ABOUT

Who am I? That's a big question. Here are some nuggets...

I'm Clare Dudeney. I'm a Humanistic Therapeutic Counsellor. I'm autistic, ADHD and dyspraxic. As 'The Humanistic Autistic', I'm here to navigate wellbeing from both a personal and professional perspective through a neurodivergent lens.

I have more than 15 years experience working as a therapist. For the past few years I have honed my expertise around therapy work with neurodivergent clients. Not all of my clients are neurodivergent though. The kind of clients who are drawn to work with me are often deep thinkers and this is perhaps the main commonality in my client group.

I'm a self-titled 'Neuro-Nerd'. This means that neurodivergent wellbeing is one of my favourite topics both personally and professionally. You can expect to find sprinklings of ideas and info on research on this here. I have a particular interest in the psychology of movement and how movement can impact our neurodivergent wellbeing positively.

I'm a Humanistic Counsellor, Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapist and Movement in Practice Faciliator. Neuro-affirmative practice runs through all of my work.

I'm a student of Positive Psychology and this informs much of my work, and indeed my own wellbeing. I'll be sharing thoughts and ideas around Positive Psychology in relation to wellbeing and neurodivergence here.

I was diagnosed in adulthood Autistic and ADHD. I feel strongly about neuro-affirmative therapy, and access to pre and post diagnosis support and information. In my work I'm part of a growing movement towards this.

The online neurodivergent community was a haven for me when I was exploring my own diagnoses. By talking about the things that I've learned through my own process, but professionally too, I hope to give back to the community that held me so safely.

So, whether you're wondering if you might be neurodivergent, on a journey to diagnosis, or you're just curious, please join me. This space will not be exclusive. If you're not neurodivergent, but are interested in wellbeing, well, you might still pick up some useful tips here. As neurodivergent people we often have to be creative and prioritise our wellbeing in order to build and maintain a personal sense of thrive, not just survive, and so you could say for some of us, the topic of wellbeing is an area of expertise which all neurotypes could find beneficial to delve into.

If you're interested in working with me, please see my Counselling Directory profile here.

Disclaimer: Please be aware that when I speak from personal experience, it's just that - MY experience. We are all unique, neurology aside, in how we are in the world. I am aware that my voice comes from a place of safety, personal understanding and knowledge, and a degree of privilege in how I can adjust my environments at this point in my life to suit my needs. I am not speaking on behalf of all neurodivergent people.