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Navigating Complex Intersections: Neurodivergence, Trauma, and OCD in Therapy: A Video Resource Pack

Navigating Complex Intersections: Neurodivergence, Trauma, and OCD in Therapy: A Video Resource Pack
This video resource pack includes:
-
Building an Effective Neurodivergent-Affirmative Practice: Working with Traumatised Adults with undiagnosed ADHD and ASC (Christiane Sanderson, 6 CPD/CE)
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Addressing OCD, Trauma, and Neurodivergence in Therapy: Practical skills for client-centred therapy (Christiane Sanderson, 6 CPD/CE)
Video course packs, including all notes are available immediately on booking. The access links are part of your ticket. Online video access remains available for 1 year from the date you receive the video course.
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There is no known commercial support for this programme.
£ 290.00 Original price was: £ 290.00.£ 250.00Current price is: £ 250.00.

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Speaker(s)

Course length in hours
Full course information
Transform your therapeutic approach with our Navigating Complex Intersections combo pack, expertly designed for psychotherapists and psychologists. This comprehensive training package delves into the multifaceted and overlapping challenges of neurodivergence, trauma, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), equipping you with advanced strategies to support your clients effectively.
Building an Effective Neurodivergent-Affirmative Practice: Working with Traumatised Adults with Undiagnosed ADHD and ASCilluminates the often-overlooked experiences of neurodivergent adults. This workshop focuses on recognizing ADHD and ASC symptoms in adults, understanding their overlap with trauma, and implementing compassionate, neurodivergent-affirmative therapeutic practices. You will learn to create a supportive therapeutic environment and gain practical skills to help clients manage the impact of stigma and misdiagnosis.
Addressing OCD, Trauma, and Neurodivergence in Therapy: Practical Skills for Client-Centered Therapy explores the intricate connections between OCD, trauma, and neurodivergence. This training emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between these conditions and understanding their interplay to provide personalized therapeutic care. You will gain insights into effective therapeutic modalities such as Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy (ERP), Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (Tf-CBT), and trauma-informed practices.
By combining these two powerful trainings, you will be equipped to address the complex and intertwined challenges of neurodivergent processing, trauma, and OCD, fostering a holistic healing journey for your clients.
Core Therapeutic Challenges Highlighted
- Neurodivergent Challenges in Adults: Recognize and address the signs of ADHD and ASC in adults, understand their overlap with trauma symptoms, and implement neurodivergent-affirmative practices.
- Interconnections Between OCD, Trauma, and Neurodivergence: Distinguish between OCD, PTSD, and neurodivergent processing differences, and understand their complex interplay to provide tailored therapeutic interventions.
Learning Outcomes
- Recognize Neurodivergent Signs: Enhance your ability to identify ADHD and ASC symptoms in adults, understand their interplay with trauma, and create a supportive therapeutic environment.
- Address OCD and Trauma: Gain insights into the overlapping features of OCD, PTSD, and neurodivergent processing, and implement specialized treatment modalities to manage these conditions effectively.
- Integrate Comprehensive Therapeutic Techniques: Combine insights from neurodivergent-affirmative practices and trauma-informed therapy to provide nuanced, effective interventions for clients with complex, intertwined challenges.
Empower yourself with the knowledge and tools to make a profound impact on your clients’ lives by addressing the multifaceted challenges of neurodivergence, trauma, and OCD with our curated video course pack.
This video resource pack contains two complete workshops (CPD/CE credits: 12 ) that cover:
Part 1: Building an Effective Neurodivergent-Affirmative Practice: Working with Traumatised Adults with undiagnosed ADHD and ASC (Christiane Sanderson), CPD/CE credits: 6
Very often amongst adult clients, the manifestations of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) have been misdiagnosed or undiagnosed, leaving them to battle a long-term sense of anxiety, depression, shame, isolation and loneliness.
