Neurodiversity

Affirming Practice

Our Commitment to Neurodivergent Clients

At Bancroft Psychology and through our coaching program Hope Affirm Thrive, we are proud to be a neurodiversity-affirming service. This means we go beyond awareness and inclusion—we actively affirm and celebrate neurodivergent identities. Our work is grounded in both lived experience and evidence-based clinical training, and we are committed to dismantling ableist assumptions embedded in traditional psychological care.

What Does "Neurodiversity Affirming" Mean?

Neurodiversity affirming practice recognises that neurological differences like autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and others are natural and valuable variations of human experience—not disorders to be fixed. Rather than focusing on changing the individual to meet societal norms, we focus on creating safety, validating identity, and advocating for supportive environments.

Affirming practice means:

  • Using identity-first language (e.g., "Autistic person") to respect neurodivergent identity.

  • Rejecting deficit-based models and functioning labels.

  • Adapting therapy to suit each client’s communication style, sensory needs, and cognitive processing.

  • Educating clients on their neurology to foster understanding and reduce shame.

  • Valuing special interests, emotional intensity, and unique ways of relating as strengths.

How My Practice Has Evolved

I’ve made specific, intentional changes across my clinical and coaching services to align with neuroaffirming values:

  • Flexible Intake Processes: I offer multiple formats for intake (e.g., written, voice, visual), and invite clients to share sensory, communication, and relational preferences from the start.

  • Therapeutic Adaptations: I’ve adapted CBT, ACT, DBT, EMDR, and Resource Therapy to better serve neurodivergent clients—removing moralistic language, honouring pacing, and focusing on empowerment over "normalisation."

  • Environmental Accommodations: My physical and online spaces are designed to be sensory-aware and comfortable, with options for lighting, camera use, and self-regulation.

  • Reframing and Reclaiming: I help clients unlearn internalised ableism, understand their brain with compassion, and move away from the idea that they need to be "fixed."

Lived Experience & Community Involvement

I am Elizabeth (Liz) Bancroft, Director of Bancroft Psychology and creator of Hope Affirm Thrive, a late-diagnosed Autistic psychologist, coach, and mother. My commitment to the neurodiversity paradigm is both personal and professional.

My world-first program Hope Affirm Thrive – Your Roadmap Through IVF was developed in direct response to the exclusion neurodivergent individuals face in fertility care. The program uses sensory-friendly, trauma-informed, and neuroaffirming strategies to support clients navigating IVF in systems that were not built for their needs.

My work is informed by ongoing:

  • Neurodivergent-led training and professional development

  • Autistic and ADHD community voices

  • Clinical supervision with affirming specialists

  • Speaking engagements and advocacy in national media and psychology conferences

Spotting the Difference: Affirming vs Performative

I am deeply aware that the language of neurodiversity is sometimes co-opted as a marketing tool. I am committed to walking the talk. Here’s how you can tell the difference:

Affirming services:

  • Centre neurodivergent voices and lived experience

  • Adapt therapy and environments—not people

  • Encourage unmasking, autonomy, and safety

  • Continually reflect, learn, and grow

Performative services:

  • Use buzzwords without adapting practice

  • Highlight symbols (e.g., rainbow infinity loop) without systemic change

  • Offer behavioural compliance approaches disguised as affirming

  • Centre the clinician’s virtue over client needs

My Promise

Whether you are engaging in therapy through Bancroft Psychology or joining my IVF coaching program, you will be met with respect, flexibility, and a deep commitment to affirming your identity—not just treating your symptoms.

I am here to walk beside you—not mould you.

This isn’t a niche. It’s a paradigm.