Philippa Balazs - MBACP PGCert BSc(Psych)

Hi, I’m Philippa. I’m a Neurodivergent counsellor working with adults (age 21+) across Europe online
*Please note: I do not provide counselling for children or young people

I have several years counselling experience with a range of issues which I detail further below, but working with Autistic and/or ADHD adults (including late-diagnosed) is my area of expertise. This is because of my combined lived experience as well as the additional training I have completed (King’s College London and the National Autistic Society to name a few). 

It became clear to me some years ago that therapy is not a one-size-fits all, and working with someone who is not adequately informed or experienced with Neurodivergence – either through lived experience/family/neuroaffirming training – can been harmful and even traumatising. I have also found myself working with those who have experienced harm in previous therapy (mainly through the therapists lack of professional understanding around specific Autistic/ADHD issues, outdated stereotyping, and lack of awareness of how life as a Neurodivergent person feels). 

My passion is to provide therapy that recognises and embraces all of our individual differences. I do not see you as defective or broken; and am deeply committed to ensuring that your unique challenges and strengths are understood and validated. I work with you to empower you to understand and embrace your identity; build resilience; gain self-awareness/compassion; self-acceptance and cultivate healthy relationships and boundaries. 

What to expect from counselling with me:

The first session is a space for us to explore what specifically has led you to seek counselling with me: maybe you have recently been diagnosed and feel overwhelmed by everything and need to unpack it with someone who “gets it”. Perhaps you were diagnosed in childhood and have some trauma from this; or maybe Neurodivergence has just appeared on your radar and you are starting to relate and want to explore it with someone. Whatever the reason, we will start by forming a picture of your difficulties and how we can approach them, together.

I can facilitate a process of making sense of your experiences through a compassion-focussed, Neurodivergent lens, with the aim of slowly freeing yourself from the often immobilising pain and shame of your experiences. I welcome and invite you to find creative ways of expression within –  and between – our sessions (such as drawing, journaling, music, song lyrics, stories, films..anything that speaks to you). We do not have to follow all the neurotypical “talking therapy rules”!