As a neurodivergent counsellor living with chronic illness, and as a mother to two (now grown-up) neurodivergent daughters, I bring both professional knowledge and deeply personal insight to the work I do. I understand what it means to navigate a world that often misunderstands difference, and I offer a counselling space where you don’t have to mask, explain, or apologise for who you are. My approach is gentle, affirming, and responsive to your unique way of experiencing and processing the world. Whether you're exploring your identity, managing burnout, unpacking past experiences, or just wanting to feel more at ease in yourself, I offer support that meets you where you are. Where helpful, I can incorporate creative, arts-based therapy into our work together, including image-making, gentle movement, or simple creative expression, but only if that feels right for you. There is no pressure to engage in anything that doesn’t fit your style. My practice is trauma-informed, sensory-aware, and shaped by the understanding that healing often involves unlearning and reclaiming your own ways of being. You're welcome here, exactly as you are.

Why the Spoony community matters to me

The Spoony community matters to me because it represents the kind of support I wish had existed earlier in my own journey. As a neurodivergent person living with chronic illness, and as a mother to two neurodivergent daughters, I know how hard it can be to find care that feels truly safe, accessible, and respectful of difference. Too often, people are expected to fit into systems that weren’t designed with our needs in mind, and in doing so, are often dismissed, misunderstood, or left out altogether. Spoony’s values resonates deeply with my own values, both as a counsellor and as a unique individual with lived experience. It matters to me that people can find practitioners who understand that rest is not laziness, that communication happens in many forms, and that support should never require masking or pushing through pain just to be heard. Being part of a platform like Spoony means contributing to a community where care is built on trust, consent, and real inclusion, and that feels not only important, but necessary and something special to be a part of.

Qualifications

I hold a Diploma in Counselling from the Australian Insitute of Professional Counsellors and am registered with the Australian Counseling Association (https://theaca.net.au/counsellors/syann-hamden/). I am a certified and insured Art Therapy Practitioner and am currently studying my Masters in Therapeutic Arts Practice with The MIECAT Institute (https://miecat.edu.au/). I am a registered Blue Card Holder - Full details can be provided upon request.