Counselling and Psychotherapy
Our counselling and psychotherapy service is closing on 27th October, but from 1st November you will be able to contact the practitioners on our directory directly if you are interested in private therapy or coaching.
We specialise in counselling and psychotherapy adapted to the needs of neurodivergent people, with neurodivergent practitioners, for adults and young people age 16+.
Our affirmative approach means that neuro-differences such as ADHD, autism, Tourettes, dyspraxia, dyslexia are seen as a difference to be understood, not a problem to be cured. We understand it can be difficult to live in a world where it doesn’t always feel like your differences are welcome.
Depending on your needs before matching you with a practitioner. This would be a 90-min appointment with one of our experienced therapists, at a flat fee of £110. The purpose of the assessment is so that we have a thorough understanding of your needs and which of our practitioners might suit you best.
Make a referral for counselling - click here to submit a self-referral form and one of our team will be in touch with you to discuss how we can help.
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6-20 sessions, from £62.50/hr
Our pre- and post-diagnosis counselling service supports adults going through the process of accessing neurodevelopmental diagnosis. Our therapists understand the diagnostic pathways, both in the NHS and private sector. We can help you explore your options if you are just starting to wonder if you may be neurodivergent. I
f you’ve just been diagnosed, feelings can be mixed. To start with, many people feel relief, but over time, things can start to feel more complicated. We can start to think about the “what ifs” – what if I’d been diagnosed sooner? What if I’d had more support? Post-diagnosis counselling focuses on acceptance and understanding the meaning of the diagnosis for you and your life and supports you to identify and self-advocate for your own needs.
Short-term counselling is also available as an option if you have a particular issue to work through and are comfortable working within a set number of sessions.
Click here to make a self referral for short term counselling
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From £62.50/hr
If you know that you need longer term support, our qualified, neurodiversity affirmative counsellors and psychotherapists can work with you on a longer-term or open-ended basis. Our long-term service is staffed by experienced professionals who have worked in a variety of settings such as the NHS, voluntary sector, criminal justice services, veterans’ services, occupational health, addiction treatment, education and private practice.
Practitioners who offer long-term therapy are also trauma-informed and understand that trauma may impact neurodivergent individuals differently. Some of our long-term therapists also have specialist training in trauma treatments such as EMDR and trauma-focused CBT.
For long-term therapy, we may need to conduct a 90-minute initial assessment first with the Director or a senior therapist. We will contact you if this is the case. The purpose of the assessment system is to make sure that we understand your needs properly and can match you with the most suitable practitioner. This may not necessarily be the same practitioner as the one who does the assessment. We understand that speaking to different people in the process might be hard, and we will do what we can to support you if this feels challenging.
Click here to make a referral for long term counselling
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We offer an ADHD screening and pre-assessment package for £300.
This looks at your current and historical traits and difficulties, and can help you determine if you are likely to meet the criteria for an ADHD assessment referral through the NHS or Right to Choose (England only) before going on a long waiting list or paying for a private assessment.
This is also suitable for those who feel they do not need a formal ADHD diagnosis, but would like to explore their traits and characteristics and understand the impact of ADHD on their lives, their strengths and support needs.
This includes:
1) An initial 30-min call to discuss your needs and the process
2) Sending, collating and reviewing all necessary screening forms and evidence
3) 90-min appointment with a psychotherapist trained in ADHD assessment
4) Report and letter of recommendation for your GP/other service if you wish to go on to be formally assessed, or signposting to other appropriate services for next steps.
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From £10-30hr plus one off assessment fee £20-40
Our low cost counselling service is staffed by therapists in advanced training and works on a sliding scale basis depending on your income and what you can afford (minimum fee £10/hr).
Access to our low cost service is subject to an initial assessment, cost on a sliding scale, and currently we are only able to offer this to adults age 18+.
This part of our service is not for profit - we use the fees to support our student volunteers with the supervision and training expenses associated with their placement with us.
Availability update June 2023:
We currently have two places in our low cost service starting in July and we have further places available for September.
Please email info@free2bmetherapyservices for more information.
Who are our therapeutic services for?
We welcome those who are formally diagnosed, self-diagnosed or in the early stages of exploring the possibility of being neurodivergent. Counselling and therapy offer a safe space to help you understand yourself, your neurodivergence and how this impacts your life, work/study and relationships.
This may help to address issues such as anxiety, depression, stress, substance misuse and relationship problems and develop coping strategies when you have to operate in a world that isn’t always understanding of or accommodating to the needs of neurodivergent people.
Our counsellors and psychological therapists
Many of our therapists are openly neurodivergent themselves and we have a wide range of specialisms in our team, including autism, ADHD, specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia and dyspraxia, Tourette’s Syndrome, acquired brain injury and long term chronic mental health conditions such as bipolar and post-traumatic stress/PTSD and complex trauma.
We offer a range of services from short-term post-diagnosis counselling to longer term therapy and specialist psychological therapies such as EMDR and CBT. Counselling and psychological therapies are available across the UK online via video link. We also have some in-person practitioners in selected locations. Recruitment is ongoing, so we have new practitioners in different locations joining us on a regular basis.
Counselling and Psychological Therapies
All counsellors, psychological therapists and psychologists who work with us are qualified and registered with an appropriate Professional Standards Authority registered body. Qualifications and professional registrations are thoroughly checked, and we carefully vet the practitioners who work with us to ensure that their values and ethos align with what we want to offer to neurodivergent clients. We will never offer ABA or any kind of behavioural therapies that aim to teach autistic adults to mask or camouflage their neurodivergent traits at Free2BMe.
Work with us
Are you a qualified, registered counsellor, psychotherapist or psychologist with experience working with neurodivergent individuals and a neurodiversity affirmative ethos? Contact us to find out how to start working with us.
Our other services
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Coaching services
Our coaching services for adults and young people are adapted and tailored to the needs of neurodivergent individuals and groups.
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Training & consultancy
We provide training for mental health professionals on working with neurodivergence in practice and can offer bespoke training packages to organisations.