Services
Neurodevelopmental & neurodiversity counselling — specialist support for adults
Neuroaffirming counselling for adults living with ADHD, autism, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, alexithymia, dyslexia, sensory processing differences, and more. Online across the UK and face-to-face in England. No diagnosis required to begin.
NCPS Organisational Member
Neuroaffirming therapists
Free 15-minute consultation
★ ★ ★ ★ ★“For the first time I didn’t have to explain myself or justify how I work. My counsellor just understood — and that made all the difference.”
Neurodivergent adult client
5,000+
People supported
90+
Qualified therapists
5 ★
Website testimonials
20+
Counties across England
Counselling that works with your neurotype — not against it
Neurodivergent adults often arrive at counselling having spent years in systems and environments that were not designed for them. Schools that labelled them careless or lazy. Workplaces that penalised the very things they could not help. Relationships shaped by misunderstanding rather than malice. Therapists who asked them to access and articulate emotional states at a speed or in a format that simply did not work for how they process.
Hope Therapy approaches this differently. Our therapists work in a neuroaffirming, client-centred way — which means sessions are shaped around how you work best, not around a standard therapeutic model that assumes a neurotypical starting point. If you need more structure, we can provide it. If you need more space, that is available. If you process differently, communicate differently, or need adjustments that have never been offered before, the free consultation is the place to start that conversation.
We offer specialist counselling services for adults across the neurodevelopmental spectrum. Each service has its own page with fuller information. You do not need to know which service fits before getting in touch.
ADHD & Autism
ADHD and autism — our primary specialist services
ADHD and autism sit at the heart of our neurodevelopmental offer, with dedicated services covering both the emotional layer of living with these conditions and structured support alongside formal assessment pathways.
ADHD Counselling & Support
Two clear routes — ongoing counselling for the emotional experience of ADHD (rejection sensitivity, executive function, burnout, identity, and relationships), and structured support alongside a formal assessment pathway. No diagnosis required.
Learn more about ADHD support →
Both ADHD and autism frequently co-occur with the conditions below. You do not need to have your presentation neatly separated before getting in touch.
All Neurodevelopmental Services
Our full range of neurodevelopmental counselling
Each condition has a dedicated service page explaining what sessions address, how we work, and what to expect. No diagnosis required for any of these services.
Dyspraxia Counselling
Counselling for the emotional cost of living with dyspraxia or DCD — the anxiety, the self-esteem, the identity built around being misread as clumsy or disorganised, and the exhaustion of sustained compensation. The focus is entirely on the emotional layer, not coordination skills.
Learn more about dyspraxia counselling →
Dyscalculia Counselling
Counselling for the shame, maths anxiety, financial avoidance, and identity questions that accumulate around dyscalculia. Not maths tutoring — the focus is the emotional experience of a lifetime of unrecognised difficulty with numbers.
Learn more about dyscalculia counselling →
Alexithymia Counselling
Counselling for the relational cost of reduced emotional access — the difficulty identifying and naming feelings, the experience of being misread as emotionally unavailable, and the identity and relationship impact this creates. Paced around what you can access, not what therapy usually expects.
Learn more about alexithymia counselling →
Sensory Processing Counselling
Counselling for the anxiety, avoidance, exhaustion, and shame that build around sensory processing differences. Online sessions actively recommended — work from your own sensory environment. Covers the emotional layer; sensory integration work sits with occupational therapists.
Learn more about sensory processing counselling →
Not sure which service fits?
You do not need to identify your condition, have a diagnosis, or know which service applies before getting in touch. Tell us what is going on — we will listen and help you work out where to start.
What neuroaffirming means — in practice
Neuroaffirming is a word that can be used loosely. Here is what it means at Hope Therapy, specifically.
Sessions are structured around how you work best, not around a standard therapeutic model designed for a neurotypical client. If you work better with clear structure and explicit agendas, your therapist can provide those. If you need extra time to process, that is fine. If you prefer to move between topics rather than following a linear thread, that is workable. If you communicate differently or need the session format adjusted in some way, the consultation is the place to discuss that.
Our therapists do not treat neurodivergence as something to be corrected, compensated for, or managed into invisibility. The goal is not to help you perform neurotypicality more convincingly — it is to support the emotional experience of living as a neurodivergent adult, on your own terms.
We match clients carefully. During the free 15-minute consultation, we will ask about your specific presentation, your experience of previous therapy if relevant, any preferences around therapist style or communication, and practical preferences including session format and scheduling. Getting the match right is where the work starts.
What They Have in Common
Themes that run across neurodevelopmental conditions
The conditions are distinct. The emotional experience of living with them — often unrecognised, often misunderstood — overlaps in ways that matter for therapy.