Contrary to common perception, ADHD is not restricted to childhood. It persists in up to 60 per cent of adults. There has been a significant increase in adults seeking assessment for previously undiagnosed ADHD or ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorder) / ASC. Currently the waiting list in the UK for adults to access assessment or diagnosis for ADHD or ASD through the NHS is between three to seven years, while the waiting list for a private assessment is six months to 1 year.
Many clients enter therapy without realising that the challenges and struggles they face may be linked to ADHD or ASD. Counselling proves especially efficacious in helping them to understand and move on from the psychological trauma and its manifestations created due to misdiagnosis and stigmatisation of neurodivergent challenges.
The most common manifestations that can have overlapping symptoms with adult ADHD include mood disorders, anxiety, depression, self-medication through alcohol or drugs, developmental and/or certain medical conditions. There may also be an overlap with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or Complex PTSD.
However, as practitioners, we often lack specific training or awareness of how neurodivergent clients may present in the therapeutic process. As a result, the focus may be confined on overt presenting symptoms and easily identifiable mental health conditions without taking into consideration any potential neurodivergence.
Therapy for adult neurodivergent clients thus requires:
- Recognising that ADHD/ASD is a neurodivergent challenge
- Having the training to work with the interplay of the neurobiological and psychological manifestations
This online workshop, which will be of interest to psychotherapists, psychologists and counsellors, aims to enhance practitioner awareness of neurodiversity – covering the range of challenges and struggles faced by those who are neurodivergent as well as their strengths. The emphasis will be on ADHD/ASD and how preconceived ideas about ADHD/ASD and masking can prevent clients and practitioners from realising that there may be a degree of neurodivergence.
This workshop will aim to enable practitioners to be more aware of:
- The range of signs and symptoms associated with ADHD and ASC
- The crossover and interplay of symptoms with other types of neurodivergence
- Comorbidity with trauma and other mental health difficulties
Specifically, we will explore effective therapeutic skills such as Compassion-Focused therapy and Trauma-Informed practice to work with such clients.
Having neurodivergence confirmed through appropriate diagnosis can significantly relieve the client’s sense of shame and allow them to not blame themselves for feeling different. In this context, we will work to develop therapeutic skills to mitigate the traumatic effects of shame and marginalisation and resourcing clients to manage their impact.
In addition, the training will also highlight how we can create a neurodivergent friendly therapeutic space and how to incorporate affirmative neurodivergent informed practice into our modalities.
Learning Objectives:
- Discuss the struggles and challenges of those adults who have ADHD or ASD as well as their strengths
- Identify the range of signs and symptoms associated with ADHD and ASD and explain how to see under masking
- Identify the overlap between trauma symptoms and ADHD and ASD symptoms
- Identify how to create a neurodivergent friendly therapeutic space which incorporates affirmative neurodivergent-informed practice
- Discuss effective therapeutic skills within the context of Compassion-Focused Therapy and Trauma Informed Practice
- Explain how to develop therapeutic skills to mitigate the traumatic effects of shame and resource clients to manage the impact of stigmatisation
Part 2: Addressing OCD, Trauma, and Neurodivergence in Therapy: Practical skills for client-centred therapy (Christiane Sanderson), CPD/CE credits: 6
Obsessions, ruminations, and recurrent intrusive thoughts are not only catalysts for anxiety and shame but also contribute to a gradual escalation of emotional discomfort over time. Clients grappling with these experiences often struggle to discern reality from inner fears, anticipate catastrophic events, harbour an overwhelming fear of disintegration and may even develop a profound mistrust of their therapist. Whether through conspicuous physical rituals or unseen mental loops, they engage in behaviours aimed at obtaining temporary relief.
Meanwhile, Trauma, with its accompanying hypervigilance, elevated threat responses, and increased anxiety, can further exacerbate obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviours. Additionally, changes in cognitive processing, common in OCD and trauma, can manifest in neurodivergent presentations such as ADHD and ASC. Participants at this skills-based workshop will explore the intricate connections between OCD, Trauma, and PTSD, gaining insights into the overlapping features and distinct characteristics of each condition. Additionally, the course will delve into the impact of neurodivergent processing differences on symptom presentation and therapy response.
