Sarah Read

Session type: Fortnightly or weekly

Location: Online across the UK

Session length: 60 minutes

Fee: 拢65 (day), 拢70 (eve)

Availability: Wednesdays and Fridays

Approach: Neurodivergent-affirming, Humanistic, relational, person鈥慶entred

Support for autistic, ADHD & late鈥慽dentified ND women in midlife ~ Online & in York

When you realise you may be autistic, ADHD or AuDHD, everything suddenly makes sense...yet nothing makes sense at all. You may be finding this midlife shift overwhelming, disorientating and strangely relieving all at once. You may be exhausted from years of coping, unsure how to move forward, or struggling to understand why everything feels harder now.

Together we make sense of what鈥檚 happening in your mind and body. We explore your sensory needs, burnout patterns, emotional intensity, nervous system and identity - helping you feel less overwhelmed, more grounded, and more able to live in a way that feels sustainable and true to who you are.

Navigating Life Therapy is a neuro-affirming practice, supporting midlife women navigating late-identified neurodivergence, burnout, and peri-menopause-related unmasking.

Some clients choose to begin with the Navigate Neurodivergence Foundations - eight gentle areas that help us understand how your neurodivergence shows up in daily life. We might explore themes such as sensory overload, masking, burnout, emotional intensity, or energy limits.

This can give us a shared language, making deeper therapeutic work feel clearer and less overwhelming. You鈥檙e free to use this structure as much or as little as feels helpful. If you鈥檇 prefer to begin more openly, we simply follow what feels most important to you.

Therapy is always collaborative, paced carefully, and responsive to your nervous system.

If you鈥檙e wondering whether this kind of support might be helpful, you鈥檙e very welcome to get in touch for a gentle introductory call. There鈥檚 no pressure to commit - it鈥檚 simply a chance to ask questions and see whether working together feels like the right fit for you.

I bring lived ND experience, Level 7 therapeutic training and neurodivergence鈥憇pecific CPD, alongside a warm, unhurried, relational style. Because of this, many clients (diagnosed or self-identifying) tell me they feel understood quickly, without having to explain or justify their experience. I work at a pace that respects your sensory world, processing style, nervous system and your way of being.

Therapy is collaborative and steady. We explore what your mind and body have been doing to cope, what鈥檚 been overwhelming or confusing, and what might help you live in a way that feels more sustainable and true to yourself. All feelings are welcome here.

Whether you're autistic, ADHD, AuDHD, or exploring whether you might be, therapy offers a calm, unpressured space where you don鈥檛 need to mask or explain the basics.

Professional Qualifications:

• Level 7 Post Graduate Diploma (awarded with Distinction) in Humanistic Counselling, York St John University
• Level 2 & 3 Counselling Skills Certificate, York College
• BA Hons (I) in Development of Education for Children & Young People with Special Educational Needs & Disabilities, York St John Uni

Recent Training:

• TQUK Level 2 Certificate in Understanding Autism, Askham Bryan College
• The Inside of Autism - The Autistic Advocate
• Curating Healthy Lifestyles for Late-Identified Autistic Adults - The Autistic Advocate
• Autistic Masking - The Autistic Advocate
• Complex Trauma Certificate Level 1 & 2

Benefits of online therapy for ND women

Online sessions can be especially supportive if you鈥檙e navigating:

Sensory sensitivities, peri鈥憁enopause fatigue, burnout or overwhelm, parenting demands, limited time or energy

Online therapy allows you to:

• avoid travel, waiting rooms and sensory unpredictability
• regulate your environment (lighting, temperature, movement, comfort)
• manage energy more easily
• access therapy from anywhere in the UK
• feel safe in your own space

For many midlife ND women, online work reduces pressure and increases emotional capacity.

Free 20 - 30 min Introduction Call

The purpose of the introduction call is to find out what issues you are keen to work on and to explain a little of how I work.

I will ask some questions about your challenges and how they are impacting you across your life - home, work, relationships, sleep etc. I will take some contact info and make some notes (which are destroyed if we do not go on to work together). We can explore which, if any, of the 8 Navigate Neurodivergence Foundations might be helpful for you to work on in our early sessions.

If I think at the end of the call that I can support you, I鈥檒l share that with you and we can discuss how it would work. But, if I feel that I am not the best person to help you I鈥檒l tell you and if I know someone who could help, I鈥檒l point you in their direction instead.

Session type: Fortnightly in-person

Location: York city centre (YO1)

Session length: 75 minutes

Fee: 拢80 (daytime), 拢85 (evening)

Availability: Tuesdays & Thursdays

Approach: Humanistic, relational, person鈥慶entred

Warm, relational counselling in York. Fortnightly, 75 minute sessions. Humanistic, steady support for adults seeking space to talk, reflect and understand themselves. ND鈥慳ffirming online therapy also available.

Navigating Life Therapy - In Person Sessions

You might look like you鈥檙e coping, but inside you feel stretched thin - overthinking, anxious, replaying conversations in your head. You want to feel calmer, more confident, and able to trust your own voice again. Therapy can be a space to breathe, make sense of what鈥檚 yours to carry, and start feeling more like you.

People come to in鈥憄erson therapy for many reasons - feeling overwhelmed, navigating a life change, struggling in relationships, or simply wanting a quiet, steady space to reflect. You don鈥檛 need a diagnosis or a clear 鈥渋ssue鈥� to begin. You can arrive as you are, and we can explore what feels important together.

I work with adults seeking support with stress, low mood, anxiety, self鈥慶onfidence, identity, family dynamics, and the impact of past experiences. My focus is on creating a safe, grounded space where you feel heard, understood and supported.

Clients often tell me they feel lighter after sessions. Not because everything鈥檚 fixed, but because they finally feel heard. 

I am a warm, calm and down-to-earth person, and I'm here to help. I bring kindness, gentle humour, and a grounded presence to our sessions, because healing doesn鈥檛 have to feel clinical. All feelings are welcome. 

Navigating Life Therapy - In Person Sessions

We start by creating a space that feels safe - emotionally and physically. I use somatic and nervous system-informed approaches to help you feel more at ease in your body and mind.

You won鈥檛 be rushed. You won鈥檛 be analysed. You鈥檒l be met with warmth, curiosity, and a steady presence. Always, we move at your pace.

I offer calm, relational counselling from a comfortable, private therapy room in York city centre. Sessions are fortnightly and last 75 minutes, giving you time to settle, talk and explore without feeling rushed. My approach is humanistic and collaborative, with space to understand emotions, patterns, relationships and life experiences at a pace that feels right for you.

What Therapy Can Help With:

• Feeling stuck or overwhelmed
• Anxiety, depression and burnout
• Self-esteem and self-confidence
• A quiet sense of 鈥渟omething鈥檚 not right鈥�
• Difficulty making decisions or trusting yourself
• Wanting to feel calmer and more connected
• Exploring identity, meaning, and emotional patterns
• Learning to regulate your nervous system

Navigating Life Therapy - In Person Sessions

I offer a free 30 minute initial phone call to explain my approach and what counselling could look like. We can briefly talk about what has led to you seeking therapy, your current challenges and I'll ask you to share any relevant background information. We can figure out how we might work together and if you feel comfortable working with me.

There is absolutely no obligation to book any further sessions, but if we are a good fit, we can schedule your first counselling session and I will send you a working agreement. This outlines our mutual commitments, and I will ask you read, sign and return it before we meet.