VANGUARD
Neurodiversity Training
Presentations, courses, and live events available online
Vanguard Neurodiversity Training
We provide Neurodiversity Training for Counsellors and Psychotherapists.
Is there an ethical or legal case for therapy to meet the needs of neurodivergent clients?
Not all neurodivergent people are seeking therapy, but of those that do, they may be seeking exploration and support, or be in situations with risks, or facing choices, or serious impact. And they want to work those through. Our clients deserve therapeutic responses from informed therapists who can work in ways that meet their needs and be able to work in ways that are truly therapeutic for them. We are not talking about a ‘model’ of therapy, as such. But therapy does need to be designed and delivered differently to be therapeutic for autistic clients (National Autistic Society, survery report, among other references) and to be in line with equity, inclusivity and diversity law (BACP EID Policy).
Although there is still much more that our industry needs to do to make this a reliable reality, we look forward to a day when autistic people have deep trust in our profession again, and one where therapists feel confident that they are doing, not just good work intuitively, but informed good work with all neurodivergent clients. It is this that fuels our motivation to create our inclusive training spaces and neuroaffirming training courses and materials, as well as the deep concerns about neurodivergent clients’ wellbeing.
Levelling up with equity, diversity, and inclusion concerns that counsellors and psychotherapists have about their practice, as well as recognition that ill-informed therapy can be ineffective or harmful for neurodivergent clients, Vanguard Neurodiversity Training offers a certificate course, resources, and ongoing support for therapists and counsellors.
“As neuroaffirming therapists and trainers we aim in our courses to create a safe space for powerful transformation in ourselves and our colleagues.
We enjoy immensely the authentic and collaborative feel of the learning space where therapists of different backgrounds and modalities share their thoughts and insights about their work.
It can mean that conversations take interesting turns and shine light on adjacent angles to what we started with in the presentation of that session. And its adds a richness that benefits all of us.
While we will definitely be offering in-depth information and forward-thinking ideas, with very serious purpose to it, we want us all to feel included and relevant and create a sense of sharing something very special (which we are!)”
Could therapists be re-thinking their approach to therapy with neurodivergent clients?
Therapists do care. They do want to eliminate the barriers to therapy that autistic adults face due to counselling and psychotherapy not being designed nor delivered in ways that fit them. But some may have doubts about providing effective therapeutic services for autistic people. Other counsellors and therapists are already intuitively working well with neurodivergent clients. But, given there is so much to review about therapeutic experience, and so much to address to modify therapy for neurodivergent people, deepening understanding is really needed. And congregating to do this together in collegial learning spaces is really valuable (and is what we therapists have always done!). Talking with lots of psychotherapists and counsellors around this, and listening about their concerns or perceived gaps, helped us to realise that we professionals need each other, and it started us on the route to giving conference talks, learning events, and ,ultimately, our courses.
“Our neuroaffirming learning materials are written from many years of clinical expertise in the area of working with neurodivergent people, and the points are backed up with up-to-date research materials, and the lived experience of both clients, and of the neurodivergent authors themselves. ”
Are the courses written and delivered by neurodivergent therapists and trainers?
Yes. They are. The materials are written and delivered by Vauna Beauvais and Eoin Stephens, both are accredited psychotherapists, and supervisors and have both been seeing clients for over 25 years. Eoin is autistic and Vauna is autistic ADHD-er (or AuDHD), and both have qualifications and experience in designing and delivering training programs. You can read more about the trainers here.
The safe and inclusive group spaces for sharing and learning are online in group meetings on Zoom. The style of training includes presentations, discussions, invitations to self-reflect, references to scientific research materials, examples of client work and case studies, printouts, and slides. The aims of the events are not just info-stuffing processes, but are focused on the transfer of knowledge into practice, i.e. for the therapists to take from the course experience and truly integrate it into what they already know and do with their clients. There are talks, slides, and multimedia experiences and meaningful group discussions around real practice areas, and experiences that therapists encounter during the course of their work.
“n addition to the training days there is a safe -space and supervision group for meeting and talking together about what we have learned and reflected on, both personally and professionally. Collegues who have taken our training have enjoyed the personal and professional transformations that have come from being in the learning groups, and their ways of working are enriched by the benefits of the neurodivergent lens that they now see more through (even if they did so before). ”
What are the events and training courses like?
