Conference workshops

A therapist and child sitting on two comfy grey office style chairs throwing a small orange balloon to each other, both smiling and enjoying themselves. Behind them is a mural of a hot air balloon

Explore a series of reflective, skills-based workshops designed to strengthen your practice and deepen your understanding of children’s mental health.


Our Beyond Behaviour: understanding trauma and neurodivergence conference offers a thoughtfully designed programme of workshops exploring key themes in trauma, neurodiversity, communication, and emotional wellbeing.

Each session provides space to reflect, share learning, and build practical strategies for supporting children, young people, and families.

Led by experienced practitioners, these workshops invite you to deepen your understanding, enhance confidence, and develop approaches grounded in compassion and evidence-based practice.

Workshops

An illustration of a therapist and child sitting on two wooden chairs. The therapist is leaning forward to explain something and the child is leaning backwards with their hands in the air, like a stretch or as part of a yawn

Beyond tired: understanding neurodivergent burnout 

Time: 10:45-11:45am

Burnout can impact a child's education, physical and emotional mental health.   

Burnout can lead to extreme fatigue, increased meltdowns/shutdowns, loss of skills, increased sensory sensitivities, and loss of interest in activities that previously brought enjoyment.  

This workshop will cover:  

  • the importance of understanding and recognising neurodivergent burnout 

  • possible causes of neurodivergent burnout and how this presents 

  • the impact of school burnout and the subsequent impact on the young person’s emotional well-being  

  • strategies for energy management to foster healing and recovery 

Workshop participants will have the opportunity to explore sensory soothing kits and create a sensory item to take away.    

An illustration with a sand tray in front of a child and therapist. The therapist is looking at the swirls the child has made and talking through them together

Sensory child-centred interventions for neurodiversity

Time: 10:45-11:45am

For many children, especially those who are neurodivergent, sensory experiences are a powerful tool to encourage regulation.  

When children are overwhelmed or dysregulated, activities like tactile play, movement, or creative expression can offer a way back to calm. 

This workshop invites you to explore: 

  • practical ways to create a mini sensory toolkit. 

  • the importance of different sensory activities. 

  • how to use the gingerbread body outline in your practice to encourage awareness of body sensations and feelings 

  • the concept of the “window of tolerance” and how it applies to children’s energy and emotions 

This is a hands-on session, and is designed to spark ideas you can bring straight into your classroom or practice. 

A therapist, child and parent sitting at a table.. You can see their hands and the back of a therapists head. She is working with them, with a piece of paper and hands, drawing round them.

PACE-ing the Spectrum: Using principles from Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy and the PACE model to deepen relational understanding of autism 

Time: 11:55am-12:55pm 

Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP) is widely recognised for supporting children and families affected by trauma. But what happens when a child is both autistic and has experienced trauma?  

One of eleven workshops it will explore how to adapt the principles of PACE (Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity and Empathy) when working with autistic children, including those with ADHD. 

You will gain: 

  • an understanding of how trauma and autism interact 

  • strategies for flexibly applying DDP in a neurodiverse context 

  • practical ways to use PACE to build safety, trust, and connection 

An essential opportunity to deepen your practice. 

A child leaning towards their therapist to look at what they are showing them. They are both seated, and you can see the back of them. The therapist has long blonde curly hair, and a black top and the child has long blonde hair tied in a ponytail

Bridging the Gap – supporting neurodivergent children through educational transitions 

Time: 11:55am-12:55pm

Transitions are part of every child’s life – starting school, moving between classes, or preparing for adulthood. But for neurodivergent children, even small changes can feel overwhelming. 

This workshop will cover: 

  • practical strategies to prepare and support children through change 

  • tools to reduce anxiety and increase predictability 

  • ways to involve families in creating smoother transitions 

  • why transitions can be particularly challenging for autistic children and those with ADHD 

By the end of the session, you will have learnt practical approaches to reduce stress and build resilience for the children you support. 

 
 
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Communication difficulties: overcoming barriers to children being understood, getting their needs met; improving emotional wellbeing and behaviours.

Time: 1:30-2:30pm

Did you know 10% of children in every classroom have communication difficulties?

These challenges are often invisible – but they can have a detrimental and long-lasting impact affecting behaviour, relationships, and wellbeing.

