Michael Dodden, NCPS

Michael Dodden supports adults navigating ADHD, autism, chronic stress, relationship difficulties, and burnout from a perspective shaped by lived experience and professional training. He specializes in working with people who suspect they are neurodivergent or were diagnosed later in life, and with those who have spent years masking, people-pleasing, or feeling out of place. Many clients arrive exhausted from juggling work, parenting, relationships, and internal pressure; others are carrying invisible guilt, shame, or the aftermath of trauma and chronic pain. Michael offers a therapeutic space that moves beyond surface fixes so clients can unmask, breathe, and reconnect with a sense of self.

Sessions are warm, grounded, and paced to honour each person’s nervous system and life circumstances. He integrates neurodivergent-affirming therapy and coaching with practical tools from cognitive behavioral therapy to manage anxiety, executive dysfunction, and emotional spirals. Work with him can include support for rejection sensitivity, self-worth, and trust repair, alongside somatic and mindset strategies for chronic pain and nervous system regulation. There is also space to address relationship dynamics, particularly in mixed neurodivergent and neurotypical partnerships.

Michael primarily works with neurodivergent men - including tradespeople, creatives, tech professionals, and entrepreneurs - while also welcoming neurodivergent women and non-binary clients, especially those seeking an honest, empathetic therapeutic experience. He identifies as a late-diagnosed AuADHD man and brings the perspective of someone who spent three decades in IT, experienced repeated burnouts and significant personal crises, and then trained as a therapist, coach, and hypnotherapist. He is a registered member of the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society (NCPS) and brings over five years of counselling experience plus more than fifteen years in personal development coaching, with specialist continuing professional development in neurodivergence, ADHD, autism, trauma, emotional regulation, and chronic stress.

Clients who work with Michael often find a steadier sense of grounding, clarity, and connection. He offers a collaborative starting point for people who do not need to have everything figured out but do want a safe space to begin.

Therapeutic Approaches for Online Neurodivergent Support

Michael Dodden draws on several evidence-informed approaches to tailor work to each client. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on identifying personal values and taking meaningful action while learning to notice painful thoughts without being driven by them - it can help with anxiety, low mood, and the frustration of living with executive differences. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) offers practical strategies to recognise and change unhelpful thinking and behaviour patterns, which can reduce anxiety, improve sleep, and support emotion regulation. Client-Centered Therapy creates a supportive, nonjudgmental space where the client’s experience guides the pace and direction of work, useful for rebuilding self-worth and exploring identity.

Finding the right blend of approaches is part of the therapeutic process. Michael works collaboratively with each person to assess needs, goals, and preferences, and adapts methods over time so the work feels relevant and manageable.

Online sessions - whether by video call, phone, live chat, or text messaging - make it easier to fit therapy into busy or fluctuating schedules and to access consistent support from wherever the client is based in the UK. These flexible formats can reduce travel time, increase appointment options, and allow clients to choose the mode of communication that best suits their needs and comfort.