What happens to therapists during their training, CPD, or supervision (how they are treated, what they are led to believe) carries through to their work with clients in the therapy room, in how they relate and respond to ND clients. Our vision is a landscape of therapeutic opportunities where clients know that they will be understood and responded to in ways that solve their problems, enhance quality of life, and actually save the lives of neurodivergent people. And a community of therapists that feel esteemed and valued for the work that they do. That’s why we support and empower therapists, and create our learning experiences that celebrate neurodivergent clients and further equip therapists to meet ND needs. If you are a therapist, supporting neurodivergent clients, we would love to be in touch. Feel free to browse our training courses and events.
Our Certificate Course is Running Again in September
Certificate in Working Therapeutically
With Autistic Adults
We ran this course earlier this year and it went really, really well. We are running it again from September 16th 2024, and invite counsellors, psychotherapists, and related support professionals to register your interest in joining us.
You can read and hear about the course on this page.
More details of the course contents are being sent out in the newsletter, so feel free to sign up to news here. You can unsubscribe at any time (see privacy policy). Please get in touch to ask questions or book a chat to see whether this course suits your professional development path.
Client Voice: Shared with permission
“I was newly aware of being autistic before I started seeing this particular therapist. I was open about it, and it became clear that I was not being helped. I wish that she had taken the time to educate herself about autistic people because I think it set back my journey significantly. It made me question myself so much, when I should've been getting clarity and a way forward. I really wanted to be understood and supported. But I left in as much pain as I started. ”
Quotes
Therapist Voice: Shared with permission
“As a trainee therapist I was really looking forward to different ways of supporting diverse clients. But my training fell far short. It makes me worry about the clients, and my fellow therapists out there. I wish that we had learned about the theories and practical ways of making therapy more accessible, inclusive, and actually useful for autistic clients. I have found Vanguard Neurodiversity Training now and straight away we affirm autistic identity, understand the lived experiences and discuss therapeutic approaches. Autistic people deserve therapists who affirm their experience. It’s what advocates have been saying for years. ”
Therapist Voice: Shared with permission
“It’s a blessing to find Vanguard Neurodiversity Training, who have neurodivergent trainers, supervisors, and course designers. I am unlearning the pathological narratives and deficit-based language so prevalent in our field so that I can do the work that is so needed and requested by neurodivergent people”
Therapist Voice: Shared with permission
“Being autistic myself, I am appalled by the lack of ethical and legal training. Trainers and supervisors barely touch on autism, even today. And when they do it’s all “lack of empathy” this, and “socially awkward” that. I feel like I’m constantly, either having to bite my tongue, or correct misinformation. It perpetuates a lot of harm. I’ve found this training, now, at Vanguard Neurodiversity Training, and the ‘Neurodiversity Paradigm’ and ‘The Social Model of Disability’ are core principles, and it’s a relief that these realities don’t have to be argued, and we can get on with learning and perfecting our therapeutic work in the rest of the course. ”
Therapist Voice: Shared with permission
“Looking back are my core training 15 years ago, I can see now how therapy is designed from Neuronormative and Eurocentric bias. So many autistic clients have not been seen. We, therapists, were expecting inferred meaning from vague sentences, and silent open windows to cause reflexive emotional awareness in our autistic clients. That’s such a mistake when good therapy with autistic people is about being transparent and saying things explicitly. Group discussions around trauma responses of autistic adults, in light of Minority Stress awareness, was a pivotal moment in the course, for me, at Vanguard Neurodiversity Training ”
Therapist Voice: Shared with permission
“Therapy is such an interpersonally-intensive field, and as an autistic therapist I notice the impact on me. I’ve struggled with the emotional toll as I absorb everything very deeply and struggle to not take on clients pain as my own. However, I’ve realised that is one of my greatest strengths because I understand clients experiences on a visceral level. And the trainer here (at Vanguard Neurodiversity Training) recognised my passion to deeply committed therapy with other autistic people, and I now know how to value my ability to build deep trust and rapport with clients, and how to pick up relevant areas of the work while in session. The training here brings out more of who you already are.”
Therapist Voice: Shared with permission
“It’s a blessing to find Vanguard Neurodiversity Training. The trainers help us develop our approach based on a power-sharing therapeutic relationship, with responses and therapeutic choices made from a trauma-informed approach. The materials are packed with facts and client-work info, and there’s plenty of time for the group to talk, and there is a supervision group included as well. ”
Therapist Voice: Shared with permission
As a neurodivergent therapist, building community and finding support is so important. Moreover, getting access to professional development course that enrich your neurodiversity-affirming practices can feel a bit uphill, due to the scarcity of good training. Until I found Vanguard, I felt on my own navigating these experiences, with no help to further my insights. This training gives me direction in my work, as well as given me new purpose in my own self-discovery journey.”