What's inside the six self-directed modules?

At a Glance

The course is structured across six self-directed modules. Each builds on the last — from the affirming philosophical foundation through to deep clinical concepts and lived-experience interviews.

Module 1 — People Not Pathology

The philosophical foundation. Establishes the affirming, neurodiversity-informed approach that runs through everything that follows.

• What is neurodivergence?

• Seeing the individual, not the label

• Autism strengths and challenges (counters the deficit-only narrative)

• Autism and the law

Module 2 — Preparing to Work with Autistic Clients

Practical groundwork before the first session.

• The double empathy problem

• Rethinking how we communicate

• Preparing the therapeutic environment

• Accommodating client preferences

• Counselling online with autistic clients

Module 3 — Theory and Practice

The deep dive into concepts most counselling training doesn't cover.

• Theory of Mind

• Synaesthesia

• Aphantasia

• Alexithymia

• Interoception

• Masking

• Autism and trauma

These are the topics graduates most often describe as the ones that closed gaps they hadn't been able to name before.

Module 4 — Diversity

The intersectional lens — populations where autism is most often missed or misunderstood.

• Female experiences of autism

• Ethnic minority experiences

• LGBTQIA+ experiences

Module 5 — Further Considerations

How autism-informed practice fits into the broader professional context.

• Looking at supervision

• The value of ongoing research

Module 6 — Interviews

A series of video interviews with individuals who identify as neurodivergent. The principle: when you have met one autistic person, you have met one autistic person. No two stories are the same — and that is precisely the point.

Module 6 also acts as an expandable container — new interviews and specialist lectures are added over time, so your access to lived-experience perspectives grows.

Want to know more?

You can see full course details — including upcoming start dates and current pricing — at the Certificate in Working Therapeutically with Autistic Clients page.

If you have a specific question we haven't answered here, email us at support@counsellingtutor.com — a real person will reply within 24 hours.