Member event:  This CPD event for Mental Health First Aiders and Champions will look at how to support and have conversations about mental health with autistic employees. 

We will look at the latest research around neurodiversity, and specifically autism and workplace mental health, and give insights into the specific challenges that autistic employees may encounter in workplace environments, as well as day-to-day life, which can impact on their wellbeing.

We will also discuss the communication challenges that autistic individuals may experience and how to adjust the way you offer support if you know (or suspect) a colleague is autistic.

CMHA member employees can register here

SPEAKER PANEL:

Dr Lisa Harkry (CPsychol, FHEA), Lecturer in Psychology at Leeds Beckett University
Lisa holds over ten years of practical experience in understanding the barriers to social inclusion faced by autistic adults. Previously, she has been based within several non-profit and start-up organisations and has worked closely with autistic adults to address confidence, anxiety and sensory difficulties in the workplace. She has advised major corporate organisations, such as GlaxoSmithKline and Virgin Money, on how to recruit and manage autistic employees. She has also been interviewed for BBC Radio 4 about autism in the workplace and developed employee case studies for the BBC's neurodiversity project. Lisa is currently researching the evidence of supported employment as a mental health intervention for autistic adults. This is funded by The Wellcome Trust.

Rachel Moseley, Principle Academic at Bournemouth University
Rachel completed her PhD in cognitive neuroscience at the University of Cambridge, where she studied brain function and structure in autistic people. After her PhD Rachel took up two positions as a postdoctoral researcher to pursue this research further. In the course of learning more about the presentation of autism in girls and women, she sought assessment and was diagnosed as autistic, which helped answer a lot of questions. She is now a principle academic at Bournemouth University, where her research centres around understanding the challenges faced by autistic adults - most notably around mental health, self-injury and suicidality, ageing and late-diagnosis. 

Suzanne Clark, Autism Training Consultant, National Autistic Society
Suzanne’s interest in autism stems from her own diagnosis of Asperger syndrome and ADHD in her late 30s. Suzanne joined the National Autistic Society as a training consultant in March 2021 after 18 months working as a freelance consultant advising and speaking about her own lived experience. Upon being diagnosed, Suzanne invested a great deal of time studying all aspects of autism as well as volunteering to chair her local NAS branch, giving talks, training sessions and speaking from her own experience of being autistic. Suzanne’s professional background was originally in policing; she served 17 years with the Metropolitan Police Service specialising in intelligence work for much of her career. Having experienced many years in mental health services being misdiagnosed and mistreated, Suzanne is passionate about raising awareness around autism in general, but particularly the less-well understood ‘typically female’ profile.

Event Chair: Kate Laird, Training Specialist, City Mental Health Alliance
Kate is an events and training specialist with over 20 years of experience. Kate provides administrative support for the CMHA Executive Team and Members and also manages the CMHA training and additional services delivery. Kate also works with the organisers of the Autism Show and the Autism Learns webinars to create and deliver the expert speaker programme. For many years, Kate worked at The National Autistic Society, leading the delivery of training and conferences providing practical guidance and education around supporting people who have autism and Asperger Syndrome, particularly around mental health issues. She is passionate about improving awareness and support to promote good mental health for all.

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