Exploring the Intersections: OCD, Trauma, and Neurodivergence
For psychotherapists and counsellors, addressing OCD becomes especially challenging in the presence of overlapping manifestations with trauma and neurodivergence. The challenges can intensify when clients exhibit covert manifestations such as Pure O or ROCD, where their intrusive thoughts might focus on themes of harm, relationships, sexuality and gender, religious or moral questions. These thoughts can feel like an attack on a client’s sense of self, and they are often accompanied by guilt and shame.
This webinar delves into the nature and function of OCD, emphasizing its central role in alleviating anxiety and fear. It scrutinizes the spectrum of obsessive and intrusive thoughts, as well as compulsive behaviours, as mechanisms for neutralizing or managing unbearable obsessive thoughts. It also illuminates the interconnectedness of OCD and PTSD, highlighting shared characteristics such as recurring, persistent, involuntary, and intrusive thoughts. Using case vignettes, we will explore how repetitive behaviours are enacted to neutralise these – such as avoidance, thought suppression or dissociation – aimed at alleviating stress and anxiety. Participants will further gain insight into the complex interplay between obsessive-compulsive disorder, trauma, and neurodivergence, and how these factors influence therapeutic outcomes.
Enhancing Therapeutic Competence
It’s imperative for practitioners to distinguish between OCD, trauma, and neurodivergence, and how these interact or overlap so as to craft comprehensive case formulations tailored to individual client needs. By understanding these distinctions and overlaps, therapists can implement the most effective therapeutic approaches. This involves exploring various modalities, including Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy (ERP), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Trauma-Focused CBT (Tf-CBT), medication, and trauma-informed therapy. Emphasis will be placed on facilitating trauma processing and integrating principles of Trauma-Informed Practice and neurodiverse affirmative practices into therapeutic interventions.
Participants will learn practical skills for distinguishing between OCD, PTSD, and neurodivergent processing differences, enabling effective assessment and personalised therapeutic planning. Emphasis will be placed on recognising the holistic needs of clients, addressing both OCD symptoms and trauma-related symptoms to promote comprehensive healing. Through case studies and interactive discussions, participants will develop the expertise to deliver effective, client-centred care for individuals grappling with OCD, trauma, and neurodivergence.
At this webinar, we will focus on:
- Understanding the Intricacies of OCD, Trauma, and Neurodivergence: Gain insight into the complex interplay between obsessive-compulsive disorder, trauma, and neurodivergence, and how these factors influence therapeutic outcomes.
- Distinguishing Between OCD, PTSD, and Neurodivergent Processing: Develop the ability to differentiate between obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and neurodivergent processing differences, enabling tailored treatment strategies for each condition.
- Recognizing the Holistic Needs of Clients: Recognize the importance of addressing both OCD symptoms and trauma-related symptoms to provide comprehensive care that promotes long-term well-being.
- Integrating Specialized Treatment Approaches: Learn to incorporate specialized treatment modalities such as Trauma-Focused CBT and Trauma-Informed Practice into therapeutic interventions, ensuring effective symptom management and resolution.
Learning Objectives:
- Discuss the complex interplay between obsessive-compulsive disorder, trauma, and neurodivergence, and how these factors influence therapeutic outcomes.
- Explain how to differentiate between obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and neurodivergent processing differences, enabling tailored treatment strategies for each condition.
- Discuss the importance of addressing both OCD symptoms and trauma-related symptoms to provide comprehensive care that promotes long-term well-being.
- Apply specialized treatment modalities such as Trauma-Focused CBT and Trauma-Informed Practice into therapeutic interventions, ensuring effective symptom management and resolution.
