For a long time, I thought this meant I lacked discipline or was lazy… because let’s face it, most of us have grown up with that being thrown at us, right?

But actually… this is what being AuDHD looks like for me.

My focus is interest-led, which is great but…
My brain moves quickly.
And when I try to force myself into rigid structure or “just concentrate”, I burn out or avoid it altogether.

Which, by the way, is exactly what’s happened every time I’ve tried to turn my CPD into an online downloadable…

And the problem is, most business advice doesn’t account for this.

It assumes consistency looks like doing the same thing every day, sticking to one plan, and following it through without your brain pulling you in ten different directions.

So what actually happens for those of us who struggle with that way of working?

Things don’t get finished.
Ideas don’t turn into income.
And it’s really easy to fall into that loop of feeling like you’re not following through or not doing enough.

But here’s the thing… it’s not a lack of discipline.

It’s a mismatch between how your brain works and how you’ve been told to build a business.

Take “work/life balance” for example.

I agree with it… but it doesn’t look the same for me.

My work/life balance doesn’t work if I force myself to do 6 hours and then switch off, especially if I’m in hyperfocus and actually enjoying what I’m doing.

Because if I’m enjoying it… that is part of my life.

For me, it might look like working solidly for 5 days straight (shout out to my double screens 🙌🏼), and then the following couple of weeks I’m only dipping in for client work and essential admin.

The rest of the time? I might be focused on a home reno project, a new series, or just being outdoors.

That’s my version of balance… and it works for me.

I also always knew when I started in private practice that I was never going to be someone seeing 15+ clients a week (hats off if you can do that).

My brain and body just don’t have that kind of capacity.

But I also knew I didn’t want to be worrying every month about money, bills, or whether I could support myself and my family.

And I never bought into the scaremongering either…
“You can’t do therapy full time”
“There isn’t enough work”
“You’ll need a second job”

I just wasn’t gonna get drawn into that hype.

I’ve grown up around business owners, but my families businesses requires a huge amount of their time, often working 50/60 hour weeks!! Again, that is not something I can or want to do!

So the only way I could make a private practice work in a way that suited my capacity… was to build a group practice.

It also never made sense to me to refer clients elsewhere when they came through my door, to people I didn’t know or trust.

So, as I was nearing the end of my training, my website was up and I already had a waiting list for the month I was qualified and able to start seeing clients.

The first therapist who then joined me was Andi, who I trained with. We already had a strong connection, and she didn’t want to run her own practice or deal with marketing… she just wanted a steady flow of clients.

Perfect. Clients were coming in and between myself Andi and very soon after, Liz, we had a steady flow of clients.

And now, a couple of years later, I have a team of 14 therapists… and I’ll keep growing it as long as the demand is there. Not only does this support my work/life balance, it also supports clients who then have immediate access to therapy but also therapists who feel a bit unsure stepping into PP alone or those who actually just want a client flow without any admin/marketing and all the other fluff.

So this is where I’m at.

And what I’m really interested in now… is helping other therapists build something that actually works for them too.

Not based on pressure, or outdated advice… but based on how their brain actually works.

Which is exactly why I’m starting to create something extra.

A space where you don’t have to figure everything out all at once, and you’re not left trying to hold the whole picture in your head.

Just one step at a time, each month.

Clear guidance on what to focus on, and how to move your business forward in a way that actually works with your brain.

I’m still shaping it, but if this kind of business support resonates, you can reply and let me know and I’ll add you to the interest list.

Right now, it’s looking like one live business support call per month, with step by step guidance on what to focus on in your practice and possibly some live body doubling calls to help us take action!

So here’s to April (I’ll cheers you with a tea) and the second quarter of the year… what are your private practice goals this year? Let me know below 👇

Maybe you have felt that quiet discomfort?

The subtle tension between what you were taught and what you now know doesn’t quite fit.

Maybe you were trained to observe eye contact as avoidance.
To interpret fidgeting as anxiety.
To encourage exposure.
To frame burnout as poor boundaries or stress management.

And maybe, at some point, something stopped sitting right.

I’m writing this newsletter for therapists who are beginning to question the traditional frame.

For therapists who are neurodivergent themselves.
For therapists who work with autistic and ADHD clients.
For therapists who want to understand why we need to shift when working with neurodivergent people.

Most of the models we were taught were not built with neurodivergent nervous systems in mind.

And when we apply them rigidly, harm can happen quietly.

This won’t be an academic journal.

It will be reflections from the therapy room.
Clinical shifts I’ve made and why.
Conversations about masking, burnout, trauma and identity.
Questions we should be asking in supervision.

Mostly, it will be a space to think out loud.

If you’re willing to stay curious, to question gently, and to examine where shame can creep into our work, you’re in the right place.

And, I’m glad you’re here!

Katie - The Neurodivergent Therapist

Upcoming Workshops:

Neuro-Affirming CPD workshop, click here: Neuroaffirming workshop

Subscribe now