Neurodevelopmental Lifespan Services

People who have a neurodevelopmental condition also often suffer from psychological distress. This does not mean that the neurodevelopmental condition causesthe distress but sometimes the consequences of managing in a world that is designed mostly for people of typical neurodevelopment can be very challenging and can be distressing.

Psychological support for people of atypical neurodevelopment is usually to help them feel less distressed. Distress can be feeling sad, upset or unhappy or anxious, nervous or afraid. It can be to do with anger and frustration or dealing with stress. We define it “as feeling a way that you would prefer not to feel”. Sometimes people can change how they feel by themselves but sometime that distress can be very complicated and despite best efforts on the part of the individual, family member or friend; it carries on.

Distress is often categorised by diagnosis and although our policy is to treat the person not the condition, it is important to state what types of distress we can help with. These include:

Mood disorders (Depression and Bipolar Disorder)

Anxiety Disorder (Including GAD, OCD, Social Phobia, Panic Disorder, Other phobia’s, Conversion Disorders, Somatoform Disorders)

Personality difficulties (disorders)

PTSD

Eating Disorders / eating difficulties

Psychosis

Self-harming behaviours

Persistent school refusal

Challenging / Disruptive behaviours

Tic Disorders / Tourettes Syndrome

Sleep disorders

Distress in people with an atypical neurodevelopment can be even more complicated as they can experience exactly the same distress as someone typical but it can feel very different and be more difficult to explain. That is why all clinicians who offer psychological support to people with neurodevelopmental conditions have lots of experience and training in working them.

Psychological support can be for the person with the diagnosis of a neurodevelopmental condition or it can be for the people closest to them. Parents of children, partners of adults or indeed the whole family are able to access psychological support.

Some of the work we do includes:

Supporting the family in adjusting to a family member’s diagnosis

Teaching the family/individual about the condition and discuss its impact

Managing the emotional distress that might be associated with the diagnosis or impact of the condition; either directly with the individual or with the whole family.

Helping to understand and tackle difficult behaviour demonstrated by the individual

Psychological support can be offered in our offices in Canterbury, or if appropriate, remotely via videoconferencing. They can also be offered in the home of the person in question. This is particularly useful if the person is young and feels more comfortable at home or if there are mobility issues.

Clinical Psychology

Some of the work we do includes:

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