ND in Practice: Working with Children

Service Description

ND in Practice: Working with Children For qualified and trainee counsellors What happens when we stop learning about neurodivergence for a moment, and start thinking about practice? This two-hour online CPD is a little different. Rather than teaching you about autism and ADHD through presentations and slides, we'll introduce you to Kai, a composite case study of a neurodivergent child referred for therapeutic support. You'll meet Kai through their referral and then, much as we do in real practice, find out more as the work unfolds. Together, we'll consider what you're noticing. What are you making sense of – and what might you be missing? What assumptions are being made about Kai? What might look different through a neurodivergent-affirming lens? And what does that ask of us as practitioners? Through facilitated discussion and reflective practice, we'll explore: • assessment and outcome measures • behaviour, communication and regulation • predictability, environment and sensory experience • the therapeutic relationship • parents, schools and wider systems • collaboration and anti-oppressive practice • our own responses, assumptions and expectations There won't always be a neat answer. That's part of the point. This is case-based learning with some of the qualities of a reflective practice or supervision conversation. We'll bring relevant theory, ethics and neurodivergent-affirming practice into the discussion as the case calls for it, rather than beginning with theory and trying to apply it afterwards. By the end of the session, you'll have practised how to: • look beyond presenting behaviour and become curious about what may be happening underneath • notice where neurotypical expectations may be shaping assessment, formulation or the therapeutic process • consider sensory, environmental, relational and systemic influences • recognise where your own responses and assumptions may be entering the work • identify practical adaptations that could make therapeutic work more accessible and collaborative • take a more neurodivergent-affirming lens back into your own practice This isn't an introduction to autism or ADHD, and you don't need to be a specialist in neurodivergence. The aim isn't to leave knowing more facts about neurodivergence. It's to leave better able to think about what you're seeing, hearing and experiencing in the room – and what you might do differently as a result. Come ready to meet Kai. Online | 2 hours | Live and interactive