to be able to offer a view of how we think, feel and grow as practitioners. These podcasts will be conversations that help us deepen both mine and Sam’s understanding, as well as other practitioners. Each episode is based on our real-world experiences and the situations we encounter in practice. We reflect on how theoretical ideas and training models show up in our rooms, and where they don’t. We’re constantly asking ourselves what feels relevant, what needs rethinking, and how we can best support those we work with.”

 

The first episode of Sam and Zara’s Counselling Conversations is now live, and we’ll be releasing new episodes regularly. If you would like to listen in and be part of this ongoing conversation, subscribe here. And if this prompts your own questions or thoughts, we would love to hear from you at info@training-for-counsellors.co.uk