Info

Explore the info page to learn more about how we work. Have more questions? Email: info@neuroinclusive.co.nz

What can I expect from a session?

What you can expect from a session will vary depending on your needs and the duration of our engagement. For example, some people have a single session for a specific purpose, while others have regular, ongoing sessions. Ideally, we have had an initial consultation (free) or email exchange to determine the suitability of working together and discuss what that might involve.

How much does it cost?

Individuals and whānau who are engaging with us in a personal context, either self-funded or through disability funding budgets, are invoiced at a subsidised rate of $50.00 per hour.

Our standard rate is $120.00 per hour. This applies when we work with professionals, teams, or organisations in relation to their work or business, or when organisations fund individuals or whānau to access our services.

Where will my session(s) be held?

 Online sessions are held on Zoom.

In-person sessions can be held at your home or workplace, in an interview room at Christchurch Community House, or in other locations, as discussed.

Some people find that activity-based sessions are more comfortable, as they can reduce the feeling of demand for eye contact and the mental gymnastics of wondering how you should be sitting or what to do with your hands. This might include “walk and talk” session, building Lego, or colouring, which is something we are always open to.

Our priority is ensuring that engagement feels effective and comfortable for the person being supported.

How does invoicing and payment work?

Following any service, an invoice will be sent from post@hnry.co.nz

Payment is due within 14 days of the invoice, unless other arrangements are made in advance. An exception to this is External Supervision sessions that are funded by an organisation, where there may be alternative payment terms that have been agreed on.

If you know that you are planning to pay with Individualised Funding (IF), Carer Support (CS), a Flexible Disability Support (FDS) budget, or other funding stream, we can provide a quote ahead of time on request. Email: info@neuroinclusive.co.nz

Most people pay via bank transfer to the account details provided on the invoice:

Account name: Neuroinclusive (via Hnry)

Account number: 12-3192-0914061-37

However, there will also be a link to pay by card. If you choose to pay by card, a convenience fee will be charged by the payment processor.

Do you accept WINZ or ACC funding?

In early 2026 we expect to be professionally registered and able to complete the “counsellor” portion of the WINZ Disability Certificate — Counselling form. At that time, people who meet the Work and Income (WINZ/MSD) Disability Allowance criteria may be able to access funding for sessions with us.

We are not currently registered to provide support through ACC. However, we may consider this in the future.

To express interest in using either of these funding streams and/or to be updated when the status changes, email: info@neuroinclusive.co.nz

What happens if I need to cancel or don't show up?

If you need to reschedule your appointment, please get in touch as soon as possible.

If you have changed your mind and want to cancel your appointment, you can do so with at least 24 hours’ notice at no charge.

If you do not attend your appointment and haven’t attempted to cancel or reschedule at least 24 hours in advance, you or your organisation may be invoiced for the full amount of the booking.

We are reasonable and understand there are situations where short-notice rescheduling cannot be avoided, so please get in touch if you are in this situation.

Any in-person appointment can be moved online if that works better for you.

Do you provide autism diagnostic assessments?

The Neuroinclusive team are not currently registered health professionals and do not conduct diagnostic or functional assessments.

Only qualified clinicians can conduct diagnostic and functional assessments.

In contrast, assessments that are part of our work relate to gaining an understanding of a person’s experience in a manner that, for example, enables us to: support exploration of their situation, support articulation of their support needs, and brainstorm accommodations across varied contexts.

We are also able to direct people to publicly available, evidence-based, self-report screening tools.

Can you advocate for me?

No. We do not promote ourselves as advocates or provide advocacy services.

Given the range of impacts that can come with being autistic, some people may benefit from support in their engagement with others. This could mean working with someone such as a support person or advocate.

Attending an appointment as a support person ≠ being an advocate.

On a rare occasion, our work might involve engaging with a third-party alongside the person we are supporting. If we agree to attend an appointment with someone or engage in communication with a third-party alongside them, the main functions of this are to provide emotional support, support with communication, take note of and summarise information, and be present as a witness to the interaction.

What does this look like in practice?

Depending on what is agreed in advance between us and the person we are supporting, we may monitor the conversation in order to maintain an accurate narrative of what is communicated, offer clarifying explanations, interject if the person has forgotten to mention something they previously identified to us as being important, and recap at the end to ensure there is a shared understanding between the parties in attendance. The input we provide is typically in response to autism-specific impacts experienced by the person we are supporting and does not involve arguing with the third-party or fighting for a specific outcome.

In other words, our presence is focused on enabling the autistic person’s equitable participation, much like having an NZSL interpreter present for a d/Deaf person.

While some of the Neuroinclusive team have been employed as advocates in the past and may naturally find themselves engaging in systemic advocacy or individual advocacy in a personal context for themselves or whānau members, we do not provide advocacy services.

Some links related to information, advocacy, and legal support:

What can I expect from external supervision?

