Coaching can support people from all walks of life. We know that neurodiversity in females can present differently to males and can often go under or mis-diagnosed.
We recently worked with a client who was happy to share her experience.

The client is a qualified mental health nurse and has mentioned she believes she is autistic.

She describes sensory sensitivity, especially in noise related, where she will very often have to cover her ears and attempt to leave.

The client suggests she must try and adapt her behaviour to ‘fit in’ suggesting masking. She also suffers with depression/anxiety, has self-medicated with alcohol and has reported to suffering with a number of ‘mental breakdowns’ in her life. She reports feeling different as a child and isolated from her peers.

The client attended six 121 sessions with one of our expert coaches Jamie-Lee Matthews from The Better Health Generation. Following those sessions, the client reported that she understands Autism a lot more now and has found the sessions really helpful to build on her pre-existing knowledge of ASD, how this may affect her and found it really useful to identify difficulties in day to day alongside coach and for coach to ‘cleverly’ put the information into the context of real life.

The client also reported that she understands now that as she aligns with all autistic traits, she can see the reasons why she isolates herself at home, because it is her safe space away from the world and when she is in the community, she experiences sensory sensitivity. She can also now notice how much she masks in social situations to cope, appearing more extroverted when she needs to be. The client also stated she wants to be out in the community and enjoys interacting with people, but the sensory barriers to accessing the community can make her hesitant, which is why she is willing to explore the use of noise cancelling headphones, and an affirmation sheet that she can read while out in public to keep herself grounded; particularly on public transport which she massively struggles with.

The client additionally reported she is now able to notice her negative thinking patterns, where her core beliefs may have been developed and has been able to begin challenging these to have a more positive outlook on life and heal her inner child.
Having a female coach really helped the client and she was able to provide some positive feedback around her experience

“You’ve helped me to become more assertive again, almost like a refresher course on how to have boundaries, and I have begun asserting boundaries again in real life situations.”

 

“My long-term goal is to remember how fabulous I am, to remember Jamie-Lee’s words and her warmth, and to keep remembering that I am a strong, capable woman, despite my difficulties.”

 

“I admire you Jamie-Lee, and I am not just saying that to be kind, it is genuine. You are such a strong, empowering woman who has empowered me continuously, and you have given me back my strength.”

Our coach Jamie-Lee stated that the client engaged well with the support, appearing focussed and interested in discussions and the client was able to offer their own reflections and perspectives on neurodiversity and how this has impacted her throughout her life. relating to the topics discussed in the sessions. The client now feels confident to utilise the information and strategies in her day to day life to improve her overall health and wellbeing.