Counselling for Neurodivergence
Maybe the problem was never that you were “too much” or “not enough.”
Too sensitive.
Too distracted.
Too intense.
Too disorganized.
Too emotional.
Not productive enough. Not social enough. Not consistent enough.
Many neurodivergent people grow up hearing some version of these messages long before they understand that their brain and nervous system simply work differently.
Over time, it can become easy to believe that the problem is you.
I don’t see neurodivergence as something that needs to be fixed or healed.
What we can work with in therapy is the impact of spending years trying to function in environments, relationships, workplaces, schools, and systems that were largely designed around neurotypical expectations.
Counselling for neurodivergence can be a place to understand yourself differently, feel more at home in your body, and begin building a life that asks less of you in all the wrong ways.
Hi, I’m Claire.
I’m a Registered Clinical Counsellor, a neurodivergent woman, and a mother to a neurodivergent child.
I have also spent the past 14 years supporting neurodivergent clients through anxiety, burnout, trauma, identity questions, relationships, overwhelm, and the enormous effort it can take to keep functioning in environments that do not always accommodate how you experience the world.
That combination of professional and lived experience shapes how I work.
I understand that the challenge is often not neurodivergence itself.
It may be years of masking.
Being misunderstood.
Trying to meet expectations that require far more effort from you than they seem to require from everyone else.
Learning not to trust your sensory needs.
Being told you are lazy when executive functioning is difficult.
Being told you are too sensitive when your nervous system is overwhelmed.
Or spending so much energy adapting to other people that you lose track of what actually feels comfortable or sustainable for you.
Therapy is not about teaching you how to become better at appearing neurotypical.
It is about helping you understand yourself, trust yourself, and navigate the world with less shame and more support.
“It got me unstuck… this was the only thing that finally moved the dial. I felt safe and supported the whole way."
— David, PAT Program Participant
Neurodivergence Isn’t the Thing We’re Trying to Treat
I think this distinction matters.
ADHD, autism, sensory differences, dyslexia, and other forms of neurodivergence are not personal failures or illnesses that counselling needs to cure.
But living in a world that frequently expects neurotypical communication, productivity, sensory tolerance, attention, and social behaviour can have a real impact on mental health.
You may come to therapy because you are experiencing:
Anxiety or chronic stress
Depression or emotional exhaustion
Neurodivergent burnout
Trauma or PTSD
Shame and low self-worth
Sensory overwhelm
Difficulty feeling comfortable or settled in your body
Executive functioning challenges
Relationship conflict or misunderstanding
Perfectionism and fear of disappointing people
Difficulty identifying or communicating your needs
Masking and the exhaustion that comes with it
Feeling disconnected from your identity
Grief or anger after a late diagnosis or recognition of neurodivergence
Our work is not about asking, “How do we make you function more normally?”
It is much more likely to sound like:
What is your nervous system responding to?
What is taking too much energy?
What support has been missing?
Where are you forcing yourself to fit?
And what would life look like if we took your needs seriously?
Late Diagnosis and Seeing Your Life Differently
Learning you are neurodivergent later in life can bring enormous relief.
It can also bring grief.
You may start looking back at school, work, friendships, family experiences, or previous therapy and suddenly understand things differently.
Maybe you were not lazy.
Maybe you were overwhelmed.
Maybe you were not overly sensitive.
Maybe the environment really was too much.
Maybe the strategies everyone kept recommending were never designed for your brain in the first place.
That recognition can be validating, and painful.
You may grieve the support you did not receive, the ways you learned to blame yourself, or how different certain experiences might have been if someone had understood sooner.
Therapy can be a place to make sense of that.
You do not have to immediately know what being neurodivergent means for your identity, relationships, work, or future.
You are allowed to take your time.
This Might Be a Good Fit If...
My work often resonates with neurodivergent adults who have already done some personal work and want to understand themselves at a deeper level.
You may understand many of your patterns intellectually but still notice that your body, relationships, or daily life feel unsustainable.
You may be ready to:
Question the belief that you should simply try harder
Notice what your nervous system has been communicating
Explore masking with curiosity rather than judgment
Set boundaries that better reflect your capacity
Make changes in relationships or environments that are not working
Grieve experiences you understand differently now
Feel emotions and body sensations rather than immediately pushing them away
Develop greater trust in your own needs and perceptions
Build a life that works better for your actual nervous system
You do not need a formal diagnosis to do this work.
My practice is best suited to clients experiencing mild-to-moderate concerns who have enough stability in daily life to engage in reflective, depth-oriented therapy. It is not designed to provide acute crisis stabilization or intensive mental health care.
Most of my counselling work happens online.
For many neurodivergent clients, that can actually make therapy more accessible.
You can attend from a familiar environment where you have more control over lighting, sound, seating, movement, and sensory input.
You are welcome to look away from the screen, move around, use a fidget, take notes, sit differently, pause before answering, or tell me you need a question asked another way.
There is no “correct” way to look engaged in therapy.
I’m based in Langley, British Columbia and work virtually with clients across Canada where my professional scope permits.
Online Counselling for Neurodivergence Across Canada
Frequently Asked Questions
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Almost any meaningful change can be a life transition if it affects how you experience yourself or your life.
That may include career changes, relationships ending or beginning, parenthood, health changes, immigration, caregiving, retirement, grief, relocation, or changes in identity and belonging.
Sometimes the transition is external. Sometimes it begins with an internal realization that something no longer fits.
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Yes.
Choosing a change does not mean you will only feel positive about it.
You can know that leaving a job, ending a relationship, moving, or setting a boundary was the right choice and still grieve what it cost you.
Therapy makes room for both.
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Because change usually involves both beginning and ending.
Even when we are moving toward something we want, we may be leaving behind familiarity, relationships, roles, expectations, or versions of ourselves that mattered.
I see grief as part of the transformational process of change, not evidence that you are failing to move forward.
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You do not need to know.
Counselling can be a space to slow down enough to notice what feels true before making the next decision.
Sometimes the work is less about finding the answer and more about reconnecting with your ability to trust yourself when the answer comes.
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Not necessarily.
Some people come for support around one specific decision or change. Others discover that the transition has opened deeper questions about identity, relationships, trauma, family patterns, or how they want to live.
We can follow what emerges rather than deciding in advance how long the work should take.
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Yes.
I work primarily online with clients across Canada where permitted within my professional scope.
Counselling Rates
Online Counselling
Available for clients across Canada.
Sessions are typically scheduled weekly or every two weeks depending on your needs, capacity, and goals.
50 minutes | $200
Free Video Consultation
A 20-minute conversation to get a feel for one another.
You can tell me a little about what has been bringing you to therapy, ask whatever questions you have, and decide whether my style feels like a fit.
20 minutes | Free
There can be a lot of pressure to turn change into a neat story.
What happened. What you learned. Where you are going next.
Real transitions are usually messier than that.There may be grief to feel, identities to reconsider, boundaries to change, and questions that do not have answers yet.
You are allowed to spend some time in that in-between place.
Sometimes that is exactly where something new begins.