Special Needs Counselling

Malai Sontheimer is a qualified acupuncturist and counsellor with 20 years experience. Her son Oliver is autistic. Malai has used many different approaches and therapies for Oliver as well as in her work with others.

In addition to running an Option Son-Rise programme for 7 years, she has worked intensively with Donna Williams, autistic consultant and author, for over 5 years. She has fought successfully over many years for the right education for her son.

Malai works with parents and carers, individually and in groups. Her work involves parents of people with a wide variety of different disabilities on a short and on a long term basis.

Location of services

Special Needs Counselling leaflet

Having a special person in our life is a unique and deeply challenging experience.

It confronts us with a wide variety of issues.

The needs of a special person are often so great and overwhelming that we don’t allow time for ourselves. Seeing a counsellor can often be one of the most effective ways of helping ourselves and thus our special needs child or adult.

Exploring the thoughts and feelings this situation brings up will help us to find more clarity and peace. This in turn makes us more creative and effective helpers.

Every situation will be very different and individual and probably very demanding. Support from a counsellor can make all the difference in how well we handle our situation.

Someone who is outside our life and not personally involved can help us with:

Finding the strength to cope.
Accepting ourselves with all the different thoughts and feelings that having a special person in our life evokes.
Accepting our child or adult with all their different behaviours.
Facing Problems.
Letting go of judgements.
Exploring ways to care for ourselves and other family members, especially siblings.
Seeing things from a different perspective.
Finding out what our special person teaches us.
Finding our own way forward.
Finding practical solutions.
Facing the future.
Keeping hope alive.