In this short video, I explain how a planned block of online sessions can give neurodiverse couples the structure and time they need to understand each other.
You can also send me an email
Back-to-back online neurodiverse couples therapy is a short, planned block of couples sessions for partners where one or both are autistic, have ADHD or are AuDHD. We meet by video, several times within a few days, with clear structure and breaks.
It suits English-speaking couples anywhere who find long gaps between sessions confusing, or who want to work properly on one recurring misunderstanding. It combines online neurodiverse couples therapy with the format of back-to-back online couples therapy.
You can ask for a free 30-minute call, book a session, read my client policy or write to me.
Back-to-back online neurodiverse couples therapy is for English-speaking couples, anywhere, where one or both partners are autistic, have ADHD or are AuDHD, and who want a planned, predictable block of video sessions.
A planned block suits many neurodiverse couples, but not all. If one of these fits better, follow its link.
You can also send me an email
These reviews describe clients’ experiences of working with me. They come from my wider practice and do not all relate to online sessions. Each person’s experience is their own, and a review does not promise a particular outcome.
“In my clinical experience, neurodiverse couples often do best when therapy itself is predictable. Once the plan is clear and the pace is right, they can stop bracing and start listening. Underneath the friction, one partner is often asking ‘Why don’t you reach for me?’, and the other ‘Why can’t I rest without hurting you?’. Sometimes one person feels both, ‘Come here’ and ‘Not now’, almost at once. A planned block gives us time to hear all of it.”
Mark Colclough, MA, psychotherapist and EFT couples therapist
I am Mark Colclough, MA. I have practised since 2004 and offer online psychotherapy and couples therapy in English.
My training brings together your emotions, your thoughts and your relationships. My deep passion is the moment when what happens between you finally makes sense, to each of you and to each other. I have lived and worked in nine countries, so I know something of life across languages, cultures and borders.
Read about my background, or explore online psychotherapy and online couples therapy.
I meet regularly with experienced psychotherapists to reflect on my work, question my understanding and develop my skills. Supervision is part of the professional care I bring to individual and couples work, including online sessions.
My focus is thoughtful practice, integrity and responsibility.
You are welcome to ask about the kind of support you need.
Tell me where you are based and your time zone. We can then consider whether online sessions together are suitable.
Ben is autistic and Zoe has ADHD. They live in Melbourne. Regular sessions never worked for them: Ben found the changing times stressful, and Zoe had lost track of what they agreed by the next appointment. Their fights were always about evenings, Zoe wanting to talk and Ben needing silence after work.
They book three sessions over two days, with the outline sent beforehand. We map their evening pattern, work out what each of them actually needs and agree a simple arrangement: forty minutes of quiet for Ben when he gets home, then a short walk together to talk. They log off with the agreement written down and a follow-up date.
I have presented this clinical example as a compound of 22 years of clinical practice.
You both try hard. You keep missing each other anyway, and the gaps between sessions make it worse.
Back-to-back online neurodiverse couples therapy keeps the work connected. Neither of you has to hold weeks of detail in your head, and nobody has to adjust to a new time slot every fortnight.
Neither brain is treated as the problem. We look at how your two ways of working meet, and where they clash.
When weeks pass between sessions, what you agreed can fade, and the next session starts from a different place.
In a block, yesterday’s conversation is still clear, so we can build on it.
Many neurodivergent people find therapy easier when they know exactly what will happen, when and for how long.
We agree the days, times, breaks and focus before we start, so there are no surprises.
Shifting appointments and new routines can drain an autistic or ADHD partner long before the session begins.
A single planned block means one change to the routine instead of many.
Some misunderstandings repeat endlessly: a literal answer heard as cold, a forgotten promise heard as not caring, a need for quiet heard as rejection.
With time close together, we can take one of them apart slowly until it makes sense to you both.
One partner may need conversation and closeness to feel connected. The other may need quiet and space to recover. Both end up feeling alone.
We look for a rhythm that gives each of you what you need, without one of you always giving way.
