Did You Know Your ADHD Coaching Could Be Fully Funded?
- Laura Horn
- May 18
- 5 min read
If you've never heard of Access to Work, you're not alone.
Most people haven't.
And that's not because it isn't valuable, it's one of the most powerful support schemes available to neurodivergent adults in the UK. It's because nobody talks about it loudly enough.
So I'm going to.
What is Access to Work?
Access to Work is a UK government grant scheme designed to help people with disabilities, mental health conditions, and neurodivergent conditions to start or stay in work.
It can fund:
Coaching and coping strategy sessions
Specialist equipment
Travel support
And much more
The part that matters most for you right now?
It can pay for your coaching sessions. Fully. Which means working with a coach who understands your neurodivergent brain could cost you nothing out of pocket.
Who is it for?
You might be eligible if you:
Have ADHD, autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia, anxiety, or another neurodivergent or mental health condition
Are currently employed, self-employed, or about to start a new job
Feel your condition is making work harder than it needs to be
Here's the part that surprises most people.
You do not need a formal diagnosis to apply.
If you are on a waiting list, self-diagnosed, or simply know that your brain works differently and it's affecting your work, you can still apply. Many people are awarded Access to Work funding without an official diagnosis in place.
Why does this matter for neurodivergent adults?
Because let's be honest, work wasn't designed for our brains.
The nine to five structure, the open plan offices, the endless meetings, the expectation that you'll just remember things, stay organised, and regulate your emotions while also delivering results, none of that was built with neurodivergent people in mind.
And yet here we are. Doing our absolute best. Often masking. Often exhausted. Often wondering why everyone else seems to find it so much easier.
The answer isn't to try harder.
The answer is to get the right support.
Access to Work exists to make that support accessible, financially and practically. And coaching is one of the most powerful forms of support available to neurodivergent adults who want to thrive at work rather than just survive it.
What happens in coaching?
When we work together, sessions are built entirely around you. Your brain, your challenges, your goals.
Depending on what you need, we might work on:
Understanding how your nervous system responds to stress and overwhelm
Building routines and structures that actually work for your brain
Managing time, focus, and energy in a way that feels sustainable
Processing the emotional weight of masking, burnout, or feeling misunderstood
Developing self-awareness and self-advocacy skills
Getting unstuck — whether that's practically, emotionally, or both
I also bring therapeutic tools into our work where needed, including IEMT, which can rapidly reduce the emotional charge around stuck patterns and difficult experiences without you needing to relive them in detail.
Because sometimes what looks like a productivity problem is actually something much deeper. And I'm trained to work with all of it.
How do you apply for Access to Work?
The process is simpler than it sounds:
Visit gov.uk/access-to-work and complete the online application
Explain how your condition affects your ability to work
You'll be asked to provide three quotes from a coach Who is it for?
You might be eligible if you:
Have ADHD, autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia, anxiety, or another neurodivergent or mental health condition
Are currently employed, self-employed, or about to start a new job
Feel your condition is making work harder than it needs to be
Here's the part that surprises most people.
You do not need a formal diagnosis to apply.
If you are on a waiting list, self-diagnosed, or simply know that your brain works differently and it's affecting your work, you can still apply. Many people are awarded Access to Work funding without an official diagnosis in place.
Why does this matter for neurodivergent adults?
Because let's be honest, work wasn't designed for our brains.
The nine to five structure, the open plan offices, the endless meetings, the expectation that you'll just remember things, stay organised, and regulate your emotions while also delivering results, none of that was built with neurodivergent people in mind.
And yet here we are. Doing our absolute best. Often masking. Often exhausted. Often wondering why everyone else seems to find it so much easier.
The answer isn't to try harder.
The answer is to get the right support.
Access to Work exists to make that support accessible, financially and practically. And coaching is one of the most powerful forms of support available to neurodivergent adults who want to thrive at work rather than just survive it.
What happens in coaching?
When we work together, sessions are built entirely around you. Your brain, your challenges, your goals.
Depending on what you need, we might work on:
Understanding how your nervous system responds to stress and overwhelm
Building routines and structures that actually work for your brain
Managing time, focus, and energy in a way that feels sustainable
Processing the emotional weight of masking, burnout, or feeling misunderstood
Developing self-awareness and self-advocacy skills
Getting unstuck — whether that's practically, emotionally, or both.
I also bring therapeutic tools into our work where needed — including IEMT, which can rapidly reduce the emotional charge around stuck patterns and difficult experiences without you needing to relive them in detail.
Because sometimes what looks like a productivity problem is actually something much deeper. And I'm trained to work with all of it.
How do you apply for Access to Work?
The process is simpler than it sounds:
Visit gov.uk/access-to-work and complete the online application
Explain how your condition affects your ability to work
You'll be asked to provide three quotes from a coach, I can send mine quickly so you're not held up
Once approved, your sessions are funded directly or reimbursed to you
If the application itself feels overwhelming, because filling in forms with an ADHD brain is its own kind of challenge, reach out to me first. We can talk it through together before you even start.
A note on diagnosis
I want to say this clearly because I know it stops a lot of people.
You do not need a piece of paper to deserve support.
If you've spent years feeling like your brain works differently, struggling with things that seem easy for everyone else, masking your way through every working day — that experience is real and it counts.
Access to Work recognises that. And so do I.
Ready to find out if you qualify?
If this post has made you think, yes, this might be me, I'd love to hear from you.
Drop me an email at creatingchangeiemt@gmail.com and tell me a little about what's going on for you at work. No formal referral needed, no long forms to fill in, no pressure just care.
Just a real conversation with someone who genuinely gets it.
Because you've been figuring this out on your own for long enough.
Warm smiles
Laura
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