Neuroaffirming, Trauma-Specialist Psychotherapy and Coaching for late-identified Autistics, ADHDers & AuDHDers (and those on the messy margins)
Unmask. Heal. Rise.
therapy for neurodivergent minds,
Complex trauma recovery,
and authentic growth.
In-person in Chelmsford, Essex - and online, worldwide.
Hi, I’m DeAnna
(you can call me Dee)
I’m a queer trauma-specialist psychotherapist, Autistic ADHDer, writer, artist, human.
I help late-identified (and questioning) Autistics/ADHDers and trauma survivors to make sense of their identity (what’s neurodivergence, what’s trauma, who am I underneath it all?), step out of old stories, and create new, empowered ways of being.
My mission is to help create a world where no human needs to shrink themselves to fit. (And to destroy pathologising narratives of mental health while I’m at it).
Working together, you will come to understand yourself better and build a life that feels good and true to you.
If you’re navigating the crossroads of neurodivergence and complex trauma, this is a space to unmask and live as your whole, authentic self - not the version you were conditioned to be.
Is this for you?
You might be:
Exploring whether you’re neurodivergent - or adjusting to a late-diagnosis
Ready to unlearn years of masking, people-pleasing, or overperforming
Exploring the impact of trauma and who you had to become to survive it
Navigating multiple mental health diagnoses and tired of being told you are too “complicated”
Reframing coping patterns that once helped you survive, but now hold you back
Processing the impact of stress, masking, or feeling misunderstood - and finding new ways to move forward
Questioning old stories, beliefs, or identities that no longer fit
Rebuilding relationships and learning how to show up more authentically in them
Reconnecting with your creativity, purpose and personal power
Shaping a life that finally works with your brain, not against it
Wherever you are in your journey, this work is about meeting yourself with honesty and compassion.
Unmask · Heal · Rise
Unmask
Let go of the masks you’ve worn to survive - the habits of fitting in, pushing through, or holding it all together. Here, you can finally breathe and just be yourself.
Heal
Together, we’ll explore how past experiences shape your present - not to dwell there, but to free yourself from what no longer serves you. This is the work of reclaiming your story and your strength.
Rise
You’ve done the deep work.
Now it’s time to live it - to own your truth, honour your needs, and create a life that feels like freedom.
Working together
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My approach is neurodiversity affirming and trauma-informed, grounded in the belief that you aren’t broken and you don’t need fixing. Working with me is about creating a safe, spacious environment where you can connect with your true self under the masking and survival adaptations, process and release old patterns, and begin to live in a way that feels honest, empowering and sustainable.
As an integrative psychotherapist and coach, I see the past, present, and future as interconnected - and we’ll move between them as feels most useful to you.
Sometimes our work will be purposeful, goal-directed, and practical; other times, it will be slower, more reflective, and exploratory. Either way, the real magic happens between sessions - in the moments when you integrate, reflect, and begin to live what we’ve explored.
I don’t believe in the ‘detached expert’ approach. I’m not analysing from afar, nor telling you what to do - I am walking alongside you. Together, we’ll build an authentic, collaborative relationship where your own inner wisdom can surface and be heard.
My background and lived experience as an autistic ADHDer and trauma survivor inform how I show up - with empathy, curiosity, and honesty - but our work will always centre your story and perspective.
I draw from a wide range of approaches - including somatic psychotherapy, internal family systems (parts work), schema therapy and existential therapy - but everything is adapted to you, not squeezed into a formula. Some people benefit from a slower, more reflective process; others want actionable strategies or deep inner-child and somatic work. Often, we’ll move between these depending on what you need in the moment.
I am a member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), and I uphold their standards of ethical, professional, and client-led practice.
Above all, my work is person-centred: led by your pace, your truth, and your goals. I’m not here to fix you, but to walk alongside you as you uncover who you are beneath the old stories - and reclaim the freedom to live as your whole self.
Specialisms
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Autism, ADHD, and AuDHD, whether you’re late-diagnosed, self-identifying, or still exploring your neurodivergence
Complex Trauma (PTSD / cPTSD) and the impact on self, identity, relationships and coping styles
If you’ve been told you are “too complicated”, been given numerous mental health diagnoses that haven’t brought relief and want to make sense of your experiences and find the way forward
Masking, burnout & emotional exhaustion from years of people-pleasing, overperforming, or hiding parts of yourself
Identity exploration, navigating late diagnosis, unlearning old stories, and reconnecting to your authentic self
Emotional regulation & wellbeing - working through anxiety, low mood, or patterns of coping that once helped you survive but no longer serve you
LGBTQ+ support - creating an affirming space for clients exploring gender, sexuality, and identity
Faith and spiritual transitions - exploring spiritual wounds, unpacking belief systems, and rebuilding trust in yourself and what you believe
Liberation-focused, culturally responsive support - recognising systemic oppression and honouring diverse lived experiences
Relationships & connection - exploring patterns in family, love, friendship, and work, and learning to build safer, more authentic connections with others
Inner child work: healing shame, self-worth wounds, and early patterns that still shape life today
Life transitions: rediscovering purpose, navigating change, and building a life that feels aligned and true to you
FAQs
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Being neuroaffirming means recognising that there’s no single “right” way for a brain to work. Instead of pathologising difference, I aim to understand and create space for you to recognise and appreciate who you are. That means working in ways that honour your natural rhythms, needs, and processing style - rather than asking you to change who you are to fit the world.
