23/09/2026
Life as a NMH specialist mentor for university students who are ADHD and/or autisticâŠ
Sometimes itâs about the simple things ⊠like a body doubling session.
But maybe itâs not that simple.
I have a relationship with the students I work with which takes time to develop.
I believe they trust me, sometimes they off load, sometimes Iâm a sounding board, sometimes Iâm just someone who gets it, knows it, has lived, sometimes still living it. Sometimes itâs encouragement, shared planning, challenge, or curiosity, sometimes accountability and sometimes celebration.
But those individual sessions donât sit in a vacuum.
I hope my students know I wonât judge them and will encourage them not to judge themselves. I hope they feel I get RSD - Iâm not writing off anyone because the timing isnât quite right. I spot self sabotage, self criticism, sense of shame, often self imposed and I know what itâs like to always be learning.
Which means when body doubling needs accountability and a few nudges, a dedicated space and an understanding of personal barriers - I can support in a way that means a student will âget stuff doneâ.
So in a session where I body double and facilitate a student getting through a list of tasks that have been weighing heavily, I know Iâm offering something different to a generic app for example or a table in a cafe.
If weâre already motivated a body doubling app or the cafe might work to maintain focus but I suspect on those occasions youâd probably get the jobs done anyway. If there are barriers then an app is easy to ignore.
There will be students who have been assigned my support as part of their DSA award. But itâs always up to them whether they make contact. I have no control, no prior knowledge of who they are. These things canât be forced, but I hope there will be more students for me to get to know very soon.
