Specialized Therapy for Neurodivergent (ADHD, ASD, HSP) Men
Taking the first step is often the hardest, especially when past attempts to find support have left you feeling misunderstood or frustrated.
If any of the statements below resonate, you are in the right place:
- You struggle with perfectionism, procrastination, and follow-through. This often leaves you feeling defeated, frustrated, and annoyed with yourself and others.
- You regularly feel “awkward”, perform a version of yourself to “fit in”, and/or are exhausted from being “on” all the time.
- You crave deep, honest connection but struggle to communicate with your partner – leading to feelings of disconnection and loneliness.
- You avoid conflict and say “yes” when you mean “no.” You struggle to know who you are, what you want, and what you need.
Men’s Counselling: Take the First Step
Counselling for neurodivergent men requires a specific set of knowledge, skills, and expertise – this is where my personal and professional experiences combine to support you.
My support is dedicated to helping you notice your “blind spots” in the moment and start developing healthy habits. We won’t just talk about the problem—we’ll do tasks and practice strategies together in-session. I’ll help you feel confident, motivated, and find emotionally stable outside of session, where it matters most.
Change is possible, it just takes one step to get it started. I invite you to book a free consultation where we’ll explore the problems you want to solve so we can determine the best approach to help you move forward.
Unsure if we’re the right fit?
Book a free 20-minute consult to get clarity!
Counselling for Neurodivergent Men: What to Expect
Understand Emotional Struggles
We will explore beyond surface-level issues to uncover, experience, and address the root causes of your resentment, anger, anxiety, depression and other difficult emotions. Neurodivergence specifically impacts these challenges in unique ways. Therapies like EFT and EMDR really help speed this process along.
Learn Practical Strategies
You’ll gain effective tools and techniques to manage and overcome your challenges outside of counselling sessions so you can feel more equipped to support yourself on your own.
In-Session Practice for Real-World Results
We’ll practice, in-session, experiencing your emotions, thoughts, and behaviours in new, more positive, ways. By understanding your emotional patterns, you can address your concerns more adaptively.
Improve Emotional Intelligence
Think of me as your emotional coach, I help you understand your emotions: what to do with them, how to regulate them, how to use them like tools for personal growth, and when relevant, how to communicate them.
Experience Lasting Change and Growth
We’ll move beyond temporary fixes to find the root of your struggles. This approach will build your emotional resilience and foster personal growth, leading to lasting, impactful healing.
Turn Your Intentions into Achievements
Accountability is key, especially when procrastination, perfectionism, and “analysis paralysis” frequently occur. I will check in regularly and, when necessary, challenge you on your commitment to achieving your goals. I’ll support you in eliminating any obstacles that hold you back from following through on these goals and the values that underlie them.
Who You Are
Clients who experience the most success working with me typically relate with the following statements:
- Actively seek self-awareness and deeper insights
- Neurodivergent (ADHD, ASD, HSP) and/or feel “different” than many of your peers
- Struggle with understanding and communicating your emotions
- Experience challenges to deepening and improving their relationships
- Find it challenging to break old habits or shift recurring patterns
- Have looked for profound, long-lasting transformation in therapy before, but haven’t quite found it
This is the definition of bravery: not being afraid of yourself
– Chögyam Trungpa
Individual Counselling
Therapy for men is helpful for a wide range of challenges. I am most effective at supporting neurodivergent men with anxiety, depression, chronic guilt, low self-esteem, difficulty understanding emotions, relationship issues (resentment), trauma, and anger management. Moreover, my personal and professional experience as neurodivergent gives me an edge in supporting highly sensitive persons (HSP), ADHDers, and Autistics.
You’ll learn how to slow down, identify your emotions clearly, and communicate your needs to your partner without shutting down, flying into anger, or simply avoiding the conversation altogether.
Men from many different industries, from BC and AB, seek my support. Some examples include: construction, IT, business and sales, healthcare workers, medical professionals, and those in academia or higher education.
Therapy can be expensive. If you have coverage through RCMP, Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC), FNHA, or Pacific Blue Cross (PBC), then you are in luck. I direct bill to these organizations so you can focus on your therapy rather than your wallet.
Couples Counselling
Do you get caught in the same sounding argument over and over again? Do you struggle to find a way to break through these erosive spirals? You’re not alone. Many of the couples that come to me experience this too. So often what can happen is that what started as an argument about the division of labor or communication evolves into an argument about arguing.
All relationships experience difficulties and issues – this is a sign that you still care about each other and are still connected, even if it is through conflict or negativity. The deciding factor of whether a relationship lasts is how partners work through their issues and conflicts.
That’s where I come in. I help you and your partner catch each other in the middle of unhelpful cycles and patterns that you continually engage in. I do this during the session by pausing and interjecting (you may find it annoying at first but trust me when I say that most couples come to really appreciate it).
I then guide and facilitate the repairing of trust and empathy through different types of dialogue, strategies, and activities. Connecting and sharing your feelings is really hard and scary. I am there to make the process as comfortable, safe, and growth-oriented as possible. My goal is to help you create deeper connections built on trust, empathy, and openness.
Overall, I support partners in improving their communication, emotionally attuning to one another, and developing trust and respect for one another. And while it can be scary and vulnerable for partners to commit to working through their relationship issues, it is also an extremely rewarding endeavour for any couple to undertake. Perhaps most importantly, if you are reading this right now, that likely means that there is still part of you, even if it small, that has hope for the relationship to work. That hope is what will help you get started in Couples Counselling.
Take the First Step Towards Personal Growth
Book a free 20-minute consult today!
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Frequently Asked Questions
How long does therapy for men take?
