Psychologists primarily provide therapy and assessment, employing their training and expertise in counseling and diagnosis to address mental health related concerns and work towards specific goals. They are not able to prescribe medication. Psychology sessions typically occur anywhere between weekly to monthly, for 50 minutes to 1 hour.

In contrast, psychiatrists, as medical doctors working in mental health, primarily prescribe medication. They often conduct shorter and less frequent appointments, mainly focused on medication management and review.

Both professionals often collaborate closely in a multidisciplinary team to provide comprehensive care.

Prior to your session you will receive information about our service, as well as a consent form and questionnaires to complete.

A few days prior to your initial session you will receive an automated appointment reminder via email, which will contain a Zoom meeting link.

In your initial session, your psychologist will discuss your concerns, history, and goals. From there, we'll collaboratively devise a treatment plan tailored specifically to address your needs.

After your initial session, you will be able to book in regular appointments via your psychologist or our admin team.

Once you have booked in for your assessment, you will receive an information pack containing a consent form and questionnaires to complete.

Your assessment will be conducted over multiple sessions, usually booked a few weeks apart. The number and duration of sessions depends on the type of assessment:

- ADHD: One 2 hour session, plus a 1 hour feedback session (3 hours in total)
- Autism: Two 1.5 hour sessions, plus a 1 hour feedback session (4 hours in total)
- Autism & ADHD: Two 2 hour sessions, plus a 1 hour feedback session (5 hours in total)

If possible, for each session we encourage you to schedule some additional time after your session (such as 15 to 30 minutes), just in case your session runs over time (e.g., if breaks are required, or if your psychologist needs to gather further information).

Assessment sessions are conducted via Zoom, and you'll receive a session link a few days before your appointment. Feedback sessions are via phone and your clinician will call you at your booking time.

During the session, your psychologist will ask a range of questions about your experience based on several psychometric tools and the DSM-5-TR criteria. Your psychologist may ask you questions about topics such as: childhood milestones, social behaviours, communication, emotional regulation, routine, attention and concentration, stimming, interests and hobbies, and sensory processing.

Your psychologist will arrange a feedback session after all of your assessment sessions are complete. For assessments with a report, this will be around 3-4 weeks after your final assessment session. If you have requested a letter, your feedback session can be arranged sooner after your final assessment session (e.g., 1 week).

Neurodiversity affirming practice stems from the neurodiversity affirming (NDA) movement, a social justice movement advocating for the rights and acceptance of neurodivergent individuals. The NDA movement promotes a shift in perspective from deficit-based thinking to one that recognises neurodiversity as a natural variation of human cognition. In doing so, it seeks to challenge societal norms that pathologise neurodivergence and promote inclusive environments that support diverse neurological experiences.

Neurodiversity affirming practice rejects the medical model of disability, neuronormativity, and pathological paradigm, instead looking at the social model of disability to understand neurodivergent experiences. It rejects the notion that neurodivergence (e.g., Autism, ADHD) needs "fixing", whilst acknowledging how these are disabling, and advocates for access to accommodations and practical tools to meet individual needs.

In therapy, neurodiversity affirming practice involves recognising the individual's unique strengths and challenges, while providing tailored support relevant to their neurotype, rather than aiming to "fix" or pathologise it.

Comfort Psychology is a telehealth practice, as such we do not provide in person/face to face appointments.