Not So Typical Counselling

10/02/2026

This is worth a watch, it's so important that people are able to be open about getting a diagnosis.
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1HJJDgjcM6/

06/02/2026

Something that most of us have known for a while, but it's good to see it backed up by a large study.

Females may be just as likely to be autistic as males but boys are up to four times more likely to be diagnosed in childhood, according to research

01/02/2026

I love this, there is also the irony that I'm supposed to be starting an essay which is due next week, but I'm doom scrolling instead! 🤣🤦🏻‍♀️
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1C8dhysyz5/

They said, Just get a planner.
And Professor Barkley bless him is somewhere sighing deeply because that is not how executive functioning works…

ADHD is not a vibes problem, It is not motivation problem.
It is not a “try harder” situation.

It is a brain that can’t consistently start, stop, organise, prioritise, remember, or regulate time
and somehow I’m meant to fix that
with a notebook from WHSmith.

I have listened to Russell Barkley.
I have receipts…
This is an executive functioning disorder.

Which means I know what to do.
I just can’t bloody do it on demand.

I don’t lack information.
I lack a reliable “go” button.

They say, “Write a list.”
Great.
Now I have a list of things I am still not doing…

They say, “Set a routine.”
I had one. It was beautiful.
It lasted until something happened,
Which things tend to do.

They say, “If it mattered, you’d remember.”
It matters so much I think about it at 3am
while my brain replays every mistake I’ve ever made like a greatest hits album.

If Barkley were here, he wouldn’t tell me to buy a planner.
He’d say…

Externalise the brain…
Because mine cannot be trusted to hold time, tasks, or reality.

Make consequences immediate.
Because “future me” is a stranger I do not know or respect.

Stop moralising neurological failure.
Because I am not lazy I am neurologically delayed in self-regulation.

Which is academic speak for
my brain ghosts me when I need it most…

ADHD is knowing the deadline.
Caring about the deadline,
Panicking about the deadline,
Still not starting the thing until the adrenaline hits like a bus.

ADHD is being told your whole life that you’re wasted potential,
when actually you’re running life on hard mode
with no instructions and everyone’s yelling,
“Why can’t you just be normal?”

So no.
I do not need a planner…

•I need
•understanding
•external scaffolding
•less shame
•systems that don’t rely on memory and willpower and maybe Professor Barkley popping round to slap the word “motivation” out of people’s mouths.

Anyway.
I forgot what I was doing…
But I remembered this poem.
Which, frankly, is very ADHD of me.

Michaela 😂🩷
Thanks for all your brilliant work Dr Russell Barkley!! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

29/01/2026

Your therapist will see you now! 🤣

24/01/2026

🤣📚

People aren’t as impressed now about my reading level…..

24/01/2026

Here's an interesting article about ADHD diagnosis and how the NHS is refusing to support those who have a private diagnosis, even if it's through the right to choose.
They are also looking at a "triage" system which seems to be a pre assessment where those who don't meet the clinical threshold won't be given access to a full assessment and official diagnosis, but supported separately. Which is fine, until they need more support and the NHS turn around and say "You don't have an official diagnosis, we can't help you". 🤷🏻‍♀️
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/jan/24/adhd-nhs-private-providers-right-to-choose?CMP=fb_gu&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwdGRjcAPh-L9jbGNrA-H4AmV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHml1LCUSmRlAqDWiawrMD3DLQrtHwPNOSPHWGZcPPiNsHSbWf_DIAwlW7w67_aem_yW9wrRA0corRZyTes7tW_A

NHS England pays for private assessments under ‘right to choose’, but can reject diagnoses and is struggling to cope with demand

14/01/2026

I'm sure you will have seen the new Autistic Barbie doll that Mattel have released. Initially, I thought it was good for autistic children to see themselves represented.
But then I looked closer, and I began to think that this wasn't about children seeing themselves in a doll, but ultimately about sales. What will be next, ADHD Barbie? OCD Barbie? Bi-polar Barbie?
Why doesn't Ken get a look in on these? He gets names like "Preppy Check Ken Doll" and "Classic Cool Ken Doll", when will we see "Highly Anxious Ken Doll"?
Is this the kind of representation that neurodivergent children (and adults) need or want? Or is it a way to make a quick buck? What does equitable respresentation of the neurodivergent community look like? I definitely don't have any of the answers, but I think this is something that needs some thought about it for the future.
In the spirit of satire I have created a Barbie doll that I identify with, do you think it'll sell?! 🤣

23/12/2025

Who can relate? 😂