Monday, June 23

Autism in the Therapy room

Neuroafirming practice with autistic adults who have experienced trauma. Emphasis will be given to autistic girls + women and sexual harm.

By Wonita Woolhouse

Date and time

Monday, June 23 · 9am - 12:30pm NZST. Doors at 8:30am

Location

Sudima Christchurch Airport

550 Memorial Avenue Christchurch, Canterbury 8053 New Zealand

Refund Policy

Refunds up to 5 days before event

About this event

Event lasts 3 hours 30 minutes
Free venue parking

Essential Learning Opportunity: Autism in the Therapy Room

Join this groundbreaking workshop designed to equip clinicians with essential insights into working with autistic adults—especially autistic women—in a way that is authentic, ethical, and neuroaffirming.

This is more than just another professional development session—it’s an opportunity to rethink, refine, and reshape your therapeutic approach, ensuring that the autistic individuals you support are met with genuine attunement, autonomy, and respect.

What You’ll Gain:

✅ Transformative Insights—Deepen your understanding of past, current, and future best practices in working alongside autistic adults.
✅ Neuroaffirming Frameworks—Learn how to move beyond rigid interventions toward a truly client-led approach.
✅ Exclusive Resources—Receive handouts, recommended suppliers, essential texts, and curated websites to support ongoing learning.
✅ Community & Connection—Engage in rich discussions that help shape future workshops tailored to clinician needs.
✅ Certification—Receive an official attendance certificate upon completion to document your professional development.

What’s Provided:

NB. Please note an additional option of attendees connecting remotely via Microsoft Teams as an alternative if unable to be there in person. Please carefully choose your ticketing option and only choose this discounted option only if you will not be attending in person on the day.

🚗 Convenient Access—Onsite parking available for easy arrival.
🍵 Refreshments & Comfort—Enjoy morning tea, coffee, water, and other refreshments.
📖 Take-Home Materials—Handouts of the slides provided for reference as well as recommended texts to browse, websites to link in with and fidgets to take away.
📩 Feedback Welcome—Your insights post-workshop will help shape future offerings.

This workshop is built on over 20 years of hands-on experience in both the UK and New Zealand as an Occupational Therapist and Psychotherapist, now specializing in autistic adults who have experienced sexual harm. While the primary focus is autism, neurodivergence exists on a broad spectrum—future workshops may explore other conditions such as ADHD, depending on demand as well as content from this workshop being highly applicable to other neurodivergent conditions.

This session is a snapshot in time, reflecting the most current research, application, and practice in the field. It will lay a strong foundation for deeper, more specialized workshops to follow.

If you work in mental health, wellbeing, or any other therapeutic space, this workshop is essential learning—a chance to expand your knowledge, refine your approach, and truly engage in neuroaffirming practice.

This is your chance to be part of a movement toward better therapeutic engagement—I encourage you to register now and join me in making a real difference in how we support autistic adults.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Frequently asked questions

Will dietary needs be accommodated?

Yes of course. There will be gluten free and dairy free options available. Please indicate your dietary need when registering.

Is there space to go and have a bit of time out if feeling overwhelmed at any point?

Absolutely. There is a space by the bar area with plenty of seats as well as being on the ground floor and close to accessing outside to go for a walk. The space is considered a fluid space, so feel free to leave and join as you please.

What are the sensory conditions like?

The space is a large lecture-like room with soft overhead lighting and single seating already arranged. Feel free to move your chair and/or position yourself close to an exit if you need to leave the space at any point. Bring any fidgets or any cushions you might need - make yourself comfortable.

What if I need a particular accommodation not already mentioned?

If you have any requests that would support you to be able to attend the workshop, please email the organiser directly at: wonita.woolhouse@gmail.com

Who is this workshop suitable for?

Mental health professionals working with or interested in supporting autistic adults, particularly autistic women, who have experienced harm/trauma, including psychotherapists, psychologists, occupational therapists, social workers, counselors, and support workers.

Organized by

Wonita Woolhouse

With over 25 years of experience as both an Occupational Therapist and Psychotherapist, my clinical practice has evolved to specialize in supporting neurodivergent individuals through trauma-informed care. My approach integrates psychodynamic foundations with neurodevelopmental frameworks, creating therapeutic environments specifically attuned to neurodivergent processing and experience.

I am dedicated to advancing neuroaffirming therapeutic practices that recognize neurological differences as natural variations rather than deficits. My work focuses on creating therapeutic spaces where neurodivergent clients can authentically engage without the exhaustion of masking or conforming to neurotypical expectations.

My recent clinical investigation centers on the unique manifestations of trauma in autistic individuals, particularly following sexual assault. This work examines how traditional trauma frameworks must be adapted to address the distinct processing and experiential patterns of autistic clients.

Through this workshop, I hope to share practical strategies for creating truly accessible therapeutic environments that honor neurodivergent experiences and enable profound healing for this often underserved population.

From NZ$218.50