Masking and its cost
Many neurodivergent adults become skilled at performing neurotypicality — scripting responses, hiding confusion, compensating for the gaps. It works until it does not. The cost of sustained masking is one of the most common things that brings people to counselling.
Late recognition
Whether a formal diagnosis or a quieter moment of self-recognition, receiving a name for something carried for years is rarely straightforward. Relief often, but alongside it grief for the years before it. Counselling can hold both without rushing either.
Burnout
The accumulated cost of operating in environments not designed for your neurotype. Neurodivergent burnout — a distinct, often prolonged depletion — is one of the most significant experiences that brings adults to therapy. Recognising it as burnout rather than failure is often where things begin to shift.
Anxiety and self-esteem
Years of struggling in environments that penalised the very things you could not help — of being told you were not trying hard enough — leave marks. The anxiety that develops around neurodevelopmental conditions is often not about the condition itself; it is about the accumulated cost of navigating a world without the right tools or understanding.
Relationships and being misread
Neurodevelopmental differences thread through how you communicate, how you read social situations, how you handle change. Being misread as careless, unreliable, or unavailable — when the reality is quite different — is a common experience. Counselling can offer a space to make sense of these patterns.
Identity
Who you are when the masking is removed. The versions of yourself built around hiding, compensating, and managing. The self that has never had an accurate explanation for why things that seem effortless to others have always cost so much. Identity work is often at the heart of neurodevelopmental counselling.
What our clients say
Real experiences
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
For the first time I didn’t have to explain myself or justify how I work. My counsellor just understood — and that made all the difference.
Neurodivergent adult
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
The free consultation put me at ease straight away. I was nervous about opening up, but from the very first session, I felt genuinely listened to. I’d recommend Hope Therapy to anyone thinking about getting support.
Mark, who sought support for stress & anxiety
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
I’d spent thirty years assuming something was just wrong with me. Having a counsellor who understood that there was a name for how my brain works — and who didn’t treat that as an excuse — was more than I can explain.
Late-identified neurodivergent adult client
Client experiences are unique. Results vary between individuals.
Getting started
What to expect
You do not need to have your presentation worked out before getting in touch. The consultation is where we do that together.
1
Free consultation
A brief, relaxed 15-minute conversation — by phone, video, or email. Tell us what is going on. We listen, ask a few questions, and help you understand which approach and which therapist is most likely to be useful. No pressure, no obligation, and no diagnosis required before you reach out.
2
Matched with the right therapist
We match you with one of our 90+ qualified therapists, considering your specific presentation, experience with neurodivergent clients, preferred approach, and any practical preferences — session format, communication style, scheduling. If the match does not feel right, we find someone else at no extra cost.
3
Your first session
Your therapist takes time to understand your situation and how you work best. There is no fixed format, no pressure to have worked everything out, and nothing you need to bring prepared. Sessions are shaped around you — not the other way around.
Most clients hear back from us the same working day, and typically begin sessions within a week of the free consultation — depending on your preferences and therapist availability.
Standards you can trust
Professional standards across our neurodevelopmental services
What these services do not offer
Our neurodevelopmental counselling services work with the emotional experience of neurodivergence. We do not carry out formal assessments or diagnoses (except through our structured ADHD and autism assessment-pathway support programmes). We do not prescribe medication. We do not provide crisis support or support for active self-harm or suicidality — if urgent help is needed, the resources in the footer of this page are the right next step.
A careful match, not a long list
Rather than asking you to choose from a directory, we take time during your free 15-minute consultation to understand what you are looking for and match you with a therapist suited to your needs. For neurodivergent clients, this matching step matters particularly — not all therapists have equal experience of neurodevelopmental presentations.
During the consultation, we will ask about:
- The condition or presentation you are seeking support with, and any specific concerns
- Whether you would prefer face-to-face, online, or telephone sessions
- Preferences around therapy approach — counselling, CBT, EMDR, compassion-focused, or others
- Day and time availability that works around your life
- Any preferences around therapist experience of specific neurodevelopmental conditions
- Practical preferences — therapist gender, communication style, session structure
No diagnosis is required. We work equally with formally assessed adults, those awaiting assessment, and those who identify as neurodivergent without a clinical label.
All therapists we work with are qualified and registered with appropriate UK professional bodies, and we will confirm the most suitable options with you before any sessions begin.