Instead of one of you always adapting, you can build arrangements that suit both neurotypes: how you plan, talk, rest and share the load.
A block gives you time to design them and try them out.
Does this sound like you? Request a call or book a session, and we will plan a block that suits you both.
You can also send me an email
Tell me briefly what kind of support you are looking for.
Include your country and time zone so we can discuss whether online work together is possible and find a suitable time.
You do not need to explain your whole story in your first message.
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With structure and time, misunderstandings can turn into agreements.
The first sessions map one or two moments that keep going wrong. The middle sessions look at what each of you experiences in those moments. The last ones turn that understanding into concrete arrangements you can test at home.
You know the agenda, the times and the breaks in advance. If anything has to change, I tell you as early as I can.
Often, yes. We slow the moment down and look at what each of you meant, heard and felt. Many couples are relieved to find the misunderstanding has a logic.
Yes. We practise saying needs directly and specifically, in words the other can act on, rather than hoping they will be guessed.
Yes. We look at how much contact and how much quiet each of you needs, and plan both into your week.
Agreements work best when they are concrete and written down. We make them together and adjust them as you test them.
Before the block ends, you have your agreements in writing and a follow-up date. If something does not work at home, we change it rather than blaming each other.
You can also send me an email
Close together, but never crammed. Breaks and pace are planned in.
We start with a short call to agree what you want to work on, how many sessions make sense and which days suit you both. Then I plan the block and share the outline with you.
Two 2-hour sessions can be held on one day, with a long break between them, when that suits your energy.
Two or three days in a row, one session a day, give you a night to rest and process.
Three or four sessions spread across one week give more recovery time between them.
Weekend times can sometimes be arranged, depending on what I have free.
You can keep your camera off for a moment, use headphones, fidget, take notes or ask for a pause at any point. Your comfort matters more than a tidy schedule.
We agree what comes next. That might be a few follow-up sessions, regular online neurodiverse couples therapy or a planned stop.
Not sure this is the right format? Here are the closest options.
| Option | Choose it when | Pace |
|---|---|---|
| Back-to-back online neurodiverse couples therapy (this page) | You want a planned, predictable block. | Several 2-hour sessions close together |
| Online neurodiverse couples therapy | You prefer a steady rhythm. | 2-hour sessions every two to three weeks |
| Back-to-back online neurodiverse couples therapy alone | Your partner will not join. | Several 1-hour sessions close together |
| Acute online neurodiverse couples therapy | Something has just happened. | A first session as soon as I can offer one |
It is a planned block of online couples sessions, booked close together, for couples where one or both partners are autistic, have ADHD or are AuDHD. We meet by video, in English, from wherever you are, with clear structure and breaks.
No. A formal diagnosis is not required. If one or both of you recognise yourselves as neurodivergent, or suspect it, that is enough to start.
Yes. You get the plan, with days, times and breaks, before the block begins.
Yes. Breaks are built in, and you can ask for an extra pause at any time.
Yes. Writing things down, using the chat or sketching a moment can make it much easier to explain what happened.
Many find it is. You stay in your own space, with your own lighting, sounds and comfort, and there is no journey to recover from.
That depends on what you want to achieve. Many couples start with three to five sessions. We agree the number beforehand.
It should not be. I plan the pace with you, and we stop or slow down if either of you is running out of energy.
Each session is a 2-hour online couples session. Current fees, in US dollars, are on my prices page. Because a block involves several sessions, a therapy bundle saves you 10 per cent.
Ask for a free 30-minute call or write to me. Tell me briefly what keeps going wrong, which days might work and where you each are, and we will agree a plan before you book.
You can also send me an email
I want therapy to help you understand your experience and make choices you can use in everyday life. We pay attention to feelings, needs and the responses that happen before you have time to think.
Our online room should offer enough trust and honesty to explore what is difficult. I bring attention and professional judgement. You bring your experience, questions and the right to say when something does not fit.
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P.S. I’ll call you in a bit!
