Therapy for autistic & ADHD people in Sydney & online
Neurodivergent-affirming therapy that honours your unique way of being, rather than treating you as a fault to correct.
Sessions with Jerico Mandybur (an AuDHD registered arts-based psychotherapist) are creative, body-aware, and paced to you, in Sydney or online. You don't need a diagnosis or Medicare plan to begin.
Let me guess…
You’re so tired of acting normal (a.k.a masking) all day, that you feel like you have nothing left for what you love.
You’ve been told you’re too much. And also not enough. Sometimes in the same week.
Everyone says you’re doing great, but you feel like you’re barely holding it together.
You’ve done the talking-only therapy. You want something that includes your senses, your body, and your creativity. (And less talking.)
You are not alone
Many autistic and ADHD adults, including those diagnosed late or still wondering, spend years masking and barely-managing, often without anyone noticing the immense effort. And the cost. Carrying that unseen is lonely.
Feeling at home in yourself is possible
I’m not here to teach you how to pass as neurotypical. I won’t pathologise you. But I know firsthand that burnout, shutdown, self-abandonment, and masking are what happens when you spend from years adapting to environments that weren't built for you. Trying harder rarely fixes that. Understanding it, grieving it, and finding gentler ways of living in your own mind and body often does.
Over time, people who do arts-based therapy often describe feeling more grounded, more trusting of what they need, and less ashamed of how they work. That's the direction we move in, at a pace that suits your nervous system.
If you’d like to know about my lived experience of autism and ADHD, watch my TEDx Talk “The World Needs Weirdos”.
Why arts-based therapy for neurodivergent people?
Talk therapy is wonderful. I’m a big fan. And some things live beyond the reach of clean explanations.
Some experiences are held deep in the body. Some inner information arrives as a sensation before finding words. This is the realm of pre-verbal knowledge.
If you've ever thought "I get it intellectually, so why am I still stuck?", you're in good company. Insight is a significant start.
Imagine what might emerge if you allowed your hands to make something, your body need to feel something, and your mind to receive new input from outside the thought-loop.
This is where arts psychotherapy comes in. It offers more than one way in. And it’s not just for kids.
What will a neuroodivergent-affirming art therapist provide for me?
In your first session, we talk. I'll ask what's brought you here, what drains you, what lights you up, and what helps your body feel settled. You can stim, doodle, pace, look away, lay in bed, or turn your camera off. I'll ask what makes sessions easier for you, and we'll adjust as we go.
After that, sessions are shaped around you. Some weeks might be more about conversation. Others might include drawing, clay, colour, sensory exploration, writing, movement, metaphor, and more—all especially good for experiences that are hard to put into words. Your special interests are most welcome here, not just tolerated. And you don't need to be good at art. It’s just about letting yourself express, or explore something, through your hands.
The goal is moving slowly and gently towards experiences of choice, cultivating self-trust, building your resilience, knowing your values, and reconnecting with your unique way of being, knowing, and doing life.
FAQs
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No. You're welcome whether you're diagnosed, self-identified, or still wondering. I don't provide diagnostic assessments, but if you'd like one, I'm happy to talk through what that process can involve and who to ask.
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No. We won't be working on how to seem or be more neurotypical. We'll use a mixture of arts and conversation to look at what's exhausting you, what you need, and how to build a life that fits your wiring.
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Yes. I work with self-managed and plan-managed NDIS participants to provide arts therapy and counselling under Capacity Building. Please mention your NDIS participant status in your email enquiry or exploratory call. Referrals welcome.
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That’s never a problem. It’s a perfectly understandable nervous system response and it’s welcome here. The wonderful thing about arts therapy is that you never have to over-explain or behave in any supposedly “normal” way. The arts are here to support you when you lose your words, want to stim, or would rather hug a squishy than talk.
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Online or teleheath sessions work just as they would in person. Held via Google Meets, you’re invited to use any form of art materials you have on hand; pencils, markers, paper, objects found around the house etc. Nothing is lost in the therapeutic process by meeting online, and in fact, it offers clients an accessible way to work with me no matter their location and access needs. And you don’t need to stare at the screen; I welcome you to accomodate yourself in any way you like.
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Not at all. Despite the name, “art therapy” focuses solely on the process, not the product. Art materials are simply tools to help you express and explore your experience, where words might not be enough. And often, using unfamiliar arts materials can yield the most meaningful process.
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No, I will never analyse or interpret your art for hidden meanings. In creative arts therapy, we stay descriptive; exploring what sensations the colours, shapes, or textures of your materials and art evoke for you. In this way, I offer a supportive container in which you can notice and explore what your art process feels like, without having it dissected. Here, you’re always in control of what you share and how.
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Medicare does not currently fund counselling and psychotherapy sessions, including creative arts therapy.
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No. Unlike an art class, creative arts therapy is a form of psychotherapy guided by a trained arts-based therapist, focused on emotional growth and wellbeing rather than skills and aesthetics.
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Creativity can take many forms. Sometimes it’s colour and image; other times, it’s language, silence, mindfulness, or the simple act of being witnessed. You are never under any obligation to engage with art materials in our sessions, despite it being named “creative arts therapy”. As a registered therapist, I can hold space for you as we weave the verbal, the somatic, and relational presence into our sessions—as well as any other holistic tools you’re drawn to, such as a Jungian approach to the tarot. It’s completely up to you.
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While creative arts therapy is a form of psychotherapy focusing on emotional integration, self-understanding, and growth; my creative coaching services support creative small business or self-employed professionals take positive action and acheive their goals. As such, these two services support different groups using very different approaches and paradigms. Creative coaching clients should not be seeking arts therapy, or have an established therapeutic relationship elsewhere.
Thresholds
A newsletter.
Thresholds is the Substack of Jerico Mandybur. A place where she offers personal reflections, regular essays, and creative practices exploring the art of inner life. Subscribe now for your FREE 20-min somatic centering practice.
