Hi!

My name is Davida and I am the Clinical Director and Principal Psychologist at The Adult Autism Practice.

Thank you so much for considering The Adult Autism Practice and getting in touch. We regard it a great privilege you have entrusted us to go on this journey with you. 

If you haven't done so already, I recommend reading Frequently Asked Questions on our website. This includes a webinar with myself and my colleague Tara talking about adult autism diagnosis at the end of that page.

This form may take an hour or longer to read and complete and the information in it is important. I recommend doing it when you have plenty of time and few distractions.

However, you don't need to do it all at the one time. At any stage if you click 'Save', you will be emailed a link to the form with your saved responses.   

In this form you will first be asked to read different short important pieces of information about us and how we work. You will be asked to choose between a Consultation or an Assessment, to tick boxes related to consent, and also fill in some brief bits of information about yourself (e.g., your name, date of birth, address). If you are currently linked in to any adult mental health team, you will need the name, address and phone number of a key person on that team.

Once you have completed the form, press 'Submit'. No information will be received, until you submit your form.

On the next page is a clear outline of the next steps after you submit this form.  

It is really important to us that you feel prepared and comfortable with the process. So, if you are unsure about or do not agree with anything contained in this form, please email us at info@adultautism.ie so that we can help.

We very much looking forward to getting to know you!

Warmly, 

Davida

Davida Hartman

Clinical Director/Principal Psychologist

The Adult Autism Practice

IMPORTANT NOTE: The Adult Autism Practice is not an adult mental health service and our focus is solely on adult, autism diagnosis. If you are experiencing significant mental health issues (e.g., suicidal thoughts or self- harming), for your own safety and well being it is vital you obtain support from the appropriate services/professionals for these issues, before seeking a Consultation or Assessment

If based in Ireland, you can contact:

1. Your GP (or out of hours GP)
2. Samaritans freephone 116-123
3. TEXT Crisis Textline Ireland: 50808 is a free 24/7 text service. Text 3TS to 50808 
4. The Psychological Society of Ireland
5. The Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy

If UK based, you can contact:

1. Your GP, who can help you access a referral for psychological talking therapy in your area
2. Samaritans freephone 116-123 
3. Via TEXT www.crisistextline.uk 24/7 text servive
4. Text SHOUT to 85258 www.giveusashout.org

If you are feeling actively unable to keep yourself or others safe, please attend your nearest A&E department, where urgent mental health support is available. 

Where You Live is Important

We mostly see clients from Ireland, the UK and Europe.

However, we do see people living in some other countries. If you are currently living in a country outside of these geographical areas, please email us at info@adultautism.ie to see if your country can be covered.  

Unfortunately we can not assess clients currently living in the USA or Canada due to strict regulations around psychologists in these regions which include that your psychologist needs to be registered in the specific state you are living in. 

If you are living in an eligible country that is not Ireland or the UK and are hoping to use the diagnosis for example to access disability supports, please make sure to check the requirements for accepting a diagnosis in the country you are living in. While we may be able to see and assess you, different countries have different rules around diagnostic assessments and reports. 

Location of Online Sessions

The platform we use for online sessions is Microsoft Teams. Please download and install Microsoft Teams (free of charge) prior to your session.

You can book sessions directly with your psychologist and they will email you the Teams meeting details.

Confidentiality of Online Space

Due to the nature of working online, we cannot control all aspects of confidentiality, as we could in face-to-face therapy sessions in a physical space. However, your psychologist will only share the meeting links to your email address.

Linking in with Other Services

If you are currently linked in to either an HSE or NHS adult mental health service (or a similar service) we will request your consent at this end of this form to contact the service and request information and/or collaboration.

It is important for you to let us know before you begin your assessment if you are currently linked in to these kinds of services.

We generally do not contact these services if you are booking in for just a Consultation. But we still ask that if you are booking in for a Consultation that you provide their details and consent to contact.  

We understand that many clients have had negative experiences of services in the past or feel that they are not understood within those services. Please be assured that we will conduct our own in depth assessment and that your voice is the most important aspect of our work. 

Looking After Yourself

Autism consultations and assessments with us are usually a positive experience. The majority of the feedback we have gained from previous clients is that they found the process hopeful, supportive and much easier and less stressful than they expected.

However, undertaking assessments like this can bring up difficult and overwhelming feelings and can be tiring and overwhelming.

Because of the nature of the sessions being undertaken remotely (we will not be there with you physically), it is important to have a plan for what you will do in case you become distressed following a session. Please make sure to have a plan with a list of options which you can follow if you do become distressed, e.g. phoning family members, friends or helplines who you can ask for help. If you become concerned about your own safety and can’t access the support you need otherwise, you should attend Emergency Services.

It would be a good idea to schedule relaxing activities on the days you have assessment sessions, particularly after sessions.

If you feel that the experience is going to be particularly overwhelming, you could also consider accessing some therapeutic support outside of The Adult Autism Practice either before, during or after the assessment.

If you experience significant distress during the period of the assessment, or just after it, please do let us know so that we can link you in with the right support.

Please be aware that we may recommend that the assessment is paused until you access some therapeutic support.

You will be asked later to provde the name and contact details of someone we can contact in an emergency. We will only contact this person if we are concerned for your safety and we are not able to get in contact with you. 

Post Assessment Support Session

It is very important to us that those we assess and provide a diagnosis to are well supported following what for many is a life transforming experience.

While we are an assessment and not a support service, we have been proactive in ensuring there is a solid support pathway in place for our clients.

