Upcoming Seminar: Supporting Neurodivergent clients; insights for career professionals
NICEC and the CDI continue their collaborative webinar series "At the Cutting Edge" with a timely exploration of neurodiversity in career development.
Neurodiversity has gained significant momentum and recognition in recent years. For career professionals, this is a crucial area of focus, particularly as neurodivergent individuals are often over-represented within the population of those seeking career support.
To explore this important topic, NICEC and the Career Development Institute (CDI) are pleased to announce the next session in our bi-annual At the Cutting Edge series: Supporting Neurodivergent Clients; Insights for Career Professionals.
Taking place on Thursday, 5th March (2.00 pm – 4.00 pm), this seminar seeks to move beyond basic awareness. Instead, it will encourage an approach of intersectionality, examining the specific challenges neurodivergent individuals face and how those issues impact their career development.
What to Expect
Hosted by NICEC Fellows Dr Cathy Brown and Kate Mansfield, and introduced by CDI Chief Executive David Morgan, the session is designed to be highly interactive. Rather than a standard lecture, the two hours will blend research highlights with real-world case studies, focusing on practical structures for support.
The seminar will tackle fundamental questions regarding the strengths of neurodivergent clients, the ethical boundaries of our work, and the benefits of taking a neuroinclusive approach in workplaces and learning environments.
The Contributors
We are delighted to welcome three expert contributors who will guide us through distinct aspects of neuroinclusive practice:
Dr Tania Lyden (University of Warwick) will discuss structural barriers and the concept of "learning wounds"—traumas resulting from experiences within complex educational systems. She will explore how these injuries impact self-identity and how practitioners can support individuals presenting with them.
Aretha Rutherford (Coach & Researcher) will focus on designing practices for inclusion. Using concepts like the Social Model of Disability and the Double Empathy Problem, Aretha will explore how practitioners can reduce "systemic friction" and avoid unintentionally reinforcing barriers by expecting the individual to change rather than the environment.
Tamsin Crook (Making Careers Work) will address the cognitive and emotional complexity of career decision-making for neurodivergent clients. She will introduce specific issues that may hold clients back and explore a co-created decision-making framework to help them thrive.
Format and Booking
The session will be interspersed with small group discussions in breakout rooms, allowing attendees to reflect on what the research means for their own careers practice.
Event Details:
Date: Thursday, 5th March
Time: 2.00 pm – 4.00 pm
Cost: Free to CDI Members & NICEC Members.
How to Book:
You will be asked for your membership number upon booking. If you are a NICEC member and do not have your number to hand, please email [email protected].
We look forward to seeing you there for what promises to be an insightful and practical session.