This information relates to ongoing external supervision:

  • The supervision arrangement will be reviewed at least once per year, but more often if needed.
  • Supervision sessions will be approximately one hour long and will be conducted at a frequency agreed upon between the supervisee, their organisation (if applicable), and the supervisor.
  • Scheduled sessions that are missed or not rescheduled with at least a 24-hour notice may be invoiced to the organisation. In such instances, the supervisee’s line manager (if applicable) will also need to be informed.
  • The supervisor can only respond to what the supervisee reports and cannot be accountable for supervising unlawful, unethical, or dangerous behaviour that is not reported.
  • Supervision is a collegial, consultative, and collaborative process between the supervisor and the supervisee.

The purpose of supervision is for the supervisor to support the supervisee to:

  • Reflect on, discuss, and explore work experiences in a manner that aligns with being collaborative, strengths-based, neurodiversity-affirming, and trauma-informed.
  • Develop self-awareness and an understanding of their own needs (if relevant) and develop plans to meet those needs (e.g., wellbeing plans, accommodations, etc).
  • Develop strategies to manage work stress and home life balance.
    Effectively integrate their lived experience into work, where appropriate.
  • Identify areas of professional development, learning, and clarify goals.

Safety and issues of concern:

  • Any issues of safety, unethical practices, incompetence, or concern about either the supervisor’s or supervisee’s work will be discussed between the two of them first.
  • Serious concerns regarding safety, unethical practice, or incompetence will be directed to the supervisee’s line manager (if applicable), and the supervisee will be informed of this.
  • In the event of an irreconcilable issue, the parties can either opt to engage in mediation or mutually agree to part ways with an understanding that they will not disparage one another.

The supervisor agrees to:

  • Prioritise individualised supervision by providing the supervisee with sessions at mutually agreeable times and locations that fit their work programme throughout the year.
  • Provide a safe, confidential, and non-judgemental environment that supports the supervisee to reflect, explore, and clarify thinking on their work.
  • Support the supervisee in maintaining an overview of their wellbeing and exploring where this may be impacting work practice; in some cases, this may involve suggesting that the supervisee access personal counselling.
  • Promote the supervisee’s awareness of professional development and organisational obligations.
  • Review and evaluate supervision with the supervisee at least once annually
  • Maintain a record of the supervisee’s attendance at supervision.
  • Maintain a record of themes or topics covered in supervision
  • Communicate with the supervisee and their line manager to support the supervisee’s work and ongoing development, if and as requested.
  • Maintain confidentiality in accordance with the provisions of the Privacy Act 2020 and any other relevant legislative provisions.

The supervisee agrees to:

  • Prioritise supervision in the work schedule; sessions are approximately one hour long.
  • To be accountable to my organisation and line manager if I have not attended a scheduled supervision session.
  • To give at least a 24-hour notice for rescheduling any session, understanding that if this is not upheld, the supervisor may invoice my organisation for the session.
  • To maintain an overview of my personal wellbeing and be willing to explore this more in-depth in instances where it may be impacting work.
  • To explore issues openly and honestly in supervision and to be genuine, clear, and willing to share feelings as well as facts.
  • Take responsibility for ongoing learning and development.
  • To review and evaluate the supervision process with the supervisor and line manager at least once per year; the focus of this will be the ongoing development and direction of supervision.
  • To maintain confidentiality in accordance with the provisions of the Privacy Act 2020 and any other relevant legislative provisions.

The supervisor takes full responsibility to engage with the supervisee in a manner that aligns with:

 

What happens if there is a conflict of interest?

Where there is a perceived, potential, or actual conflict of interest, it is our responsibility to disclose this to anyone we are working with as soon as we become aware of it. It is important that conflicts of interest are recognised and properly managed. Sometimes a conflict of interest might mean that we are unable to support a specific person. If this is the case, we will communicate it as soon as possible. However, where there is a perceived or potential conflict of interest (rather than an actual conflict of interest) it may be able to managed to a point of mutual satisfaction.

Living in a small country and engaging in even smaller sectors (disability, mental health, and the autism / neurodivergent communities), there can often be significant and unavoidable overlap in our experiences.

With individual identities, work, study, and community engagement potentially all having links to the same sector, people often wear many hats. Some of the hats we wear are those of disabled people, parents of disabled children, providing individual contract or consultancy services, and employment elsewhere in social services.

We protect ourselves by asking organisations that we, our children and/or other whānau members receive support or services from to limit access to our information in a manner that excludes people we might know or engage with in other contexts. We protect the people we support by making sure we provide information about perceived, potential, or actual conflicts of interest as soon as we become aware of them. This ensures that anyone we support is able to fully informed so that they can decide how they want to move forward.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns about conflicts of interest, please contact me: info@neuroinclusive.co.nz

 

💡What is a conflict of interest?

A conflict of interest is where someone is compromised when their personal interests or obligations conflict with the responsibilities of their job or position. It means that their independence, objectivity or impartiality can be called into question.

A conflict of interest can be:

How do I make a complaint?

 We are not currently registered with any regulatory body.

If you have a concern or complaint about Neuroinclusive, please contact us directly to address it: info@neuroinclusive.co.nz.

Alternatively, you can contact:

We take full responsibility to engage with people we support in a manner that aligns with: