Art therapist & counsellor included in book project to uplift the voices of autistic mental health professionals

It is designed to highlight the strengths of autistic professionals whilst highlighting the challenges and stereotypes they come up against.

Claire Thompson has shared her experience of working in the sector.

“I first started out in 2016 during my talking therapy training, supporting clients at risk of self-harm and suicide. My long-term goal was always to be able to work with individuals who felt traditional talking therapy wasn’t always enough.

"As an autistic adult who is a visual processor, I was keen to mix my love of art and psychotherapy. So, art therapy felt like the perfect career development or me. It is my hope that the contribution I have made to this new book project, An Autistic Anthology: Neuro-Narratives of Mental Health Professionals, will offer an insight into my experience and let other aspiring and established autistic mental health professionals know that they are not alone.”

An Autistic Anthology was written and financed by Nikita Shepherdson, Dr Vicky Jervis and Dr Marianne Trent, who issued an appeal for contributors in August 2023.

Practitioners from the North East, the North West, Yorkshire and the Humber, West Midlands, East Midlands, East of England, London, the South East and the South West stepped forward. This geographical spread means that there is representation from every region in England. Beyond this, if you were to visit the contributor located furthest away from the UK, you would need to take a 12-hour flight from London!

Nikita is a Trainee Clinical Psychologist from Teesside who received her autism diagnosis in July 2023, at the age of 26. It is often the case that women and girls receive their autism diagnosis later in life as it is understood that girls are more inclined to ‘masking’, which is the process of hiding or camouflaging autistic traits to fit in with a neurotypical world.

Nikita said “The conversation around autism has opened up a lot in the past few years, yet autistic mental health professionals often feel as though they are walking this path alone.

"Speaking as a Trainee Clinical Psychologist, our field has historically not been so open to personal disclosures, but I think disclosure is so important. If we hope for a field that is representative of the population we serve, then we need to uplift the voices of neurodivergent professionals and understand that they have already been a part of our profession for many years.

"Autistic professionals give a lot within their work with clients. Thinking about how we can support them will only help us to look after our own needs more, and that will ultimately benefit clients too”.

“Out of all the autistic mental health professionals in the UK, I am honoured to have been one of only 25 professionals chosen for inclusion in the #AnAutisticAnthology project, which is a world first,” said Claire Thompson, who practises from her base located in Glengormley, Newtownabbey.

“Since I qualified there has been so much to celebrate as an autistic professional – including being awarded a DfE funded PhD with Ulster University and becoming the Neurodiversity Ambassador for the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society. I hope my story will be a source of ideas, hope and validation to all readers.”

Vicky and Marianne, who has also published The Grief Collective, The Clinical Psychologist Collective, The Aspiring Psychologist Collective and Talking Heads, added: “In the last few years, there has been a movement to empower and support people from marginalised groups. I am so proud that An Autistic Anthology includes the voices of such a wide variety of people.”

An Autistic Anthology: Neuro-Narratives of Mental Health Professionals will be available on Amazon from Monday, November 4. You can read more here: https://anautisticanthology.wordpress.com and sign up for email updates to receive a link to purchase once live.

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