Autism Therapists in Brighton & Hove

Understanding Autism

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) encompasses a range of developmental conditions that affect communication, behavior, and social interactions. Individuals with autism may struggle with interpreting social cues, forming relationships, and managing sensory sensitivities. However, autism manifests differently in each person, with varying levels of support needed based on individual strengths and challenges.

The Role of Counselling in Autism Support

Counselling for individuals with autism and their families focuses on addressing the unique challenges faced in daily life. Therapy helps individuals improve communication skills, manage anxiety, and develop strategies for navigating social situations. Family counselling is also critical in fostering understanding and support.

Improving Social Skills and Communication

Therapists work with individuals with autism to enhance their social skills and communication abilities. This includes helping them understand nonverbal cues, manage sensory sensitivities, and develop confidence in interacting with others.

Supporting Families and Caregivers

Families and caregivers play a crucial role in the lives of individuals with autism. Counselling provides them with the tools and guidance to support their loved ones effectively, helping to create a nurturing and understanding environment at home.

  • Improving social skills
  • Managing sensory sensitivities
  • Supporting families
  • Building communication strategies

Autism specialists based in Brighton & Hove

All therapists listed are verified and based in Brighton & Hove.

Cerrie Lantrua Brighton

Cerrie Lantrua

Counsellor

Clients often tell me how much they value having a space where they feel understood, where they don’t have to explain their neurodivergence or justify their experiences.I am neurodivergent myself, and I’m open about that. It’s not something I see as a limitation, but as something that shapes how I understand, relate, and connect. Alongside my training and experience, this gives me a way of seeing things that often helps clients feel recognised in ways they may not have experienced before.I’m naturally creative and tend to think outside the box, which allows me to consider different perspectives and gently step into what it might be like to be you, not from a place of judgement, but from a genuine willingness to understand.At the same time, I don’t assume your experience is the same as anyone else’s. No two people are the same. A big part of what I offer is taking the time to learn what you need, how you experience things, and what support feels right for you.You are the expert on yourself. My role isn’t to tell you what to do or who to be, but to walk alongside you as you begin to understand yourself more fully.I aim to create a space where you feel safe enough to be real. Where you don’t have to mask, filter, or find the “right” way to say things. A space where you can feel seen, heard, and genuinely understood. 

BACPRegistered

Alan Sparkes Hove

Alan Sparkes

Psychotherapist & Counsellor

An integrative psychotherapist with 20 years’ experience, working with shame and relational trauma, and with people who’ve had therapy before but found it didn’t reach the root of things.I often work with men who've spent years holding it together, and with women living with the effects of early or relational trauma. What brings people is usually anxiety or depression, but underneath there's something that has been there a long time: a harsh inner voice, a sense of never being quite good enough, relationship patterns that keep repeating, or simply not knowing why you feel the way you do.I don't do psychic amputation. You can't cut off the parts of yourself you don't like, or that cause you pain, without running into more problems. Therapy can help those parts be understood and integrated, so you can live more fully.I'm not a therapist who just nods and asks how that makes you feel. I'll tell you what I notice, and when it helps, I'll gently challenge you, always with care. I also work with couples, helping each partner understand what keeps happening between them.I am a UKCP-registered psychotherapist. I built and ran a multi-room therapy practice in Hove, lead peer groups for practitioners, founded Brighton Counselling Directory, and also counsel with the Terrence Higgins Trust in Brighton. Qualified therapists are welcome as clients.

BACPRegisteredUKCPAccredited

Tessa Williams Brighton

Tessa Williams

Integrative Counsellor

I’m a warm, thoughtful and genuine therapist, working with individual adults in person in Brighton & Hove and online.I see therapy as something we build together, with the relationship between us at the heart of the work. I aim to offer a space where you can feel accepted as you are, while also supporting you to consider different perspectives when that may be helpful.My way of working is flexible and shaped around you. We might explore emotions, relationships and recurring patterns, pay attention to how experiences are felt in your body, or use more creative ways of working where that feels useful.I offer an affirming and inclusive space, including for LGBTQ+, neurodivergent and disabled identities and experiences.

BACPRegistered

Stephanie Fortescue Brighton

Stephanie Fortescue

Psychotherapist & Counsellor

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.

BACPRegistered

Rosie Dee Brighton

Rosie Dee

Psychotherapist

I'm a humanistic psychotherapist working with individuals and couples, and I bring empathy, hope and creativity to my work. I am interested and curious about what it means and feels like to be you, and I really believe in the power of the therapeutic relationship as a vessel for growth and change. It is a privilege to do this work, and to be a part of the exploration of your life story, who you are and what matters to you.

BACPRegistered

Resources

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