Counselling for Parents of Children with Neurodiversity or Additional Needs
Raising a neurodiverse child, or a child with disabilities or additional needs, can bring deep love and joy—but it can also bring overwhelm, stress, and emotional exhaustion. You might feel isolated, conflicted, or unsure how to cope with everything you’re carrying.
You don’t have to do this alone.
NEW! I have set-up a private Facebook group for parents caring for their adult special needs children. Help and support and Facebook live events and guest speakers to help you with your wellbeing, self-care and family life.
Support That Understands Your Journey
Whether you're facing a new diagnosis, feeling the strain of daily care, or simply need space to breathe and be heard, counselling offers a safe, confidential place to explore how you’re really feeling.
You may be struggling with:
Guilt, grief, or anger
Constant stress or burnout
Feeling disconnected from your partner or other children
Worrying about the future
Parenting disagreements or emotional overload
A loss of identity or personal time
These are all completely valid—and very common.
How Family Counselling Helps
Parents of children with special needs live with many difficult issues and frequently experience trauma, loss, and stress. Despite these many difficult experiences, parents are also adaptive and resilient and are frequently very focused on the child. While this is appropriate and certainly necessary, parents can sometimes place their couple relationship on the backburner. Their relationship with the other children may also take second place simply because there are only two or four pairs of hands and only so many hours in a day.
Family Counselling can help such parents to become aware of what is happening, how it is impacting the rest of the family and to look deeply at their own feelings and needs. Parents may be experiencing a great range of difficult emotions and be facing further challenges as in the examples below.
A Safe Space to Talk, Reflect & Rebuild
I offer specialist counselling for parents and carers of children with:
Autism, ADHD, and sensory processing differences
Physical disabilities or chronic health conditions
Learning disabilities and developmental differences
Behavioural, emotional, or communication needs
Together, we’ll explore your experiences at a pace that feels right for you. There’s no judgement here—just support, empathy, and understanding.
Parents Must Live With Loss
If you have a child with special needs, it is very normal to experience a sense of loss. This does not mean you are a bad parent or that you love your child any less. It simply means you lost the child that you thought you would have and this loss is very real and ongoing.
The effort and work involved in having a child with special needs doesn’t end. Unlike other children, your child will always, to some degree, depend on you. They may not ever be able to live independently or have a job or a family of their own. You will experience loss repeatedly as your child grows and you watch their peers doing normal activities at nursery, in the playground, or at school.
Why Counselling Can Help
When one child needs extra attention, it’s easy to forget your own needs—or put your relationship on the backburner. But your well-being matters. And when you feel supported, the whole family benefits.
Counselling can help you:
Understand and express your emotions
Process grief or trauma related to diagnosis or care
Strengthen communication with your partner and family
Explore parenting styles that work for your child and your values
Reconnect with yourself and rediscover joy
A Neuro-Affirming, Family-Centred Approach
I work in a neuro-affirming way—recognising and celebrating your child’s unique needs while helping you build emotional resilience and a strong foundation for family life.
Ready to Talk?
If you think counselling might help—or just want to find out more—I offer a free 15-minute phone or Zoom consultation.
📞 Call 0741 265 1894
📧 Or use the contact form below to get in touch.
If you have a partner or co-parent, it can be helpful to have a chat with them beforehand. It’s always most effective when everyone is open and ready to explore the journey together.
You're not failing—you’re doing your best. Let’s find a way forward that supports you too.
Client Testimonial:
“I feel I am putting into practice so much of what we’ve talked about and have an array of tools in my armoury to use. I appreciate so very much all you have given me and for listening and all your sensitive and kind suggestions. It has all helped me so much. I will miss talking to you."
— Parent
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