Resources for
therapists.
Psychotherapy is not culturally neutral. Therapists carry assumptions about independence, movement, productivity and what “progress” looks like — often without noticing. These resources move from idea to actual clinical behaviour.
One worked example of
how this works.
The “hero” archetype
Disabled people praised for extraordinary resilience.
A question to sit with
When do I reward a client for coping, rather than make room for exhaustion?
What actually changes
Notice praise that quietly expects resilience — and ask what it costs the client to meet it.
Checklists and guides
being built.
Clinical ableism checklist
Ways disability gets treated as pathology or resistance.
In progressDiagnostic overshadowing guide
Recognising when a symptom is explained away by an old diagnosis.
03Disability-model summary
A one-page comparison, written for clinical use.
Reflecting on independence
Where “independence” quietly becomes the unexamined goal.
In progressAccessible intake & consent
Practical adjustments to first-contact paperwork.
In progressWorking with carers
Where a carer’s presence supports autonomy — or erodes it.
Reasonable accommodation guide
Flexible scheduling and sensory adjustment in ordinary practice.
In progressQuestions for supervision
Bringing disability into supervision deliberately.
In progressBeing seen
before being heard.
A visible disability changes the therapeutic relationship before either person speaks. Disclosure, projection, professional legitimacy, training access, and fatigue all belong here — alongside the clinical value of lived disability experience.
“Where do I locate vulnerability, dependence and mortality in myself?”