Alex's Answer

Hello, and welcome to Ask Alex. 

We’re glad you were able to reach out to us with your question today, it is a brave and positive step to talk to someone if you’re feeling unsure about something in your life. 

It sounds like you have a lot on your mind as you mention that you’re going to see a psychologist and that you’re unsure how to communicate your feelings as there’s a lot going on. It’s understandable that this may feel like it’s too much to handle at one time. Taking the step to see a psychologist is an important one, and a brave thing to do. It is a useful pathway to getting the right support, especially if you feel that you have traits or characteristics of autism. It’s understandable that having this on mind might be a worry or cause you to feel uneasy, as it is a time of uncertainty for you.  

If you feel unsure about how to communicate your feelings when meeting a psychologist, is there a trusted adult you could practice with first? Sometimes, talking with someone close to us like a parent, grandparent, aunt/uncle or someone we trust can help us feel more comfortable when the time comes to talk to a professional. You might also try writing out what it is you’d like to discuss with your psychologist. Knowing what you want to speak about and feeling prepared will help you feel more confident about sharing your feelings and experiences. Also, starting with small steps can be a good idea, as you mention you have a lot going on, taking one thing at a time may be more manageable and make the process of taking to someone less intimidating. Keep in mind as well that the psychologist is a professional, someone trained in helping you to express and make sense of your feelings, thoughts and experiences. 

There is a lot of support out there for young people if they need to talk, Childline is always here for you when you need to chat to someone in a safe and judgement-free space. You can contact us through our freephone service by calling 1800 66 66 66 or by web chat that you access through the website www.childline.ie, and we also have content on our website that might be helpful to read: https://www.childline.ie/autism/. There is also a dedicated website for people with autism and this may be a good place for you to find out more information, the website address is https://asiam.ie/. 

We hope that reading this answer is helpful to you and that you’ll feel comfortable to return and ask another question if you’d like to. 

Take care, 

Alex.