Working With Autism

This webinar is intended for counselling practitioners and other interested professionals.

Working With Autism

This webinar is intended for counsellors working with individuals, couples or families where there is a diagnosis of autism or where it is thought that autism may provide an explanation for the difficulties being experienced. The first part of the event is a teaching session with ppt, with plenty of opportunity for questions. We will look at how the understanding of autism has evolved over the years, how it is currently understood, the features of presentation and how they impact on the individual and their relationships as well as an overview of counselling models found to be accessible and helpful. Anecdotes from Jenny’s practice bring the session to life and provide real life illustrations. A workshop follows this session, facilitated by Jenny, where attendees will have an opportunity to bring case studies for discussion.

Part one: 10am-12pm Teaching session on Working with Autism

Part two: 12.30pm-1.30pm Workshop style discussion for participants to bring clinical examples and questions. This part will be more interactive to include break out rooms and group discussion.

About the speaker

Jenny Ronayne MA (Distinction), BSc (Hons), MBACP, GMBPsS, Director of ASPECT (Autism Spectrum Counselling and Training)

Jenny has over 30 years’ experience working with autism in the voluntary, private and public sectors. For 18 years Jenny worked as the Mental Health Worker on the national specialist autism team at the Maudsley Hospital in London. Her work here included working with young people with autism and their parents, organising and speaking at training programmes for parents and professionals, advising and supporting adults with autism, taking part in clinical research projects with young people with autism, visiting schools and advising other professionals on autism. Jenny set up ASPECT (Autism Spectrum Counselling and Training) to provide training and consultancy in the understanding and support of those with autism.

Jenny offers autism specialist counselling to young people, parents/carers, individuals and couples where one or both partners are on the spectrum. Jenny has worked with autistic students at a specialist college, as autism advisor to a special school and a children’s charity as well as being autism trainer for a mental health training practice. Jenny provides workshops and delivers training to fellow counsellors as well as all those who care for or work with autistic individuals.

Jenny is also the parent of an adult with autism and founded a local support group in her borough. Over the years, the group, now a registered charity, has grown to be a force for positive change in many aspects of life for individuals with autism and their families.

Jenny has a first degree in Psychology (BSc Hons) and a second degree in Counselling and Psychotherapy (MA Distinction). Dissertations for both degrees focused on autism and comprised research studies into the condition.