Sarah Read
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This professional is accepting new clients but may have a waitlist. Please enquire with them directly to discuss availability.
This professional is accepting new clients but may have a waitlist. Please enquire with them directly to discuss availability.
About me
Are you autistic, ADHD, AuDHD or wondering if you might be? Are you approaching midlife and suddenly finding your old coping strategies just don't work like they used to? Peri‑menopause, burnout, or recognising yourself in your child’s traits can make everything feel more intense, overwhelming or confusing. You may be newly diagnosed, exploring traits, or trying to understand why you’ve “coped” for decades only to feel exhausted now.
Therapy Sessions
I offer neuro-affirming online therapy for midlife women. Working either weekly or fortnightly, we make sense of your nervous system, sensory world, emotional intensity, and the patterns you’ve carried for years - without masking, explaining yourself, or feeling “too much".
We can explore what feels most supportive during a gentle, free introductory call. There’s no pressure to commit - the intro call is simply a chance to ask questions and see whether working together feels right.
Navigate Neurodivergence - Group Sessions
I offer Navigate Neurodivergence - online group sessions working through themes such as burnout, sensory overload, nervous system regulation, executive function and boundaries within relationships. We explore how you are impacted, particularly through a midlife lens. Practical tools are introduced, but this is not a productivity or skills‑training course. This programme isn’t an assessment, and it won't provide a diagnosis, but many women leave with a much clearer understanding of their neurodivergence, how it impacts their life and a sense of acceptance through meeting other people who get it.
My ND experience
I bring lived ND experience, Post Graduate (Level 7) therapeutic training and neurodivergent‑specific CPD. I pay close attention to your sensory world, processing style and nervous‑system needs. Many women describe feeling grounded and able to breathe more easily - not because everything is “fixed,” but because they finally feel met.
While neurodivergence may be part of your story, it isn’t the whole story, and therapy with me doesn’t have to focus on it unless you want it to. Many of the women I work with come because they’re navigating big emotional or life transitions:
- relationships shifting
- identity changes
- parenting pressures
- grief
- self-worth
- or simply feeling overwhelmed by the pace and demands of midlife
Your neurodivergence is always honoured and understood, but our work is centred on you; your life, your needs, your values, and what feels supportive right now.
Training, qualifications & experience
Qualifications:
- Level 7 Post Graduate Diploma (awarded with Distinction) in Humanistic Counselling - York St John University
- BA Hons (I) in Development of Education for Children & Young People with Special Educational Needs & Disabilities - York St John Uni
Recent Training:
- TQUK Level 2 Certificate in Understanding Autism - Askham Bryan College
- The Inside of Autism - The Autistic Advocate
- Curating Healthy Lifestyles for Late-Identified Autistic Adults - The Autistic Advocate
- Autistic Masking - The Autistic Advocate
- Complex Trauma Certificate Level 1 & 2
- Introduction to Menopause - York St John Uni
I am fully insured, registered with both the BACP and the Information Commissioner's Office, and hold an enhanced DBS certificate.
Areas of lived experience:
I bring lived ND experience and this has given me a grounded, everyday understanding of adult assessment and diagnosis, masking, sensory overwhelm, energy crashes, and the emotional impact of navigating a world not built for neurodivergent people. As a midlife woman, I also have lived experience of peri-menopause and the many challenges this stage of life can present.
Because of this, many clients (diagnosed or self-identifying) tell me they feel understood quickly, without having to explain or justify their experience. I work at a pace that respects your nervous system, your energy, and your way of being.
Member organisations
BACP is one of the UK’s leading professional bodies for counselling and psychotherapy with around 60,000 members. The Association has several different categories of membership, including Student Member, Individual Member, Registered Member MBACP, Registered Accredited Member MBACP (Accred) and Senior Registered Accredited Member MBACP (Snr Acccred). Registered and accredited members are listed on the BACP Register, which shows that they have demonstrated BACP’s recommended standards for training, proficiency and ethical practice. The BACP Register was the first register of psychological therapists to be accredited by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA). Accredited and senior accredited membership are voluntary categories for members who choose to undertake a rigorous application and assessment process to demonstrate additional standards around practice, training and supervision. Individual members will have completed an appropriate counselling or psychotherapy course and started to practise, but they won’t appear on the BACP Register until they've demonstrated that they meet the standards for registration. Student members are still in the process of completing their training. All members are bound by the BACP Ethical Framework and a Professional Conduct Procedure.
Accredited register membership
The Accredited Register Scheme was set up in 2013 by the Department of Health (DoH) as a way to recognise organisations that hold voluntary registers which meet certain standards. These standards are set by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA).
This therapist has indicated that they belong to an Accredited Register.
Areas of counselling I deal with
Photos & videos
Fees
£70.00 per session
Free initial online session
Additional information
Online Sessions
50min - £70
(longer or shorter sessions can be arranged to suit your processing needs)
I also offer Navigate Neurodivergence group sessions - please see my website for further info: www.navigatinglifetherapy.co.uk
If you're interested in exploring therapy or Navigate Neurodivergence with me, please get in touch via this site, or visit my website and use the contact page - I will do my best to respond within 48 hours. I will email you and send a follow up text.
Please check your junk/spam folders for a reply.
When I work
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Further information
I offer online sessions across the UK and abroad (exc. US/Canada).
Benefits of online therapy:
Online sessions can be especially supportive if you’re navigating:
- sensory sensitivities, peri‑menopause fatigue, burnout or overwhelm, parenting demands, limited time or energy
- avoid travel, waiting rooms and sensory unpredictability
- regulate your environment (lighting, temperature, movement, comfort)
- manage energy more easily
- access therapy from anywhere in the UK
- feel safe in your own space
- For many midlife ND women, online work reduces pressure and increases emotional capacity.
We can work together weekly or fortnightly, but I have found fortnightly therapy to be particularly beneficial for neurodivergent women:
- more processing time between sessions
- space to notice patterns, shifts and triggers
- reduced overwhelm compared to weekly work
- easier integration around work, parenting and peri‑menopause fatigue
- a more sustainable rhythm for long‑term therapy
- a financially accessible way to stay supported
- Many women tell me that fortnightly sessions feel spacious, steady and manageable.
Free 20–30 minute Introduction Call / Google Meet
The introduction call is a gentle space to explore what’s been happening for you and whether working together feels like the right fit.
During the call, we’ll talk about:
- what’s been overwhelming or confusing
- how things are affecting your life (home, work, relationships, sleep)
- whether you’re exploring autism, ADHD or late‑identified ND
- any peri‑menopause or midlife changes intensifying things
- what you’re hoping therapy might support
If I feel I can support you, I’ll share that and we can discuss what therapy might look like. If I’m not the best person to help, I’ll be honest and, where possible, signpost you to someone who may be a better fit.
There’s no pressure to commit - it’s simply a chance to breathe, ask questions and see how it feels.
