On today’s episode Monique interviews Liam Spicer about grief and loss. Listeners will notice that Liam is not a neurodivergent woman, but we’ve decided to make an exception this time as Liam is an expert in the area of neurodivergence and grief.

Liam is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology, and he’s a Psychologist, EMDR Consultant, and Accredited Schema Therapist based in Launceston, Tasmania. He is also an Autistic ADHDer, and is passionate about training, research, and collaboration with other neurodivergent individuals in the Neurodiversity Affirming Space. Liam’s current PhD is focused on the use of Schema Therapy for Prolonged Grief, and he has published journal articles and book chapters on grief in addition to presenting at national and international conferences. His interest in this area is derived from both professional and personal lived experience of loss.

Just a quick warning for listeners, this episode contains mention of death and loss. Some of our listeners may decide to skip this one.

Monique and Liam cover:

• Liam’s journey to understanding his own neurodivergence.
• What is grief?
• Is there such a thing as a ‘normal’ response to grief, and what are some common myths about grief.
• Different types of grief and loss (and the validity of feeling big feelings about all of these types of losses!), including death loss, loss of aspects of daily living, loss associated with life transitions and with chronic or acute health conditions, loss of routines or coping mechanisms, and grief associated with diagnosis.
• Some key factors for neurodivergent people and their supports to keep in mind when dealing with grief and loss, and strategies around managing these ND specific factors.
• What is ‘Prolonged Grief’ and what can you expect when seeing a therapist for Prolonged Grief?
• Liam’s personal experiences with grief and strategies for supporting grieving loved ones. (Note: this section discusses miscarriage loss, so consume with care if this is a tough subject for you).

You can find Liam through his website or on Instagram or LinkedIn @LiamSpicer.

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