Support for every step of your journey.

Whatever the support is called on your paperwork, the shape is the same. You are matched with one practitioner. You meet most weeks during term, usually for an hour, online or in person. You stay with the same person for the whole year rather than starting again with someone new each time.

That continuity is the part that matters. University counselling services are valuable but usually offer a fixed, small number of sessions after a waiting list. Support like this runs alongside your course for as long as it is funded, which means it can deal with the actual rhythm of a term — the quiet weeks, the deadline weeks, and the weeks when it falls apart.

Sessions are led by you. Some students arrive with a specific problem — an essay that will not start, a dissertation with no plan, a seminar they have been avoiding. Others arrive with nothing in particular and work out what is in the way by talking it through.

There is no curriculum and no homework unless you want some. The only real expectation is that you turn up, and we are realistic about the weeks when that is the hard part.

The academic mechanics. Planning assignments, structuring an argument, reading strategies that do not involve reading everything, revision, referencing, and managing deadlines. Practical and specific to whatever is actually due.

Best when the problem is the work itself.

Managing university alongside a condition. Routines, motivation, confidence, overwhelm, transitions, self-advocacy, and dealing with the university itself. For autistic students this also covers communication, change and sensory load.

Best when the problem is everything around the work.

Funded through DSA

If your needs assessment recommends specialist mentoring or specialist study skills support and names us as your provider, get in touch and we will set it up. You pay nothing — we invoice Student Finance directly at £55 per hour plus VAT.

Paying for yourself

You do not need DSA to work with us. Students without funding, international students, and people waiting on an application all book directly. Sessions start at £25 and you can book online.

Through Access to Work

If you are in work rather than study, Access to Work can fund workplace strategy support for neurodivergent people — a different scheme with a different application.

After you graduate

DSA stops at graduation, which is often exactly when things get harder. Our alumni sessions carry on afterwards — careers, executive function and the transition out of study.

How much does support cost?

DSA-funded support is £55 per hour plus VAT, a flat rate across every type of support we deliver. If you are funded through DSA you pay nothing — the invoice goes to Student Finance. Self-funded sessions are priced separately and start at £25.

Do I need DSA funding to work with you?

No. Most of our students are DSA-funded, but we also work with students paying privately, alumni after graduation, and people funded through Access to Work. You can book self-funded sessions directly.

How often are sessions, and how long do they last?

Most students have one session a week during term, usually an hour. The rhythm is yours to set — some students prefer fortnightly, and some want more support around deadlines and less in quieter weeks.

Are sessions online or in person?

Mostly online, which is what the majority of students prefer and what makes it possible for us to work across the whole UK. In-person sessions are available in some areas, including Edinburgh, Newcastle, Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham and London.

Will I see the same person every week?

Yes. You are matched with one practitioner and you stay with them. Continuity is most of what makes this work, and rebuilding the relationship every few weeks undoes the benefit.

What is the difference between specialist mentoring and study skills support?

Study skills support is about the academic work itself — planning essays, structuring writing, reading strategies, revision and deadlines. Specialist mentoring is about managing university alongside a condition — routines, motivation, confidence, overwhelm and independence. Many students are funded for both, and they complement each other.

Is mentoring the same as counselling or therapy?

No. Mentoring is practical and forward-looking: it works on how you manage your studies week to week. It is not treatment, and it does not replace counselling, your GP or a mental health service. A good mentor will tell you when something needs a different kind of help.

What happens in the first session?

Nothing demanding. It is mostly a conversation about your course, what you find difficult, what has helped before, and what you want to be different. You do not need to prepare anything or explain more than you want to.

What if my practitioner is not the right fit?

Tell us and we will match you with someone else, with no awkwardness and no need to justify it. A poor match is a practical problem to solve, not a complaint.