Analytic Diversity for working with Neurodiversity Workshop

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As interest in and diagnoses of neurodiversity grow, we offer a space for conversation about the place of analytic and psychoanalytic therapies in this area. Drawing on a range of perspectives from a Consultant Psychiatrist and therapists who work with this client group and may themselves identify as neurodiverse, we seek to explore what analytic therapies have to offer in order to meet the client/patient where they are.

As with understandings of queerness and sexuality, the analytic and psychotherapeutic world has a troubling and complex history in this area, from the damaging identification of "refrigerator mothers" to recent retractions of the description "extreme male brain." In this workshop we will address what the huge surge in diagnoses of neuro-atypicality (e.g. 800% in Autism Spectrum Disorders over a recent 20-year period may mean, and explore some of the intersections with other presentations such as eating disorders, personality traits and dependencies, etc.

The breadth of experiences covered by neurodiversity (ASD, AuDHD, ADHD, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, dyslexia, Tourette syndrome, to name a few) has led to calls by eminent researchers in the field to go back to the drawing board in understanding this range of experiences. What does this mean for the many who have found great comfort, de-stigmatisation and de-shaming, and possibly pride, in this 'explanatory' label for their feelings, experiences and behaviours?

One of our strengths as Psychoanalytic Psychotherapists, Analytical Psychotherapists and Jungian Analysts can be to set aside preconceived assumptions about particular labels and clinical syndromes in order to hear the subtlety of the patient's experience in its fullness and social and cultural context. So, this workshop aims not to get caught in dichotomous binaries of valid vs invalid diagnoses, and to explore the range of experiences that people identifying as neuro-atypical may have – from cumulative trauma to the idea of a superpower.

We particularly want to explore how our ways of working may need adaptation and ask a range of questions: are these sometimes the patients who leave early or who are caught in 'Analysis Interminable'? How far may we feel we can adapt our understanding and thinking to work more effectively with the suffering and struggles that they may experience? Do we also have skills that may be highly valuable in working with this group of people? What can, and do, they teach us? And how many of us may identify as 'on the spectrum' in some way?

During the workshop we will think about what it is like to be neurodivergent and the challenges of living in a world that is majority neurotypical. We will consider the sensory sensitivities associated with neurodivergence and the impact of different social communication and understanding on development and the likelihood of trauma. We will consider the genetics of neurodivergence and the effect that this may have on attachment and parenting. How can parents and therapists support and care for neurodivergent people and help them to live in the world?

There will be an opportunity to reflect on our clinical approaches and countertransference in facilitated small discussion groups, as well as a plenary session.

This workshop is an opportunity for you to bring your experiences and reflections on what you feel may or may not be helpful, and your possible dilemmas in relation to these. It is not a forum for dictating how to work with neuro-atypicality. It is hoped that it will be a forum for participants as well as speakers/organisers to share their own views and experiences. Working with, and adapting to, the perceived idiosyncrasies of each individual patient may be key to trying to meet the patient where they are.

Recommended Reading: BJP article:

Saayman, N., Harvey, C. and Davies Fletcher, T. (2025). Sitting with Invisible Difference: Psychoanalysis and Autism. British Journal of Psychotherapy, 41(2), 255–272.

Access here.

Speakers/Convenors:

Dr Emma Fergusson, Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Oxford NHS Foundation Trust and Clinical Lead, Neurodevelopmental Conditions Service; Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer, University of Oxford.

Dr Jo-anne Carlyle (PPA Member), Associate Fellow, BPS; Consultant Clinical and Forensic Psychologist; Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist; Organisational Consultant. HCPC- and BPC-registered; BPS Chartered. www.psyctc.com

Jo-anne's work is driven by a commitment to social inclusion, and she currently consults on and researches the ongoing impacts of colonisation in organisations and mental health care. She worked at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, and at Broadmoor and Rampton Hospitals. In forensic settings, as well as in private practice, she has worked with people with a range of neurodiverse presentations. Her publications span clinical and research work. She is co-author of Outcome Measures and Evaluation in Counselling and Psychotherapy (2021), Sage.

Serena Willmott (BJAA Senior Member), Fellow of the British Psychotherapy Foundation, Training Analyst for the BJAA and IPCAPA, and Training Supervisor for the BJAA. BPC- and IAAP-registered, and APPPS Primary Care Committee Member.

Serena has worked extensively in the NHS with a very wide range of patients, many of whom tended to 'fall through the net' and were difficult to support and provide for within the system. Over the course of her long career in private practice and in the NHS, she has developed a special interest in working with neurodiversity.

 

*If you are a psychotherapist or counsellor residing in an active conflict zone, you are eligible to attend this event free of charge (regardless of whether you are a bpf member or not). Please email events@bpf-psychotherapy to enquire about a ticket.