Aphantasia Academy

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Everyone should read this."

While written as a guide for therapists, the message of UNSEEN MINDS is for everyone. It's for managers, teachers, parents, partners, and anyone who wants to better understand the people in their lives.

Understanding that we all experience the world differently is the first step towards better communication and deeper connection.

Paperback and ebook versions available on Amazon now.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Essential training material."

Beyond a simple read, I designed UNSEEN MINDS to be a practical, foundational text for professional development. I'm delighted to see it being recognised as essential material for therapists, coaches, and supervisors.

Use it in your study groups, for your CPD, and to build a more inclusive, neurodiversity-affirming practice.

Buy your copy from Amazon now.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Told my therapist to read it."

I love this! This is empowerment in action. It’s clients advocating for their needs and helping to educate the professionals who support them.

If you're a therapist, your clients are learning about this. If you're a client, this book can give you the language to start the conversation.

Let's get everyone on the same page. Grab your copy from Amazon now.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "I felt seen."

This is the most powerful feedback a writer can receive. To every person with aphantasia, SDAM, or any other invisible cognitive difference – I see you. Your experience is real, and you are not alone.

This book was written to build a bridge of understanding. Thank you for letting me know it reached you.

Unseen Minds is available in paperback or ebook on Amazon now.

Starting counselling can feel daunting, especially if you’ve tried it before and felt like it just didn’t fit.

Neurodiversity counselling can feel a little different. You might laugh more than you expected, feel able to talk about things you never thought you’d say out loud, or finally feel able to relax enough to be yourself. Building trust and connection always comes first.

There’s no pressure to get things “right”. It’s simply a space to explore who you are, how you experience the world, and what you need.

If you’d like to learn more, visit meadowbrookcounselling.co.uk or send me a message to arrange an initial session or a free phone call.

Today is the closing date for the government's SEND consultation, Every Child Achieving and Thriving.

I submitted a formal response and I also wrote to the Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Phillipson, directly.

Why? Because buried in the conversation about SEND reform is something that almost nobody is talking about: children with aphantasia, SDAM, anendophasia, and anauralia are not classified as having special educational needs, despite the fact that their cognitive differences have direct and significant implications for how they learn, how they process information, and how they experience school.

They are not seen, not in the data, not in the policy and not in the classroom.

A child who can't visualise will struggle with every teacher who uses mental imagery to explain an idea. A child with no inner voice will find silent reading comprehension tasks functionally different to every neurotypical peer. A child with SDAM will not be able to access memories in the way exam recall demands.

None of this appears in current SEND frameworks. None of it is in initial teacher training and because these differences are invisible and the children themselves rarely have language for what is different about them, it goes unnoticed.

I will share the outcome of the consultation when it is published. In the meantime, if you work in education and any of this resonates, I would love to hear from you in the comments.

If you're interested in finding out how we can support your school to understand what this means for your students, drop me a line and let's talk.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Should be mandatory reading for therapists."

Wow. Just... wow. Seeing this feedback is incredibly affirming. My hope is that understanding cognitive diversity becomes a standard, foundational part of every therapist's training.

Until then, I'm honoured that so many of you consider UNSEEN MINDS to be an essential part of your professional library.

If you're ready to start understanding your unseen clients, grab your copy from Amazon today.

It is the last day of Mental Health Awareness Week and I want to end it with the most direct thing I can say.

1.1 million people started NHS Talking Therapies last year and didn't finish. That number has not improved in a decade. More money, more referrals, more therapists. The same dropout rate.

Some of that is systemic, some of it is funding, some of it is workforce capacity, some of it is fit and readiness, and some of it, a measurable, addressable proportion, is a training gap that can be closed right now, by individual practitioners making a choice to learn what their qualification didn't cover.

That is the action that is available to every therapist reading this. Not a campaign, not waiting for the system to change but a course, a book or time spent understanding why some of your clients cannot do what you are asking them to do.

The tools exist. They are ready, and the clients who need them are already sitting in your therapy rooms.

If this week has moved you to take one action for your practice, I would be genuinely honoured if it involved my work. Comment TRAINING for the full programme, FOUNDATIONS for the first step, or MASTERCLASS if you want to start for free.

What action will you take?

Can you help me?
Mental Health Awareness Week exists because awareness without action changes nothing.
I've been saying a version of that for years, but I've been saying it in rooms that are already primed to listen.

The conversation about aphantasia, invisible cognitive differences, and the gap in therapeutic training needs to reach bigger rooms and I am looking for opportunities to take it there.

If you organise events, conferences, or training days for mental health professionals, coaches, educators, or corporate wellbeing teams, I would love to talk to you.

If you host a podcast that reaches therapists, neurodivergent communities, or people interested in how the mind works, I would love to be a guest.

If you work in media and need an expert voice on neurodiversity and mental health, I am available.

I've spoken to the EMCC UK. I've been featured in the Daily Mail Good Health section and on BBC Radio Solent. I was a guest this month on the podcast It's Not That Deep. I’m featured in this month’s Wellbeing Magazine and I have a book that reached number one on Amazon.

I have a story that I believe belongs in front of a much wider audience.

If that's you, please DM me or comment below. I will get back to you personally.

How many of the clients you have seen for depression were actually experiencing something else?

The research gives us a specific, evidenced answer for at least one population. People with aphantasia who develop PTSD present differently to neurotypical clients. They have less intrusive imagery, which is one of the defining diagnostic features of PTSD. Without that symptom, GPs and practitioners are more likely to refer them for depression treatment. This means that the trauma goes unrecognised and the client gets the wrong treatment, often for years.

It’s important to note that this is not a failure of clinical skill. It’s a training gap and one that is entirely, practically, immediately fixable.

If you’re keen to find out more but not sure if full training is right for you, your first step is to take our free CBT Masterclass. It takes less than 30 minutes, and it will change how you hear certain presentations in your sessions.

It covers what aphantasia is, how it presents clinically, and the first adaptations any therapist can make immediately, regardless of their modality.

Save this post and comment MASTERCLASS and I'll send you the link.