We will cover:

  • how communication differences show up in practice and how to recognise these difficulties

  • using creative tools to support young people and families to facilitate and encourage communication and understanding

  • why these difficulties are often missed or misunderstood

Delivered by experienced practitioners, this session will give you the confidence to identify and effectively support children whose communication differences may otherwise go un-noticed and un-supported. 

Group of therapists, sitting down and discussing together. They are dressed casually and are on two sofas, grey and light brown with a round table and some fidget toys on the table.

R & R – Regulate to relate: Embodied self-regulation for helping professionals 

Time: 1:30-2:30pm

Working with children and young people means bringing your whole self into the room. How often do we notice and become aware of our own internal system of regulation and the opportunities this offers to foster co-regulated and relationally attuned connections? 

Explore: 

  • embodied self-regulation 

  • how your own regulatory system influences co-regulation 

  • practical tools to develop emotional resilience and how to develop co-regulated, safe and responsive spaces for children and young people. 

If you support neurodivergent young people and their families or those that have experienced trauma, this is your chance to gain a deeper understanding, build awareness and develop strategies that can really make a difference. 

A therapist and client sitting at a table in a session using play therapy.

Welcoming neurodivergent culture and communication – creating nurturing spaces together

Time: 2:40-3:40pm

What makes a truly safe and welcoming space for neurodivergent children, young people, and adults?

You will have the chance to consider:

  • how deep interests, sensory preferences and communication can influence and shape safe spaces

  • how our own communication styles can influence access to support

  • practical ways to effectively co-create adjustments that are empowering and supportive for the children and families we support

Participants will also reflect on designing inclusive spaces – from classrooms to workplaces – and leave with self-advocacy tools and ideas for nurturing change. 

Two girls outside, walking away from the camera, arms interlinked. There are trees in the background, along with a fence and a pagoda, you can see the top of this and one pole

Unmasking Neurodivergence in Girls and Women

Time: 2:40-3:40pm

Autism in girls and women has for many years been overlooked and underdiagnosed, leading to misdiagnoses, missed opportunities to access appropriate and timely support and vital chances to foster and develop self-understanding.

Traits often present differently in women and girls and as such do not always follow the stereotypical signs of autism often picked up earlier in males.

This workshop will explore:

  • why autism is so often overlooked in girls and women and explore the key differences

  • how we can approach assessment and diagnosis through a gender sensitive lens

  • how to support families who are trying to access support and the barriers they may experience

Participants will gain insights to help identify and support autistic girls and young women earlier – ensuring their needs are recognised and understood. 

 
 

Making sense of behaviour and developmental trauma

Time: 5-6pm

For children and young people who have experienced developmental trauma, behaviour can be a vital form of communication – signalling distress, unmet needs, or a call for connection.  

This workshop will cover:  

  • how trauma can shape behaviour at a young person’s different developmental stages  

  • concepts from the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT©) and sensory assessments  

  • the importance of recognising behaviour as communication, not ‘poor behaviour’ 

  • practical tools for understanding what a child may be seeking through their actions  

  • Using psychoeducation and NMT to guide interventions which are best suited to support children with this complex presentation 

Ideal for anyone working with children of all ages 

Food, sleep and the hidden foundations of neurodivergent wellbeing

Time: 5-6pm

(This was previously ‘Understanding sleep in neurodivergent children’)

Explore how nourishing the body and supporting sleep can reduce anxiety, boost regulation and transform mental health for neurodivergent children.

In this practical and insight-rich workshop, we will look beyond behaviour to understand the powerful connections between the body and the mind in neurodivergent children and young people.

Drawing on current evidence and frontline clinical experience, this session will explore how nutrition, gut health, blood sugar regulation, sleep patterns and sensory needs directly influence mood, anxiety, attention, emotional regulation and challenging behaviours.

 Participants will learn:

• How physical health and daily routines shape mental and emotional wellbeing

• Why food, sleep and stress impact neurodivergent brains differently

• The role of gut–brain communication in anxiety and distress

• Practical ways parents, carers and professionals can support healthier regulation through everyday choices

• Simple, realistic interventions that can reduce overwhelm, improve focus, and strengthen resilience

Join us to discover the hidden foundations that can help neurodivergent children thrive - not by changing who they are, but by supporting the bodies, brains and environments that shape their wellbeing.

 
 

Book a place at our conference today to attend five of the above workshops.

Page last updated: 10 December 2025

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