How It's Complicated works
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Find your therapistUse our free matching service for personal recommendations, or browse our network of 2,500+ therapists yourself.
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Create your free accountSign up in under 2 minutes. All you need is an email and a password, and you're ready to go.
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Start therapyReach out to your therapist and book your first session within 24 hours. Online or in person, in 60+ languages.
Learn more about autism
Autism is a lifelong neurodevelopmental difference that shapes how a person communicates, processes information, experiences the senses, and relates to others. Clinically it is described as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the DSM-5 and ICD-11, though many autistic people prefer to understand it as a difference rather than a disorder. Autism exists on a spectrum: support needs and traits vary widely from one person to the next. It is not an illness to be cured, and therapy for autism is not about changing who someone is. Instead, support focuses on wellbeing, self-understanding, and managing the difficulties that can come with living in a world largely built for non-autistic people.
Autism looks different in everyone, and many people, particularly adults, go years without recognising it in themselves. You might relate to autism if you:
- Find social situations effortful, confusing, or draining, even when you manage them well
- Feel a strong need for routine, and find unexpected change difficult
- Experience senses intensely, whether sound, light, texture, or touch
- Have deep, focused interests that bring real absorption and expertise
- Notice you mask or camouflage traits to fit in, and feel exhausted afterwards
- Have been described as "too sensitive", "too intense", or "hard to read"
- Communicate more directly or literally than others seem to expect
Therapy for autism does not aim to change who you are. It supports wellbeing, self-understanding, and the anxiety, low mood, or exhaustion that can come alongside being autistic. The right fit depends on what you're finding hardest.
- CBT: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy can help with co-occurring anxiety or low mood, and works best when adapted to how autistic people think and process. It offers concrete tools rather than open-ended talk.
- Clinical psychology offers structured assessment of co-occurring difficulties and tailored psychological support, useful where several things overlap at once.
- Counselling gives space to talk through identity, relationships, and adjustment, at your own pace and on your own terms.
- Coaching is practical and forward-looking, helping with routines, work, executive function, and navigating environments not designed with you in mind.
- Art therapy offers a non-verbal way to express and process experience, which can suit people who find talking-based therapy harder.
It's Complicated is a therapist-founded mental health platform connecting clients with verified practitioners across Europe and globally, in over 60 languages. We work with over 2,500 vetted therapists, with in-person availability in Berlin, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Lisbon, Vienna, and other major cities, alongside online sessions worldwide. It's Complicated is free to use, and you pay your chosen therapist directly at rates they set.
Finding an autism-affirming therapist matters, because the wrong fit can mean spending sessions explaining yourself rather than being understood. Our therapists provide support and therapy rather than formal diagnosis, so if you're seeking an assessment, a specialist diagnostic service is the right first step. Our matching service is built to remove that friction. You complete a short survey, our psychologists combine data-driven insights with human judgement to identify the right therapists for your situation, and you choose from a shortlist of strong candidates. You can also browse our directory directly if you'd prefer to choose yourself.
Get matched with a therapist who understands autism, or browse the directory to choose yourself.
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