Private Therapy Clinic

29/05/2026

Not every repetitive behaviour in autism is stimming.

Sometimes what looks like a stim is actually a tic. The difference matters because tics have their own evidence-based treatments that can genuinely help.

Our latest blog covers how to tell the difference, why tics are often missed in autistic people, and what to do if you think tics might be part of the picture.

Around 1 in 5 autistic people may also have a tic disorder. Learn how tics differ from stimming, why they get missed, and what treatment looks like.

29/05/2026

Rocking. Humming. Looping the same song for hours. Pressing your nails into your palms during a difficult conversation.

For many autistic adults, these are not habits. They are how the nervous system stays regulated.
Stimming is one of the most visible parts of being autistic, and one of the most misunderstood.

Our latest blog covers what it actually does, how it differs from tics, and why suppressing it comes at a cost.

What is stimming, why do autistic adults do it, and what happens when you suppress it? A clinical guide to understanding stimming.

25/05/2026

That throat clearing you can’t explain. The eye blink that gets worse when you’re stressed. The shoulder shrug your child does without realising.

If ADHD is already part of the picture, these might not be habits. They might be tics. And the two conditions share more brain wiring than most people think.

Our latest blog covers why they show up together, how to tell the difference between a tic, a stim, and ordinary fidgeting, and what actually helps.

Around 20% of people with ADHD also have a tic disorder. Learn why they co-occur, how tics differ from stimming, and when to seek assessment.

22/05/2026

You want them. You think about them constantly. Then they finally like you back... and something switches off.

If you have ADHD or autism, this isn't a character flaw. It's a nervous system pattern.

Your brain may have learned to associate love with uncertainty. So when someone shows up and is consistent, warm, and available, your system reads it as boring rather than safe.

Our latest blog explains the neuroscience behind it, what it looks like in ADHD vs autism, and how to start rewiring the pattern.

Many people with ADHD or autism lose interest once a partner reciprocates. A psychologist explains the nervous system patterns behind it and what helps.

21/05/2026

Many autistic women go years without knowing they are autistic.

Our latest article explores why high-functioning autism in women is so often missed, from social masking to misdiagnosis, and what the latest research says about the female autism presentation.

We also cover what to look for, how to navigate autism assessment in Ireland, and why late diagnosis can be both a relief and a challenge.

Many autistic women go undiagnosed for years. Learn signs of high-functioning autism in women, social masking to sensory differences, and what to do next

19/05/2026

Autism and s*x is rarely discussed with the depth it deserves. Sensory processing, consent, communication differences, and s*x drive all play a role, and understanding them can change everything about how you experience intimacy.

Our latest blog explores what clinicians and autistic adults actually need to know.

Read more:

How autism affects s*x, intimacy, and s*xual relationships. Sensory processing, consent, communication, and practical support from clinical psychologist Dr Becky Spelman.

15/05/2026

You love your partner. You know you do. So why can’t you stop questioning it?

Relationship OCD (ROCD) causes relentless, intrusive doubt about love, attraction and commitment.

Our latest blog explains what ROCD actually looks like, how it differs from normal relationship uncertainty, and what treatment involves.

Relationship OCD causes relentless doubt about love and partners. Learn ROCD symptoms, how it differs from normal doubt, and how therapy can help.

11/05/2026

Ever wondered why there are so many different types of therapy?

It comes down to seven major perspectives in psychology. Each one looks at human behaviour through a different lens, and they shape everything from CBT to psychodynamic therapy to person-centred approaches.

Our latest blog breaks down all seven in plain English and explains how they actually inform what happens in a therapy room.

What are the 7 perspectives of psychology and how do they shape therapy today? A clear guide to each approach, from psychodynamic to evolutionary.

08/05/2026

From psychiatric patient to WHO award-winning psychiatrist.

Professor Ahmed Hankir is The Wounded Healer, a consultant psychiatrist who draws on his own lived experience of mental illness to help his patients recover.

He's lectured at Harvard, Yale, Cambridge and Oxford. Now he's at Private Therapy Clinic.

Book a consultation: https://theprivatetherapyclinic.co.uk

08/05/2026

You studied something else at uni. Maybe English, maybe nursing, maybe business.

But somewhere along the way, psychology started pulling at you. Maybe it was personal therapy.

Maybe it was watching someone you love struggle.

Maybe you just kept reading about it and couldn’t stop.

A psychology conversion course could be your way in, but before you apply, it helps to know what the path actually looks like from the other side.

We employ psychologists who took exactly this route, and we’ve written an honest guide covering everything from BPS accreditation to NHS banding to what we actually look for when hiring.

What is a psychology conversion course? A clinic that employs psychologists explains what to expect, who it suits, and the pathway from GBC to NHS registration.

06/05/2026

You took the holiday. You rested. You even slept properly for once. And then you went back, and within a week it was as if you’d never been away.

That’s the thing about burnout. It doesn’t live in your schedule. It lives in the patterns underneath.

The perfectionism, the people-pleasing, the quiet belief that your worth depends on your output.

Rest helps. But it doesn’t reach those things. Our latest blog looks at what recovery from burnout actually involves, and why it takes more than time off.

Burnout isn’t fixed by rest alone. Understand what causes it, why recovery takes longer than expected, and what therapy can do that self-help cannot.