What's included in this course
- Presented by world-class speaker(s)
- Handouts and video recording
- 12 hrs of professionally produced lessons
- 1 year access to video recorded version
- CPD / CE Certificate
- Join from anywhere in the world
Part 1: Building an Effective Neurodivergent-Affirmative Practice: Working with Traumatised Adults with undiagnosed ADHD and ASC (Christiane Sanderson)
This workshop, which will be of interest to psychotherapists, psychologists and counsellors, aims to enhance practitioner awareness of neurodiversity – covering the range of challenges and struggles faced by those who are neurodivergent as well as their strengths. The emphasis will be on ADHD/ASD and how preconceived ideas about ADHD/ASD and masking can prevent clients and practitioners from realising that there may be a degree of neurodivergence.
Part 2: Addressing OCD, Trauma, and Neurodivergence in Therapy: Practical skills for client-centred therapy (Christiane Sanderson)
This seminar delves into the nature and function of OCD, emphasizing its central role in alleviating anxiety and fear. It scrutinizes the spectrum of obsessive and intrusive thoughts, as well as compulsive behaviours, as mechanisms for neutralizing or managing unbearable obsessive thoughts. It also illuminates the interconnectedness of OCD and PTSD, highlighting shared characteristics such as recurring, persistent, involuntary, and intrusive thoughts. Using case vignettes, we will explore how repetitive behaviours are enacted to neutralise these – such as avoidance, thought suppression or dissociation – aimed at alleviating stress and anxiety. Participants will further gain insight into the complex interplay between obsessive-compulsive disorder, trauma, and neurodivergence, and how these factors influence therapeutic outcomes.
Learning objectives
- Discuss the struggles and challenges of those adults who have ADHD or ASD as well as their strengths
- Identify the range of signs and symptoms associated with ADHD and ASD and explain how to see under masking
- Identify the overlap between trauma symptoms and ADHD and ASD symptoms
- Identify how to create a neurodivergent friendly therapeutic space which incorporates affirmative neurodivergent-informed practice
- Discuss effective therapeutic skills within the context of Compassion-Focused Therapy and Trauma Informed Practice
- Explain how to develop therapeutic skills to mitigate the traumatic effects of shame and resource clients to manage the impact of stigmatisation
- Discuss the complex interplay between obsessive-compulsive disorder, trauma, and neurodivergence, and how these factors influence therapeutic outcomes.
- Explain how to differentiate between obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and neurodivergent processing differences, enabling tailored treatment strategies for each condition.
- Discuss the importance of addressing both OCD symptoms and trauma-related symptoms to provide comprehensive care that promotes long-term well-being.
- Apply specialized treatment modalities such as Trauma-Focused CBT and Trauma-Informed Practice into therapeutic interventions, ensuring effective symptom management and resolution.

Christiane Sanderson BSc, MSc. is an Honorary Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Roehampton, of London with 35years of experience working with survivors of childhood sexual abuse and sexual violence. She has delivered consultancy, continuous professional development and professional training for parents, teachers, social workers, nurses, therapists, counsellors, solicitors, the NSPCC, the Catholic Safeguarding Advisory Committee, the Methodist Church, the Metropolitan Police Service, SOLACE, the Refugee Council, Birmingham City Council Youth Offending Team, and HMP Bronzefield.
She is the author of Counselling Skills for Working with Shame, Counselling Skills for Working with Trauma: Healing from Child Sexual Abuse, Sexual Violence and Domestic Abuse, Counselling Adult Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse, 3rd edition, Counselling Survivors of Domestic Abuse, The Seduction of Children: Empowering Parents and Teachers to Protect Children from Child Sexual Abuse, and Introduction to Counselling Survivors of Interpersonal Trauma, all published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers. She has also written The Warrior Within: A One in Four Handbook to Aid Recovery from Sexual Violence; The Spirit Within: A One in Four Handbook to Aid Recovery from Religious Sexual Abuse Across All Faiths and Responding to Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse: A pocket guide for professionals, partners, families and friends for the charity One in Four for whom she is a trustee.
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