Neurodivergent Lived Experience Mentoring

Lived Experience Mentoring is about creating space to better understand yourself. We work alongside you to explore your experiences through a neuroaffirming lens, drawing on both professional knowledge and lived experience to support self-understanding, unmasking, and moving toward authentic ways of living as a neurodivergent person.

Our mentoring is collaborative rather than directive. We recognise that every neurodivergent person's experiences are unique, and there is no single "right" way to be autistic, ADHD, or otherwise neurodivergent. Rather than focusing on changing who you are, we aim to support you in understanding your strengths, navigating challenges, and building a life that works with your neurotype rather than against it.

What will Neurodivergent Lived Experience Mentoring be like?

  1. Exploring your neurodivergent identity - Whether you've recently identified as neurodivergent or have known for many years, mentoring provides a space to reflect on your experiences, develop self-understanding, and make sense of your journey without judgement.

  2. Developing strategies that work for you - Together, we explore practical approaches that support everyday life, including executive functioning, sensory needs, communication, energy management, boundaries, and reducing burnout. Rather than relying on one-size-fits-all strategies, we focus on approaches that are realistic, sustainable, and tailored to your individual needs.

  3. Learning through shared understanding - Lived experience can offer a different kind of connection. While mentoring is not therapy, it provides an opportunity to explore experiences with someone who understands many of the complexities of navigating a neurotypical world while remaining grounded in evidence-informed practice.

  4. Building confidence to advocate for yourself - Understanding your own needs is often the first step towards communicating them to others. We support you to build confidence in self-advocacy across different areas of life, including education, employment, relationships, healthcare, and community participation. We can also help you link in with relevant services and supports beyond our service.

We use the term neurodivergence as an inclusive umbrella that recognises the many ways human brains can develop, process information, learn, communicate, and experience the world. While autism and ADHD are among the most socially associated conditions when we say "neurodivergent", the term also encompasses many other neurodevelopmental and cognitive differences. We understand neurodivergence through a social and neuroaffirming lens, recognising that many of the challenges people experience arise not simply from individual differences, but from environments, systems, and expectations that are not designed to accommodate diverse ways of thinking, learning, and being.

Our Neurodivergent Lived Experience Mentoring is informed by both professional practice and personal lived experience of specific forms of neurodivergence. While we do not claim lived experience across every neurodivergent identity or condition, we warmly welcome people with all neurodivergent experiences. We approach every person with curiosity, respect, and a commitment to understanding their unique experiences, recognising that no two individuals, whether they share a diagnosis or not, will experience neurodivergence in exactly the same way.

Photo Credit: Sonny Jane Wise (@livedexperienceeducator)

Who or what do is "Neurodivergent"?

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