Stephanie Fortescue

I offer both short-term and open-ended therapy, online or face-to-face. We can talk about what might suit you best during an initial consultation.

My approach is relational, trauma-informed and neurodiversity-affirming. I work particularly with adults who are autistic, ADHD or AuDHD, including people who have been diagnosed or identified as neurodivergent later in life. I also work with anxiety, depression, relationship and attachment difficulties, low self-esteem, emotional overwhelm and the impact of difficult or traumatic experiences.

I originally trained psychodynamically, so I am interested in how our earlier experiences and relationships can shape the way we understand ourselves, relate to other people and respond to situations in the present. However, my way of working has developed considerably over the years and now draws on a wider understanding of trauma, attachment, neurodivergence, emotional regulation and the nervous system.

This means we might explore patterns in your relationships, experiences from childhood, difficult emotions or beliefs you hold about yourself. But we might equally think together about sensory overwhelm, executive functioning, masking, burnout, rejection sensitivity, emotional regulation or why everyday demands can sometimes feel disproportionately difficult.

I don't believe that every difficulty needs to be traced back to childhood or that distress should automatically be viewed as something within the individual that needs to be “fixed”. Sometimes understanding your brain, nervous system and environment — and recognising where you have spent years trying to function in ways that don't suit you — can be just as important.

I’m a qualified psychotherapist and counsellor with over 10 years’ experience of working therapeutically with individuals. I hold a Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling and Psychotherapy from the University of Brighton, and I have also completed an MSc in Psychotherapy at the University of Brighton.

My training has given me a broad grounding in relational and integrative psychotherapy, and my work has increasingly developed around neurodivergence, particularly ADHD, autism and AuDHD, as well as anxiety, depression, trauma, attachment difficulties, and relationship issues.

Over the years, I have worked with a wide range of clients in both private practice and other therapeutic settings. I have particular experience of working with adults who have spent a long time feeling misunderstood, overwhelmed, “too much”, or as though they have had to adapt themselves to fit in.

I also have experience of working with adolescents and of supporting people with more complex emotional and relational difficulties. Alongside my clinical work, I continue to undertake regular professional development and supervision, and I’m committed to keeping my practice thoughtful, ethical and up to date.

What is therapy with me like?

I see therapy as something we do collaboratively rather than something I “do” to you. Although the therapeutic relationship remains an important part of my work, I don't aim to be a completely neutral or distant therapist. I am warm, engaged and curious, and I want therapy to feel like a space where you don't have to perform or work out the “right” thing to say.

For neurodivergent clients in particular, I recognise that traditional ways of doing therapy don't work for everyone. I am happy to adapt the way we work to suit your communication and processing style. We can be more structured when structure is helpful, use psychoeducation to make sense of what you're experiencing, or think about practical strategies alongside deeper emotional and relational work.

At other times, there may be value in slowing things down and becoming curious about what is happening between us. Patterns that occur elsewhere in your life can sometimes emerge within therapy too, giving us an opportunity to understand them in a relationship where they can be explored safely rather than judged.

My aim isn't to teach you how to appear less anxious, less sensitive or less neurodivergent. Instead, I want to help you develop a better understanding of yourself: what has shaped you, what overwhelms you, what you need, and which patterns are still protecting you even if they are no longer serving you.

Over time, therapy can help you develop greater self-understanding and self-compassion, feel more able to regulate difficult emotions, communicate your needs and boundaries, and make choices that feel more consistent with the person you actually are.