10 Years of Impact.
The Case for Change.
A Safe Space to be Me - Stormont Event
As we mark 10 years of community-based support, this event brings together practitioners, policy-makers, and lived experience to explore what’s working, and what isn’t.
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About the Stormont Event
This event marks 10 years of A Safe Space to be Me, a decade of responding to growing need, advocating for change, and delivering neurodivergent-affirming, community-based support across Northern Ireland and beyond.
Over the past ten years, our work has expanded significantly, not by design, but in response to increasing unmet need.
We have delivered over 10,000 counselling sessions, supported more than 1,000 individuals with ADHD and additional neurotypes, and developed specialist services aligned with best practice and NICE guidelines.
This milestone is not only a moment of reflection, it is a call to action.
(Registration at bottom of the page)
Why Stormont?
Hosting this event at Stormont is intentional.
As the centre of policy, decision-making, and public accountability in Northern Ireland, it provides the appropriate setting to explore the realities often hidden behind systems, including:
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The impact of masking and invisibility
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The cost of unmet need on individuals and families
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The increasing pressure being absorbed by the community and voluntary sector
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The gap between policy, provision, and lived experience
This event brings these realities into a space where change is possible.
Who This Event Is For
This event brings together:
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Counsellors and therapists
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Community and voluntary sector professionals
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Policy-makers and elected representatives
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Health and education stakeholders
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Service users
It is a space for honest dialogue, shared understanding, and collective responsibility.
Why It Matters
This is not simply about raising awareness.
It is about recognising that:
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Unmet need has consequences
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Masking delays intervention
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Community organisations are carrying increasing levels of risk
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And without systemic change, this pressure will continue to grow
As our work has grown, so too has the demand, because the system has not kept pace with need.
This event contributes to a wider conversation about what must come next.
It asks:
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What happens when waiting lists become the only form of support?
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Who holds responsibility when individuals fall through gaps?
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How do we move from crisis response to meaningful prevention?
This is an opportunity not just to reflect but to challenge, influence, and drive forward systemic change.
Looking Ahead
Alongside this milestone event, we will continue to expand our work — including a forthcoming corporate and workplace-focused launch, aimed at improving understanding, inclusion, and support across organisational settings.