Vicki Routh Counselling & Psychotherapy

18/01/2025

A very interesting training, with a neurodiversity affirming approach at the heart of it. Many books, research and resources shared. Worth giving up a Saturday for!

29/12/2024

Looking forward to adding this to my office space - potential to double as both decor and therapeutic material 💕

20/12/2024

A number of helplines for reference over the Christmas period, some more listed on my website too: https://www.vickirouthcounselling.co.uk/useful-links

20/12/2024

📚 A couple of book recommendations for you 📚

14/11/2024

Just some topics people don't realise we do in speech and language therapy. I love working on these with my young-adult clients. Underpinning everyone in this list is communication - either understanding or being able to express yourself.

02/10/2024

The importance of positive neuro-identity-affirming mental health treatment…

The positive impact of identity-affirming mental health treatment for neurodivergent individuals, by Kroll et al., 2024

Research Summary:

🧠 Significance of Research:

There have been numerous changes in the social definitions of neurodivergence in recent years, which differ from medical definitions. Social definitions of neurodivergence focus on positive identity, reducing stigma and discrimination compared to medical definitions.


🎯Research Aim:
Examine differences in mental health symptoms and treatment outcomes among:
- Diagnosed neurodivergent individuals.
- Self-identified but undiagnosed neurodivergent individuals.
- Neurotypical individuals.

🗓 Study Design:
6753 participants (aged 10-34) from a U.S. health centre were surveyed before and after a virtual 10-12 week outpatient treatment programme.


👀 Key Findings:
61% of participants identified as neurodivergent, with autism and ADHD being the most common identities.

Undiagnosed neurodivergent individuals had worse mental health symptoms (depression, anxiety, self-harm) at the outset compared to diagnosed neurodivergent and neurotypical individuals.

All groups showed improvement in mental health symptoms after treatment, with no significant differences in outcomes between groups.

🤲 Importance of Neuro-identity Affirming Care:
Affirming care, including validating identity and experiences, improved mental health outcomes regardless of diagnosis.

👩‍⚕️ Impact of Medical Diagnosis:
Formal diagnosis provides benefits such as improved family support, self-acceptance, and access to medication or accommodations, particularly for undiagnosed individuals who initially reported worse mental health.

👣 Next steps in learning more about supporting autistic teenagers:
Visit our website for autism courses, resources, and weekly blogs.

22/06/2024

Always good to have books recommended 💗- lots more recommendations on Silva’s page if you want to check them out…

Pride Month! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️❤️
Two great books I often recommend to clients by Meg-John Barker & Alex Iantaffi.
How to Understand Your Gender.
How to Understand Your Sexuality.
🏳️‍🌈🌈🏳️‍⚧️🌈🏳️‍🌈🌈🏳️‍⚧️🌈🏳️‍🌈🌈🏳️‍⚧️🌈🏳️‍🌈🌈

21/06/2024

Something for the weekend… a new book to read!

18/06/2024

04/06/2024

Happy to recommend another local counsellor, Charity Moss. Whilst Charity is not limited to working with children it’s particularly good to be able to recommend someone who works with children from age 8+

https://www.charitymosscounselling.com/

Charity is an experienced counsellor and supervisor who works with adults, children and young people. Charity has a wealth of experience supporting parents struggling with a range of postnatal difficulties such as postnatal depression, postnatal anxiety, difficulties with bonding and attachment, birth trauma and fear of birth. Charity is also experienced in supporting women with preparing for a subsequent birth following a previous birth trauma or baby loss.

In addition to her work with adults Charity has previously worked as a school counsellor and a supervising counsellor for a leading children's mental health charity and now offers weekly counselling sessions within her private practice to children and young people aged 8 years and over using talking therapy, creative work and play therapy.

Charity Moss Counselling in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey. An experienced and qualified Counsellor near Hersham, East Molesey, Weybridge and Cobham. Counselling therapist working with children and young people and offering support to parents for postnatal ptsd, postnatal depression, miscarriage & and fer...

30/05/2024

Relationship check-ins don’t have to be a formal event, and they don’t have to be worded in this way. However, checking in with each other, however you go about it, is a great way to remind yourself and each other of your relationship priorities. It helps maintain focus and in tough times these conversations can kick in on a subconscious level and help take the edge off of conflict just enough to keep it from escalating out of control. By checking in, you’re also reminding each other that both of your needs are important and worthy of being met.

14/05/2024

I really loved seeing one representation of bipolar experience on the TV in the form of Big Mood on Channel 4

🌟 Exciting news 🌟

The first episode of 'Big Mood' - the new 6-part comedy with a storyline about bipolar - is due to air on Channel 4 today.

Behind the scenes, we have been working with the production team to help guide authenticity around the storyline >> https://lght.ly/onho9l0