Professional standards across our team
Hope Therapy & Counselling Services has been operating since 2014, and we hold Organisational Membership with the National Counselling & Psychotherapy Society (NCPS). We work in line with the NCPS Code of Ethics and BACP Good Practice, and our wider clinical standards include:
- Qualified, professionally registered therapists across the team — registrations vary per therapist and are confirmed before matching
- Ongoing clinical supervision in line with professional body requirements
- Continuing professional development to maintain and develop practice
- Clear confidentiality standards, with limits explained before sessions begin
- Client-centred, non-judgemental and inclusive practice across all areas of identity and experience
- Founder-led clinical oversight from Ian Stockbridge — MBACP (Senior Accredited) – who continues to lead the practice and oversee its standards
Whether you choose face-to-face counselling near you or online therapy from anywhere in the UK, you can expect to be matched with a therapist who is appropriately qualified and suited to the support you are looking for.
Transparent Pricing
Our fees
No hidden costs. Your therapist and fees are discussed during your free consultation.
Counselling
From £65
per 50-minute session
- Person-centred or integrative approach
- Online via Zoom or telephone
- Face-to-face where available
CBT
From £85
per 50-minute session
- Structured, goal-focused approach
- Anxiety, avoidance, and skills work
- Online or face-to-face
EMDR
From £95
per 50-minute session
- For processing adverse history
- Qualified EMDR-trained therapists
- Online or face-to-face
Looking for a more affordable option? We may be able to offer sessions at a reduced rate — just ask during your free consultation.
London clients: Location-adjusted rates may apply. Please ask during your free consultation and we will confirm the exact fee before you commit to anything.
Common Questions
Frequently asked questions
What neurodevelopmental conditions does Hope Therapy support?
Hope Therapy offers specialist counselling for adults with ADHD, autism, dyspraxia (DCD), dyscalculia, alexithymia, dyslexia, and sensory processing differences. Each has a dedicated service page covering what sessions address and how we work. All services are available online across the UK and face-to-face in England.
Do I need a diagnosis before accessing neurodevelopmental counselling?
No. We work with adults who are formally diagnosed, those awaiting assessment, and those who identify with a neurodevelopmental profile without any clinical label. What matters is your experience — not a piece of paper. The free 15-minute consultation is the right starting point, wherever you are in your recognition journey.
What does neuroaffirming mean in practice?
Neuroaffirming means our therapists work with your neurotype rather than against it. Sessions are shaped around how you work best — structure where that helps, open space where it does not. We do not ask you to perform neurotypicality or treat neurodivergence as something to be fixed. Adjustments to session format, communication style, or pace are discussed at the outset.
Are sessions available online?
Yes. All our therapists offer online sessions via secure video from anywhere in the UK. Online sessions are actively recommended for many neurodivergent clients — they reduce the executive and sensory demands of attending in person. Face-to-face sessions are available in 20+ counties across England.
I am not sure which condition applies to me. Where should I start?
The free 15-minute consultation is the right place. You do not need to have identified your condition, received a diagnosis, or researched which service applies. Tell us what is going on — we will listen, ask a few questions, and help you understand which approach and which therapist is most likely to be useful.
Related Support
You might also find these helpful
Neurodevelopmental conditions
Conditions that often co-occur
Therapy approaches
Meet Our Founder
Built by someone who saw the need from the inside
★
SCoPEd Band C
MBACP & SNCPS Senior Accredited
“Having worked for more than 25 years in senior management, I saw the same thing repeatedly — people struggling with mental health and relationship challenges, and so often struggling to access the right support when it was needed. It was out of this recognition of human need that Hope was born.”
Ian Stockbridge founded Hope Therapy after 25+ years leading large commercial teams – watching colleagues carry stress, anxiety, and personal difficulty with nowhere to turn. He retrained rigorously, now holding Senior Accredited status with both the BACP and NCPS, alongside SCoPEd Band C — the highest independent competence verification in the UK counselling profession.
He remains a practising therapist, clinical supervisor, published author of PMDD Uncovered, and co-presenter of The Talk Room Podcast. Hope Therapy was built on the things he saw were most broken – and designed, from the ground up, to do better.
MBACP (Senior Accredited)
SNCPS (Acc)
SCoPEd Band C
BSc (Hons) CBT
PGCert Supervision L7
Quality Award 2024 — 95%+
You don’t have to keep navigating this on your own.
A free, no-obligation 15-minute conversation. No pressure, no script — just a chance to be heard, ask questions, and see whether we feel like the right fit.
Get in Touch
Start your enquiry
Not sure where to start? Send us a message and a member of our team will get back to you. All enquiries are treated in the strictest confidence.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
“From the very first phone call, I felt heard. They didn’t rush me — they helped me work out what I needed.”
Hope Therapy enquiry feedback
NCPS Organisational Member
Est 2014
90+ Qualified Therapists
National Counselling & Psychotherapy Society
British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy
British Association for Behavioural & Cognitive Psychotherapies
Individual registrations vary per therapist. Last reviewed: May 2026.