The length of therapy for men (# of sessions) is highly individual and depends entirely on your specific goals and desires. Some men feel better and find the clarity they’re looking for in just a few sessions. While others choose to engage in a longer-term journey to address deeper, more complex issues like relationship patterns or long-standing emotional struggles.
During your first few sessions, we will discuss your goals and create a plan that feels right for you. We can always adjust this plan as we go. We will constantly collaborate to ensure our work together is focused on what you need to feel confident and empowered.
Generally speaking, the men that come to Iron Tree Counselling typically see positive results between 7 and 12 sessions.
Are you hesitant about starting therapy? Perhaps unsure of whether you want to make a commitment to it? Check out this video to learn more about what happens when you start therapy at Iron Tree Counselling.
How often should men have counselling?
In therapy for men how frequently you should have a counselling session depends. It depends mostly on your desires from counselling as well as other factors (i.e., financial ability, scheduling availability, etc.). However, it is suggested to start with more frequent sessions for the first 3-5 sessions. One session per week or every two weeks is often enough to gain traction in progress. This helps you and your counsellor to develop a trusting and comfortable relationship, and to start making changes.
Once men in therapy start to experience benefits and have learned some skills and strategies, then they typically start to attend therapy less frequently. For instance, after a few months of regular (weekly to bi-weekly) sessions, it is common for men to book sessions on a monthly or less frequent basis.
Are there in-person sessions available?
As of now, sessions are currently only provided remotely. Thus, video and telephone sessions are the available options.
Online counselling for men consistently provides better access, flexibility, and accountability. Life can get busy and schedules can change and so being able to have a session in-between appointments, work shifts, or while stopping for a break while outside of your home you are still able to receive the mental health support you need.
How long are the sessions?
The sessions are typically 50 minutes long. It is possible to book 80-minute sessions, however, this depends on what you are looking for and if this is necessary for your problems and goals.
Are the sessions covered by insurance?
I am a Certified Canadian Counsellors (CCC) and Registered Clinical Counsellors (RCC). Most extended health plans cover either one or both of these counsellor designations. It is always best to check before beginning counselling to make sure you are covered if this is a need of yours as each insurance plan is different.
I direct bill to the following: RCMP, Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC), FNHA, Pacific Blue Cross
I provide counselling to individuals located in the following Canadian provinces: BC, AB, SK, MB, NL, YT, NT
Is there homework?
Homework is discussed in sessions if you desire this type of activity. Homework can help to expedite your progress and support you in making changes in your life outside of session. This depends on everyone and can look quite different depending on the problems and goals of each client. There is never an obligation to complete tasks out of session. If you would like tasks to complete outside of sessions, we can collaborate regarding this to determine tasks to complete in relation to your given problems/goals.
Will I get diagnosed with a disorder?
Counsellors in BC do not have the ability to diagnose as this is typically regarded as a function of Psychologists, Psychiatrists, and Medical Doctors. However, if you already have a medical diagnosis, I can support you with the best evidence-based treatments for your diagnosis and support you through decreasing the negative impacts of the symptoms you experience. Generally speaking, I perceive clients through a holistic lens with ever changing abilities and qualities and therefore tend to think of clients less in terms of diagnoses, and more in terms of “How is this person struggling in their life and how can they start to feel better about themselves overall?” I support you in understanding yourself as a whole person who has the capacity to grow and change into who you want to be. Focusing exclusively on diagnoses tends to hinder my ability to provide the best overall care to you.
What can I expect from my first time in counselling?
If this is your first time in counselling, congratulations! Recognizing the need for support and taking this step is significant, and it’s understandable if initiating it felt challenging—many people feel that way.
The first session is a bit different from future ones. Here’s a general idea of what to expect:
- A Welcoming Start: I, your counsellor, will aim to create a comfortable and non-judgmental space for you.
- Getting to Know Each Other: The main goal is for you and I to start getting to know one another. I will invite you to share what brought you to counselling and what you hope to gain. It will be like a continuation of our free consultation.
- Information Gathering:
- You: You’ll have the chance to talk about your reasons for seeking counselling. You only need to share what you feel comfortable with, especially in this first meeting.
- Counsellor: I will ask questions about your current concerns, perhaps some relevant background or history, and your goals for therapy. I will also discuss confidentiality (which is crucial and means what you say stays private, with some legal exceptions I will explain).
- It’s a Two-Way Street: This is also your opportunity to see if it feels like a good fit for you. Don’t hesitate to ask questions about my experience, approach, or anything else that’s on your mind about the process.
- No Pressure: You don’t need to have all the answers or tell your entire life story. It’s okay to be nervous, unsure, or to take your time. I completely understand this – it’s a natural part of the process of developing our professional relationship.
- Next Steps: Towards the end of the session, you might discuss if you feel like it’s a good fit to work together. If so, you might schedule your next appointment and perhaps briefly discuss what future sessions might focus on.
Overall, the first session is about establishing a connection, understanding your needs, discussing how counselling can help, and ensuring you feel safe and understood. It’s the beginning of a collaborative process.
If you would like a PDF handout with a more detailed description/information about what to expect when starting counselling, click here. Alternatively, there is a video version of this document here.
What are “men’s issues” in therapy?
“Men’s issues” in therapy refers to common challenges that are often influenced by societal expectations and traditional gender roles. One major men’s issue is the difficulty in navigating the changes in the current social views of the role of men. For instance, men’s role in families, work, relationships, and in positions of power. By addressing these struggles, you can find a confident stance in the roles you embody in your life. These issues can manifest as difficulties in relationships, work, and personal well-being. Other related struggles: emotional suppression, stress management, identity and purpose, relationships issues.
