Training

Neurodivergent Wellbeing Approach

Our current course is full. Please fill in this form to be notified when the next course will be run.

This programme is a holistic neurodivergent wellbeing curriculum designed to provide practical skills to parents and professionals who are supporting neurodivergent young people. The NDWA course has been specifically designed so that attendees are empowered to become ‘trainers’ themselves, by sharing their learning with others. 

© Neurodiverse Connection 2024

Who is this for?

This versatile and adaptable training can be delivered to hospital teams, community teams, educators, third sector groups.

We aim to work with teams to support their young people, but we can also work directly with young people. If you have access needs that you’d like to discuss, we’d welcome a conversation about how we can support this.

How is it delivered?

An online programme delivered via Zoom in 8 x 90-minute sessions over two months.

Sessions will include a mixture of presentations, practical demonstrations, and discussion. You will receive training materials including a workbook to accompany the session content. Sessions will be recorded and shared with attendees.

Cost to attend

£200 place-of-work-funded attendees
£50 for self-funded attendees

Bursary places are also available upon request

Digital course materials are included with entry fee, printed course materials are available at an extra cost.

Entry requirements

This course is open to neurodivergent individuals and their families and friends as well as professionals.

Attendees must be 18 years old or older.

  • I will encourage schools to think about implementing more time for joy and implementing some of the strategies that support their young persons nervous system responses as part of daily practice.

  • I feel like [I have] a better understanding of my autism.

  •  I will be more mindful of the emotions of the young people that I work with and how I can help them self-regulate.

  • It was great, thank you and it very much resonates with the work our provisions have done on the curriculum and listening to autistic feedback of experience of mainstream school.

  • I will speak to the importance of understanding their autistic learners and children and try to increase their understanding to make positive changes. Particularly in reference to consent and masking.

Session details

  • Session 1: Foundations

    • What is neurodivergence and what are neurotypes?

    • Creating safe space for neurodivergent people

    • The importance of education

    • Wholeness for wellness (mind, body, spirit)

    • The core approaches – creativity, metacognition (thinking about thinking), instinct and intuition

    • The basics of wellness – wellbeing factors, mindful embodiment and self-compassion

  • Session 2: Stress & The Nervous System

    • Education – polyvagal theory, window or capacity, survival and stress responses

    • Instinct and felt sense

    • Hyper and Hypo sensory processing

    • Self-regulation, self-soothing and resourcing

  • Session 3: The Mind

    • Metacognition

    • Executive functioning, memory and sequencing

    • Self-coaching – life audit, intention setting and 4 As

    • Guided visualisation

  • Session 4: Know Your Self

    • Rhythms and cycles

    • Emotions and alexithymia

    • Managing energy and capacity to reduce burn out

    • Self-compassion

  • Session 5: Joy

    • Building capacity

    • Making sense or life

    • Finding meaning and the importance of special interests

    • Feeling connection

  • Session 6: Unmasking

    • Be creative in learning about you

    • Gender and sexuality

    • Communicating preferences and truth

    • Releasing the old and writing your story

  • Session 7: Self-Advocacy

    • More about neurodivergence and neurotypes

    • Reasonable adjustments – your rights

    • Power and control

    • Boundaries and assertiveness

  • Session 8: Embodiment—The Practices

    • Grounding

    • SOS – Containment, releasing anger

    • Regulation – ABC, breathing

    • Building capacity – self touch, kidney adrenal and progressive muscle relaxation

What are the benefits?

This trauma-informed, integrative, and comprehensive programme takes a creative, exploratory and ‘outside the box’ approach to wellness. It offers something to all aspects and parts of young adults. It speaks to:

  1. Their minds via metacognitive (thinking about thinking) and self-coaching techniques

  2. Their bodies, through the cultivation of embodiment and instinct via nervous system education, neurosensory exercises and self-regulation strategies

  3. Their spirit, energy and life-force through the development of intuition and an understanding and advocacy of self, their strengths and preferences, alongside exploring meaning in the world and of life

How was this course developed?

This training has been inspired by demand from hospital teams and parent groups who want to understand and provide better support to neurodivergent young people they are living and working with.

This programme will support an enhanced understanding of neurodivergence and provide practical approaches that can be implemented with young people to facilitate their own understanding, wellbeing and self-care.

The training was also inspired by the power of improving wellbeing via body first approaches and embodied partnership – a bottom-up approach – where the young person learns what gives their lives meaning and becomes their own best friend, leader and advocate – partners with themselves. 

The training builds on trauma informed practise – the power of embodied partnership and co-regulation between those offering support and the young person.

Meet your trainer

This programme is delivered by NdC Associate, Kay Aldred.

Kay is passionate about increasing awareness of the gifts of neurodivergence. As well as being an experienced neurodivergent teacher of all age groups, Kay is herself late-diagnosed autistic and has parented neurodivergent children of her own.

Kay has worked pastorally and therapeutically with children and adults throughout her career within educational, retreat and wellness settings. Kay uses her lived personal and professional experience to explore intersectional insights and trauma-informed, autism-friendly approaches.

FAQs

  • You need an open mind and to be able to commit the time to attend all the sessions, in addition to time after the sessions to complete reflection tasks. You also need good internet access, a computer and a quiet space to attend, plus the workbook and a pen.

  • These sessions are suitable for up to 20 attendees.

  • The programme is delivered online via Teams and sessions will include a mixture of presentations, practical demonstrations, and discussion. You will receive training materials - a workbook to accompany the session content. In addition, you will be required to complete reflection tasks outside of sessions to certificate.

  • Yes. To certificate and gain CPD hours you need to attend all eight sessions and complete the reflection tasks.

  • Yes – definitely.  The content is useful for everyone in that it offers access to a comprehensive and holistic wellbeing programme.  It reduces barriers and prejudice through education and supports embodiment and self-exploration.  It is especially useful for reducing stress, anxiety, low mood and feelings of disempowerment, isolation and hopelessness.

Our current course is full

Please complete the form below to be notified when the next course will be run