Esther Fidock

It’s the lens!!!! Seeing things differently and therefore being able to offer more tailored support to your neurotype 🧠

Lol at my cat dashing across the desk while I’m trying to talk about rushing 🐈‍⬛

I’ve been reflecting on this idea, I’m definitely not opposed to taking the prompt to slow down in the day and be mindful! But I do think that we need to consider neurotype when thinking about what this might actually look like in practice 💭

Lol at my cat dashing across the desk partway through me talking about rushing 🐈‍⬛

I’ve been reflecting on this idea, I’m definitely not opposed to the concept of taking the prompt to slow down and be mindful in day to day. I do think however that we need to consider neurotype in implementing this in practice 💭

I’ve been posting about this on LinkedIn but honestly I’d rather talk to you here!!

I’m looking for a psychologist to join the team at The Neuro Nurture Collective.

I’m not looking for someone who wants to fill a caseload and take a generic approach. Our team practises deeply from a neurodiversity-affirming framework, it’s not a ‘nice-to-have’ skill, it shapes everything we do.

I don’t mind how many years you’ve been registered. If you finished your provisional year recently? That’s fine. What matters to me is whether you’ve been studying, learning, and genuinely practising in the neurodiversity-affirming space.

We need people who are trauma-informed. We need people who understand the care and humility it takes to support minority communities well.

And if you’re neurodivergent yourself, of course you’re welcome here! This is a role where you can work within your capacity, with a team who gets it.

📍 Telehealth | Australia-wide | Registered with AHPRA

If this sounds like you, please send your cover letter and CV to [email protected] and I’ll get in touch.

Deep breathing isn’t a universal calm-down strategy. I feel like as a clinician once you realise this, you start questioning everything else you were taught to apply generically.

Working with autistic and ADHD adults means understanding that of course while we still follow an evidence-based approach, we can practice in a way where we aren’t just following a script. We have to know and understand the evidence well enough to adapt it meaningfully.

A neurotypical client might find a body scan grounding. An autistic client might find it overwhelming, disconnecting, or just… nothing. But give them a strategy built around their specific interests, or something grounded in the sensory input that actually regulates their nervous system? That can be so helpful!

This is what neurodiversity-affirming practice actually looks like in the room. Not throwing out the evidence base, just not applying it as though every brain works the same way.

I actually think practising this way is better for clinicians too. It asks more of you creatively, it keeps you thinking, it means sessions are often more flexible and go where the client needs them to go. I think that depth and flexibility is what makes this work really meaningful, interesting, enjoyable, and sustainable.

If you’re a psychologist who’s already started practising this way (or you’ve been wanting to and just need the right environment) that’s exactly what we do at theneuronurturecollective, and we’re looking for new team members! Please feel free to get in touch if you’re a psychologist in Australia looking for a new role 😌

For clinicians to help their clients feel safe, it’s really important that they themselves feel safe at work.

I recently ran a conference for clinicians who practise in neurodiversity-affirming ways, and I heard the same thing from so many of them, that they’re doing this work quietly and consistently but inside practices that don’t share their philosophy.

That sounds exhausting!

If you want to adjust your intake process, embed more visuals, lean into special interests, or build in executive functioning supports - but you have to fight your own leadership to do it – it’s so hard to manage your capacity and wellbeing.

Back in 2021 I consulted on the Trauma Responsive Framework used by DHS in South Australia. One of the things that stood out most was how the core themes had to echo through the entire system to actually work. Safety, for example - it couldn’t just exist in the therapy room.

Clinicians had to feel safe with their leadership for clients to feel safe with them.

That idea has shaped everything about how I run The Neuro Nurture Collective.
I need our team to feel safe to practise the way they know is right. To make changes. To try things. To trust that the system around them is designed to support affirming work - not just tolerate it.

That’s why I built The Neuro Nurture Collective. (And I’m still looking for psychologists who want to be part of it, so please get in touch if you’re interested in exploring a role 😌)

I truly believe that the same things that make a clinic work for neurodivergent clients also make it work for the team running it.

Online booking so you don’t have to call or email back and forth? That’s great for clients of course but it’s also great for our admin Berny, who’s coordinating across multiple time zones without using up the brain space required on email scheduling threads.

Clinicians choosing their own session structure? Back to back if that suits your brain. Or fifteen-minute buffers. Or half-hour breaks. Or sessions clustered so you can take a longer lunch. Whatever actually works for you, that’s what I put in your schedule.

I wanted to build a place where people could do their best work from their own comfortable environments and support clients in truly affirming ways across the whole of Australia.

The Neuro Nurture Collective is neurodiversity-affirming for everyone inside it. Not just the people who come to us for support, but the people providing it too.

If that sounds like the kind of place you’d want to work there’s a link in my bio, we are currently looking for more members for our team!

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As psychologists, our question around burnout shouldn’t be “how do I push through it.” It should be “what would it look like if my work was actually designed for my brain?”

I had to figure this out for myself! It took me a while to learn what I actually needed, and not just gaslight myself into thinking about what I should be able to manage in my role.

After a little while of practising in a way that works for me, I built a clinic around that same principle, not just for me, but for every psychologist on our team.

At TNNC, our values aren’t just words in a document. They shape how we actually work, not just with clients but also within the team.

If back-to-back sessions aren’t working for you? We change the schedule next week. No justification needed. No guilt or shame!!

Because a psychologist who feels well in their work is a psychologist who can fully show up and be present for the people they are supporting.

I’m growing our team at the moment. If you’re a psych who’s been looking for a practice that works with your brain instead of against it I would love to hear from you. Please reach out to [email protected] 😌
privatepractice telehealthaustralia burnoutprevention ndaffirming psychologistswanted

Options for accessing The Neuro Nurture Conference:

1. In person live
2. In person live part of the day, part of the day watch live stream
3. Watch live stream on the day from home/work/the library/wherever you are!
4. Receive the recordings after the day and watch within three months

In person ticket holders can choose from any of these options (you will receive a link to the live stream before the day, and also get recordings after) 😊

I’m so glad I ended up selecting the Adelaide Festival Centre for my upcoming Supporting Autistic Children and Families conference. Not only have they been an absolute pleasure to deal with, they’ve been so open to accomodations and adjustments, and as part of their general selection list I can choose the colour of the ceiling! 🙏🏻