Mental Health Support Team

Entry to this course is via Practitioner referral only

This is a 4 week course and attendance at each session is required.

This group is psychoeducational with an emphasis on developing skills to help with emotional regulation skills, self- care, including managing sensory issues, relationships, and communication skills.

It is aimed at students who have or are seeking an autism diagnosis or who self-identify as having autism and are experiencing problems with executive function and/or emotional regulation which are affecting their well-being.

Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition which can affect peoples ability to manage tasks effectively, to complete self-care activities, and to manage emotional regulation, sensory needs, and relationships.

Intro

Every session will begin with a quick warm-up exercise that helps attendees settle into

the group setting. There will be hydration and comfort breaks during the groups along with a space in the room to take a break from the group if needed.

Week 1

In the first week, we spend some time covering what we know about autism and how it can impact us. Along with exploring the societal context and discourse around neurodiversity. Touching on how this can lead to issues with self-esteem or phenomena such as internalised ableism.

Moving on to how we can establish healthy identities, practice self-compassion and look after ourselves in often challenging circumstances. Like studying at university!

Finishing with what essential self-care looks like with a focus on how to cope with sleep difficulties.

Week 2

This week we will be exploring some of the sensory challenges that autistic people can face. Looking at examples of hypo and hyper sensitivity as well as exploring your own sensitivities.

We will cover how autism can affect one's ability to tune in and regulate emotions and how this can result in meltdowns/shutdowns.

This will be followed by looking at strategies to better manage sensory dysregulation.

Week 3

In the third week, we will focus on becoming more mindful of our energy levels and exploring ways to manage them more effectively. We will also look at the pertinent topic of autistic burnout and how best to respond when going through it.

Also delving into the topic of communication styles of autistic people. Including having to navigate types of communication or interactions that aren't your preference.

Finishing with building relationships, neurodivergent love languages and managing rejection sensitivity dysphoria.

Week 4

The final week will be focussing on emotions more closely, their function and what they tell us about ourselves.

This will include how emotional dysregulation can present and how to improve difficulty in identifying emotions.

We finish with lots of different strategies to regulate ourselves on an emotional and/or sensory basis.