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As an integrative psychotherapist and coach, the foundation of my work is person-centred. That is to say that I believe in supporting you to find your own answers, rather than telling you what they are. I am here to hold space for your exploration, and to be a partner with you on the journey.
There is room to be collaborative and goal-focused, and more room to be expansive and reflective. I don’t see coaching and therapy as two separate things - my work brings breadth (space for past, present and future) and depth (into your unconscious patterns) into the space we build together, as I find that holding space for all of you, and not just focusing on what is “wrong” brings the best results.
At times we will pivot into the future, past, and present - because all of these are interconnected and shifting our stories about the past and clarifying our vision for the future helps us to take more empowered action now.
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As an integrative psychotherapist, I have been trained to blend approaches rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach.
At the start of working together, we will discuss and agree which approaches are best suited to your needs, preferences and goals.
My work integrates
Schema therapy - looking at the core patterns that we developed in order to survive our past, but that have overstayed their welcome and continue to repeat in the present
Internal Family Systems / parts work - holding a view that we have multiple selves / sub-personalities (and that this is not a bad or abnormal thing!) and that working with the cast of characters that is inside of us helps us to bring the unconscious into the light, feel more whole and puts us back in the driving seat of our lives (instead of being driven by our triggered parts)
Somatic psychotherapy and body psychology - shifting trauma responses of fight / flight / freeze / fawn / flop so that we can feel embodied, safe and connected in life (and listen to the wisdom of our inner radar)
The psychotherapy world is huge, and I could say more about existential therapy (holding space for you to confront the big identity and purpose questions in your life), transactional analysis (understanding how your past influences your present scripts, and how you can step off the old map into a new narrative), psychodynamic therapy and the work of understanding your unconscious mind and your inner world….
But ultimately, many schools of therapy are saying the same things in different ways.
Psychotherapy is the work of becoming your true self. However that self gets obscured through who we felt we had to become to survive and get our needs met. Through therapy, you get to discover (birth, create) that capital S Self so that you can become the real, authentic you.
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Yes. I am autistic and ADHD. (Late-diagnosed autistic, early diagnosed ADHD - but I’m so ADHD, I forgot until I was diagnosed again in adulthood!)
I also have lived experience of trauma, complex PTSD and recovery from BPD - journeys that have shaped both my compassion and my belief in the possibility of healing.
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No - while I often work with late-diagnosed autistic, ADHD and AuDHD adults, I also work with anyone navigating trauma, anxiety, burnout, or life transitions. Neuroaffirmative simply means I approach everyone with curiosity, respect for difference, and an understanding that there’s no single “right” way to think, feel, or be.
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Full sessions are 50 minutes, either on Zoom or in person in the Chelmsford area. The session fee is £80.
Sessions are on a weekly or fortnightly basis.
We’ll start with a free introductory chat by phone or video call to explore the possibility of working together and so you can decide if therapy feels like a good next step for you.
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I offer face-to-face sessions from my therapy room in Chelmsford city centre. Remote sessions are online via Zoom. I see clients from all across the UK - and the world - via my online practice.
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I work with couples (many of whom are queer / LGBTQ+, but that is by no means mandatory)
I also work with those who identify as polyamorous.
Whatever your formation - whether you are monogamous or poly, straight or queer - the work is around creating balanced and secure relationships where you and your partner can let go of past stories and co-create a secure base that is win-win and meets your needs.
This includes understanding yourself and / or your partner’s neurodivergence, having compassion and understanding for the various parts of yourself/your partner that get activated in relationship - so that you can stop repeating past cycles, and build a healthy, present-focused relationship that brings out the best in you and your partner.
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I work with young people (ages 13 and up), supporting them in navigating autism, ADHD and commonly co-occurring mental health conditions (including anxiety).
I also offer parent coaching sessions on how to best support your neurodivergent children at home, at school and in the world.
My work is systems oriented, working collaboratively to develop an environment and relationships that will enable your young person to flourish and be confident in themselves.
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I work with clients on a weekly or fortnightly basis.
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Member of the British Association of Psychotherapy and Counselling (BACP)
Member of the Complex Trauma Institute
Advanced Certificate in Complex Trauma (ongoing, 2026-2027)
Diploma in Integrative Therapeutic Counselling
Certified Complex Trauma Professional (CCTP-II)
Somatic Therapy for Complex Trauma Certification
Root Cause Therapy Level 1 and 2 (2023)
Recovery Coach Professional (RCP) (2023)
Certificate in Understanding Autism (2023)
Trauma-Informed Coaching (2022)
Diploma in Counselling Skills (2021)
Life & Executive Coaching (ICF) (2021)
Trauma-Informed Practice - nurturing our children in everyday life or during a crisis (2021)
Strengths-Based Coaching (2019)
Certificate of Higher Education in Psychology (2017)
I’m fully insured and engage in regular clinical supervision. Supervision is a confidential space where I meet with a senior practitioner to reflect on my work, develop my practice, and ensure I’m offering the best possible support in line with ethical and professional standards.
That said, research consistently shows that the biggest factor in meaningful change is the quality of the relationship between you and your therapist or coach. In other words, you need to feel supported, comfortable, safe, and free to speak openly.
Reaching out for support takes courage
And finding the right fit matters.
I offer a free 20-minute connection call so you can get a feel for how I work, share what’s bringing you here, and ask any questions before deciding to book.
You can book a call, or feel free to get in touch via email or WhatsApp if you have any questions.