Episode 9. 'A Session With' on Neurodiversity in Women

In today’s episode of the podcast I will be discussing neurodiversity with two expert clinicians in the area. Neurodiversity is so topical currently as more and more women are coming to recognise that the source of their mental health challenges have actually been undiagnosed neurodivergence. These women now in their 30’s and 40’s are becoming known as ‘the lost girls’ as typically their neurodivergence and sensitivities were missed as a consequence of their gender and how their presentation differed boys. We still have so much to learn about how ADHD, autism and other neuro-sensitivities show up in women and girls and I’m proud to be bringing this episode to you for that reason.

Dr Fleur-Michelle Coiffait is a Clinical Psychologist who specialises in working with people of all ages who have neurodevelopment differences, including autism and ADHD. Fleur-Michelle also works with parents, families and individuals who would like to understand aspects of neurodivergence better, including offering formal assessments for autism and ADHD for people of all ages. You can find out more here - www.coiffpsych.com

Rhona McAlpine is an occupational therapist with extensive experience working in infant, child and adolescent mental health services. Passionate about supporting individuals and their families with a focus on connection, co-occupations and co-regulation, she also has a particular interest in honouring neurodiversity and understanding the impact of stress, adversity and trauma. Rhona has developed a four-week parents group called Reframe and Regulate to support family function. You can find out more here - www.otmcalpine.co.uk

In this discussion, we talk about the intersection between neurodivergence, trauma and mental health, our own sensitivities and how noise sensitivity might be a sign that we need to incorporate self-soothing strategies into our lives. I hope you get some helpful insights from this episode.

Book Recommendation: Divergent Mind, written by Jenara Nerenberg 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Divergent-Mind-Jenara-Nerenberg/dp/0062876791