Six weeks. A different understanding. Meaningful change.
Understanding should come before expectations.
Behaviour can reflect sensory, emotional, communication and processing needs. NeuroPathways helps people understand what sits beneath the surface and discover what supports them to move forward.
What we see and what lies beneath
Observed: “Disengaged”
Sensory overwhelm
Noisy, bright or crowded recovery settings can affect how someone experiences and engages with support.
Observed: “Impulsive”
Processing, regulation and communication
Differences in processing, executive functioning, emotional regulation and communication can shape engagement.
Observed: “Non-compliant”
Needs not recognised
Traditional approaches may create additional barriers when individual needs are not recognised or understood.
Understanding should come before expectations.
NeuroPathways was created to bridge the gap between neurodiversity awareness and practical, meaningful support in recovery.
Rather than asking people to try harder or fit into existing approaches, we help them explore how their brains work, recognise what makes things harder and discover what supports them to be at their best.
Because meaningful recovery isn't about changing who you are. It's about understanding what you need to move forward.
Build lasting recovery - support works better when individual needs are understood.
The NeuroPathways Journey
Who it is for
People in recovery who benefit from neurodiversity-informed support.
What each week covers
Profile, sensory processing, hidden processing, emotions, communication and personal pathways.
What participants gain
Greater self-understanding, emotional awareness, confidence and self-advocacy.
Six weeks of discovery, understanding and growth
01
Exploring My Profile
Discovering our individual strengths, differences and unique profiles.
02
Sensory Processing
Exploring how sensory experiences influence our capacity and regulation.
03
Hidden Processing
Understanding the processes beneath what others see.
04
Emotional Processing
Exploring how we experience, recognise and respond to emotions.
05
Communication & Advocacy
Recognising what we need and exploring ways to communicate it.
06
My NeuroPathway
Bringing our discoveries together to identify what supports us to recover at our best.
We help people understand what they need to be at their best.
Our Approach
Understanding through experience, not just information
✋
Experience
Learning through noticing, doing and reflecting.
🧠
Understand
Recognising strengths, differences and hidden needs.
💚
Compassion
Replacing judgement with curiosity and self-understanding.
🔍
Discover
Identifying strategies and environments that help.
📣
Advocate
Building confidence to communicate support needs.
Our Pilot & Impact
In September 2026, NeuroPathways launched its first six-week pilot at the Silkworth Centre in Southsea.
The programme helped participants better understand themselves, recognise their needs and explore what supports recovery.
By the final session, participants described changes in how they viewed themselves, communicated their needs and responded to challenges.
All expected participants attended the final session.
What Participants Experienced
🌱
Self-Acceptance
Moving from self-criticism towards recognising and accepting individual differences.
📣
Confidence & Self-Advocacy
Recognising personal needs and developing confidence to communicate them and ask for support.
🌊
Emotional Awareness & Regulation
Developing greater awareness of emotional responses and identifying ways to navigate challenging situations.
💚
Connection & Compassion
Building understanding, patience and compassion towards themselves and others.
In Their Own Words
"Thinking I had to change, but I haven't got to change. That's just me. That's good. I'm all right."
NeuroPathways pilot participant, October 2026
"My needs are just as important."
NeuroPathways pilot participant, October 2026
"There's not things wrong with me. There's ways that I can support myself when challenges show up."
NeuroPathways pilot participant, October 2026
What Our Delivery Partner Observed
Feedback from The Silkworth Centre provided an additional perspective on the pilot, highlighting changes observed in participants, sustained engagement and the value of neuro-affirming support within addiction recovery services.
Observable Changes
Staff described participants becoming calmer, less reactive and more able to communicate their feelings and needs.
Sustained Engagement
Staff highlighted the programme's sustained attendance as particularly impressive within a recovery setting, where group engagement can be difficult to maintain.
A Valuable Addition to Recovery Support
Staff recognised the importance of neurodiversity-informed approaches within addiction recovery and the value of helping participants develop practical ways to support themselves.
What Silkworth Said
On Changes in Participants
"She seems a lot more calmer in herself, less reactive, much more responsive in situations."
The Silkworth Centre
Pilot Delivery Partner, October 2026
On Programme Engagement
"To get a group and to keep that group going for all of those weeks is impressive."
The Silkworth Centre
Pilot Delivery Partner, October 2026
On the Need for NeuroPathways
"I think it's like needed in addiction. Absolutely, it goes hand in hand."
The Silkworth Centre
Pilot Delivery Partner, October 2026
When people understand themselves differently, new possibilities for recovery begin to emerge.
Meet the Founders
Two neurodivergent women. Over 20 years of friendship. One shared vision.
NeuroPathways was founded by Kate Haycock and Lauren Parry, bringing together over two decades of friendship, professional expertise and lived experience.
Both have established careers supporting neurodivergent people through their respective businesses, No Drama Llamas and Seen Heard Empowered. Together, they bring experience across psychology, psychotherapeutic counselling, education, mental health, neurodiversity and recovery.
How NeuroPathways began
NeuroPathways began when Lauren, during a placement within a recovery housing service, recognised a gap between the needs she was observing and the opportunities people had to understand their own cognitive, sensory and emotional processing.
Drawing on her professional experience in neurodiversity and inclusion, she shared these observations with Kate. Their conversations developed into NeuroPathways, bringing neurodiversity-informed understanding into addiction recovery alongside the expertise already within recovery services.
Lauren Parry
Co-Founder | Neurodiversity Specialist, Coach, Consultant & Counsellor
Lauren is a neurodiversity specialist, coach, consultant, counsellor and the founder of Seen Heard Empowered. She brings over 15 years of experience across education and mental health.
Her professional experience and lived experience inform her neuro-affirming approach, helping individuals and organisations better understand different needs, strengths and ways of working.
Kate Haycock
Co-Founder | Neurodiversity Psychologist, Coach & Facilitator
Kate is a psychologist with nearly 20 years of experience supporting neurodivergent individuals and organisations through coaching, training and workplace strategy. She runs No Drama Llamas.
Her work combines psychological knowledge with practical, compassionate approaches that recognise individual differences and support meaningful change.
Our Shared Vision
We believe recovery support should recognise the whole person, rather than expecting everyone to navigate recovery in the same way.
NeuroPathways brings together professional knowledge, lived experience and neuro-affirming practice to help individuals understand themselves and support organisations to respond more effectively to different needs.
Different brains. Different needs. Different pathways through recovery.
Partner With Us
We work with recovery organisations to build more neuro-affirming support that recognises individual needs.
The NeuroPathways Programme
A six-week journey of self-understanding, connection and recovery.
Workforce Training
Helping professionals better understand and support neurodivergent people in recovery.
Partnerships & Development
Working together to make recovery services more accessible, inclusive and responsive.
Let's create recovery environments where different minds can thrive.
Let's Connect
Interested in bringing NeuroPathways to your organisation
or exploring a partnership?
We'd love to hear from you.
neuropathwaysproject@gmail.com
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