FUNCTIONAL LIVING
SUPPORTING NEURODIVERGENT INDIVIDUALS
VISION
A world where every kind of mind is understood, valued and supported, and where each of us can live well in our own way.
MISSION
Our mission is for our neurodivergent community and our families to live well, each in our own way. Drawing on therapeutic expertise and lived experience, we build practical skills, advocate for understanding and inclusion, educate one another and the wider community, and support each other through connection.
VALUES
These are Functional Living's core set of values:
AUTONOMY OF DECISION
Decision making is bound with personal freedom and empowerment. Acknowledging the individual's their experiences, history, culture and lived experiences.
TRUTH
To be truthful and honest. To provide knowledge and insights that are representative and consistent. To remain informed and critical when approaching all sciences and disciplines of wellness and healthcare
COMPASSION
To be open and curious of the other and ones self. To refrain from unhelpful judgment. To make room for all pain and suffering and to offer guidance and a path towards alleviation.
ABOUT FUNCTIONAL LIVING
Supporting and developing neurodiverse individuals
Welcome, and thank you for taking the time to get to know us. How we work matters to us as much as what we do.
Our work is grounded in contextual behavioural science, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). In practice, this means we start with what is actually happening in a person's life, what matters to them and what gets in the way. We know a diagnosis can be important, and that having a name for your experience can make a real difference. It is something we hope to offer in time. But a diagnosis will never be a condition of belonging here: with or without one, everyone has the same access to our programmes, resources and support.
This matters to us because of access. For many people, assessment and diagnosis are expensive and sit behind medical systems that are hard to reach. We don't believe knowledge and support should be walled off in the same way. As a not-for-profit organisation, we work to make our programmes, tools and materials available across our community, whatever a person's means, background or circumstances.
We do this through skills programmes, workshops, our learning hub and peer-based support groups, where we learn from one another as much as from anything we teach. Whatever brings you here, you are welcome.