Mental health challenges among neurodivergent people often stem from barriers, not autism itself. These sessions take an experience-sensitive lens to understanding stress, low mood, and ways to support wellbeing

This is the third of a five-part series.

About these sessions: 

These are free NHS England commissioned sessions delivered by Anna Freud. 

You can choose to attend this session in the morning or afternoon, these sessions are repeated and you only need to attend one.

Each session brings together a small, supportive group. Sessions are peer-led and co-produced, grounded in lived experience and research evidence. We learn together by:

• Sharing with respect – listening and valuing each other’s voices
• Exploring key theories and evidence – making sense of ideas that shape practice and understanding
• Practising compassion in action – building skills to support ourselves and others with empathy
• Strengthening confidence and agency – so families and practitioners feel equipped to navigate real-life challenges

These sessions are not “training to fix”, but spaces of collaboration, reflection, and skill-sharing. The aim is to nurture experience-sensitive practice that honours neurodivergent perspectives and supports whole families.

Registration and feedback:

Participants complete a short registration form with basic demographics (to help us make sessions inclusive).

At the end of each session, you’ll be invited to share anonymous feedback with three simple prompts:

• One thing you learned
• One thing you enjoyed
• One idea for what we could do better, more of, or explore in the future