Tara O’Donnell-Killen is our Support Lead at The Adult Autism Practice. She is an autistic integrative professional with a MSc in Applied Positive & Coaching Psychology, extensive training in several psychotherapeutic modalities (CBT, ACT, Solution focused brief therapy, IFS/Parts therapy, Compassion focused and mindfulness based approaches) along with over two decades experience living and working in the US, Europe, Egypt, UK and Ireland supporting diverse groups of adults.

Tara founded Thriving Autistic in 2020, at the same time we started The Adult Autism Practice. Thriving Autistic is a team of professional coaches, psychologists, therapists and occupational therapists who are all themselves autistic or otherwise neurodivergent. The team at Thriving Autistic follow the same neurodiversity affirmative commitment to practice as our team.

As part of our assessment package at The Adult Autism Practice, we offer one post assessment support session with either Tara or one of her team at Thriving Autistic.

The follow up support session is designed to offer a supportive space for you to explore your feelings about the process and outcome of your diagnosis, to provide you with signposting to connect you to resources you may need and assist you with any immediate areas of concern.

The process is as follows:

If you are identified as Autistic, your psychologist (with your consent) will email Thriving Autistic with a brief outline about your strengths and what you hope to focus on in the session. You wil be provided with a link which will allow you to choose who you would like to see within Thriving Autistic for your follow up support session. Your psychologist can also give recommendations to you around who might be a good match. 

Documentation

If you are identified as Autistic during an assessment, you will be provided with strengths based, neurodiversity affirmative documentation that confirms your identification as Autistic and which helps you understand how you met the criteria. We will also provide you with documentation to help with reasonable accomodations in work or college if you need it. This documentation will be emailed to you in PDF format. 

Our diagnosis letters are accepted in health and education institutions in both Ireland and the UK. As stated previously, if living in a different country you will need to check their requirements. 

If you intend on applying for either Disability Allowance (in Ireland) or PIP (in the UK) please let us know in advance as there are specific report requirements to access these that we can help you with if needed. 

Please note that if you opt for a single consultation rather than a full assessment, there will be no written documentation provided.

Our Psychologists

We have a wonderful mix of psychologists from both the UK and Ireland on our team, who see a mix of clients from both regions. 

All psychologists are members of either the Psychological Society of Ireland or the HCPC (The Health and Care Professional's Council). 

If you are based in the UK and see one of our Irish based psychologists, please be aware that they are not registered with the HCPC. This means that in the unlikely event of you having a concern you would need to raise it within the Irish system (e.g. the Psychological Society of Ireland) and not the HCPC. 

If you are currently based in Ireland and see one of our UK based psychologists, similarly you would need to raise concerns within the HCPC. 

In no other way are the services provided by our psychologists any different. However, if you have a preference for a UK or Irish based psychologist let us know in advance. 

If you have a preference for a male or female psychologist you can also request this by adding it to the additional information box at the end of this form. 

Any queries or requests in this area please email us at info@adultautism.ie. 

Cancellation Fee

Due to high demand for sessions, a cancellation fee for individual sessions may be applied if less than 48 hours notice is given. 

Professional Records

It is a requirement to keep appropriate records of the services provided. Your records are maintained by our staff on a secure Microsoft server, secured by use of a password and a firewall with a secure access log and are accessible only to The Adult Autism Practice team.  Any paper forms (e.g. if you choose to send a questionnaire in the post) are secured in locked filing cabinets in line with the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI) ethical guidelines. All personal information is treated with respect and privacy to be read only as needed, in accordance with GDPR and the Psychological Society of Ireland guidelines.

Payments

Payment for your Consultation or Assessment will need to be made before you see your psychologist. 

Payments are made by you entering your card details into a link in an invoice that we will email you when you have been assigned to a psychologist.  

You will be issued a receipt automatically when you make the payment.  

Payment Plan (for Assessments)

We understand that some people may not be able to afford to pay the full asessment fee upfront. For this reason we also offer a 3 month payment plan for assessments. 

If you avail of this payment plan, there is an additonal €25 fee (2% interest) added to cover additional admin costs. 

Here is how our payment plan works:

1. You pay €300 by card before your assessment.

2. This saves your card details with us. 

3. You are automatically set up for a "subscription" for 3 months after this.

4. €275 will be automatically taken off your card for exactly 3 months on the same date each month.

5. This means that you do not have to remember to make the payments. 

6. The first €275 automatic payment will be taken off your card one month after you pay your first €300.

7. These three €275 payments will automatically stop after 3 months (and by then you will have paid exactly €1125 in total).

8. If for some reason there is a month where you are not able to pay and would prefer the money not be taken out, please send us an email and we will suspend the payment for that month.

If you are unable to afford this and would like to discuss possible different payment arrangements, please contact us at info@adultautism.ie before completing this form. 

If you attend for a Consultation and then after your Consultation choose to proceed to a full Assessment and need to avail of a payment plan after this, the payment schedule would be:

1. €200 is paid before your Consultation. 

2. €308 is paid one month later. 

3. €308 is paid on the third month. 

4. €308 is paid on the fourth month.

There is a €24 (2% interest) fee added to the overall cost to cover additional admin fees. This brings the total assessment fee paid €1124

If you do not need a payment plan, you can pay the remaining €900 with no additional fee. 

Private Insurance

If you have private insurance and intend to claim back the cost of sessions, please first check your plan to see if it will be covered. Please also let us know if this is your intention so that we can support you with this (as insurance companies have specific policies around which psychologist you can claim with).

We cannot guarantee that a Consultation or Assessment will be covered by your individual private health insurance, but we will do our best to help and respond to queries in this area.

Parent/Guardian Signature

A parent/guardian signature is required, if this application is for a young person currently aged 17, but who wishes to join our waiting list to be seen at 18.

Note: On turning 18, the young person will be required to sign their own consent form, before being seen.