Neurodivergent Experiencing & Creative Arts Practice: A Short Course for Practitioners & Lived-Experience Learners

Join AuDHD, neuro‑affirming educator and arts therapist Chrissy Foreman for an immersive short course exploring neurodivergent experiencing, processing, and creative expression through contemporary research and therapeutic arts practice.

Designed for practitioners working alongside neurodivergent communities as well as neurodivergent people and allies seeking deeper understanding, this course offers grounded insights, experiential learning, and practical skills you can immediately apply in therapeutic, educational, community, or personal contexts.

Chrissy weaves her lived experience with neurodivergent‑led research to highlight the importance of neuro‑affirming practice and the centrality of neurodivergent voices in shaping inclusive, intersectional approaches to support.

Through richly documented creative inquiries shared visually, verbally, and kinaesthetically, you will explore:

• Key insights into working alongside neurodivergent populations

• The lived experience of an AuDHD arts therapist in private practice supporting ND Folx

• Neurodivergent client perspectives on accessing therapeutic support

• Contemporary neuro‑affirming clinical and arts‑based research

• Creative processes that support neurodivergent sensory, emotional, and cognitive processing

This course is suitable for mental health professionals, arts therapists, allied health practitioners, educators, community workers, support workers, neurodivergent people with lived experience and those curious to understand more.

Learning Intentions:

By the end of the course, participants will:

• Strengthen their confidence as inclusive practitioners and allies to Autistic and ADHD people

• Develop an increased understanding of Autistic‑ADHD processing and relational styles

• Communicate, empathise, and advocate more effectively for neuro‑affirming accommodations

• Access a broader range of neuro‑affirming research and researchers

• Deepen insight into their own neurodivergent needs (for those who identify as Autistic and/or ADHD)

• Increase capacity and understanding on how to support the needs of others.

Course Overview
4 Wednesday evenings, delievered online monthly, 6.30-8.30pm AEST

This short course integrates four workshop themes into a cohesive learning experience:

1. Wednesday May 13th 6.30-8.30pm
Multimodal Arts Therapy & Neurodivergent Processing

Explore how creative, sensory, and embodied arts‑based practices support Autistic‑ADHD processing, self‑discovery, and regulation.

2. Wednesday June 10th 6.30-8.30pm
Sensory Street: Inside Lived Experience

Engage with LEGO‑inspired creative inquiry to understand sensory overwhelm, sensory joy, and environmental attunement from a neurodivergent perspective.

3. Wednesday July 8th 6.30-8.30pm
Alexithymia Poetics

Discover creative, non‑verbal pathways for exploring emotional experiencing, expression, and communication in alexithymic neurodivergent people.

4. Wednesday August 12th 6.30-8.30pm
Hot Pink MenoStorm

Examine the intersection of Autism, ADHD, and peri/menopause through neurodivergent‑led research and creative inquiry into hormonal, sensory, and emotional shifts.

Learning Format

This short course is delivered online and includes:

• Live experiential creative activities

• Neuro‑affirming theoretical frameworks

• Lived‑experience‑led insights

• Practical strategies for immediate application

• Opportunities for Q&A, peer discussion and community connection

Participants are invited to bring simple art materials (paper, pens, pencils, markers, LEGO pieces, or found objects).

A certificate of completion will be provided.

Language & Approach

Chrissy intentionally uses identity‑first language (e.g., “Autistic person,” “disabled person”), aligned with neurodivergent community preferences and the social model of disability. Participants are welcome to use whichever language feels right for them.

This course is not a therapy group nor a substitute for clinical diagnosis or care. Participants are responsible for their own self‑care throughout the sessions.

Can't Attend Live?
All sessions will be recorded and made available to registered participants for four weeks after each workshop. Recordings are provided exclusively to those who have pre-purchased a ticket. Please note that by registering for and attending this online course, participants consent to the sessions being recorded. Participants are welcome to keep their cameras off and use alternative forms of participation if preferred.