Pocket Psych · How we work
Our commitment to you
Honest, safe and neuroaffirming
The standards we hold ourselves to when we create every guide, tool and interactive.
Our interactive tools are made to help people understand and reflect, not to assess, diagnose or decide. As registered clinical psychologists, we take that responsibility seriously. Here’s what you can expect from everything we make.
Informed by evidence, written with care
As clinical psychologists, our work is informed by current research and clinical evidence. When we describe autism and ADHD, our descriptions are consistent with the diagnostic criteria in the DSM-5-TR. We write using the identity-first, neuroaffirming language that many neurodivergent people prefer, like “autistic person”.
Some experiences we write about, like autistic burnout, aren’t diagnoses in the DSM-5-TR. For these, we draw on Australian research, including research from the Autism CRC. This research describes autistic burnout as a highly debilitating state of exhaustion, withdrawal and difficulties with executive function, with reduced day-to-day functioning and autistic traits becoming more noticeable. It is described as distinct from depression and from non-autistic burnout (Higgins et al., 2021).
Our approach to supporting young people and families is also guided by the Autism CRC’s national guideline for supporting autistic children and their families, which emphasises strengths-based, family-centred and neuroaffirming support.
- American Psychiatric Association (2022). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed., text rev.; DSM-5-TR).
- Higgins, J. M., Arnold, S. R., Weise, J., Pellicano, E., & Trollor, J. N. (2021). Defining autistic burnout through experts by lived experience: Grounded Delphi method investigating #AutisticBurnout. Autism. Read the Autism CRC summary ↗
- Autism CRC (2022). Supporting autistic children: National guideline for supporting the Learning, Participation, and Wellbeing of Autistic Children and Their Families in Australia. Read the guideline ↗
Honest about what our tools are
Education, not assessment
Our interactives help you understand and reflect. They aren’t assessments or screening tools, and they can’t diagnose.
Your answers, your words
Any summary only reflects what you chose. We use gentle, tentative language and frame ideas as things to explore.
Ideas to discuss, not instructions
Our tools offer options to consider and talk through with the people involved.
Downloads you can trust
PDF summaries say clearly that they reflect your own responses.
Safe, gentle and in your control
No right or wrong answers about your own life
Reflection should feel curious, not like a test.
Calm, not alarming
You should leave with more understanding and a realistic next step, not fear or guilt.
You’re in control
We aim to explain what we’ll ask, and what happens to your answers, before you start.
Young people’s privacy
Young people deserve to know what they’re sharing, with whom, and how much control they have.
Safety comes first
Our tools aren’t monitored, so they can’t offer immediate help. We include clear information about where to find support.
Designed for every brain
Fair, balanced design
Colour, size and layout should help understanding, not quietly suggest which answer is “better”.
Accessible by design
We design our tools to be as accessible as we can, and we keep improving them.
Clear and low-demand
One idea at a time, in plain language, with a clear next step.
Respect for every family
Families, cultures and neurodivergent experiences look different, and our resources are written to reflect that.
Accountable to you
Free means free
Free tools are designed to help, not to sell.
Grounded in research and experience
Our resources draw on current research and on what neurodivergent people tell us about their own lives.
Honest about who we are
Pocket Psych resources are created by registered clinical psychologists. They provide general education, not individual clinical advice.
Tested, reviewed and kept up to date
We review our tools and update them as we learn.
Last reviewed: November 2026. Pocket Psych resources provide general education and are not a substitute for individual advice, diagnosis or therapy.
We believe in…
The threads that run through everything we make
Neuroaffirming practice
We see difference as diversity, not deficit.
Different, not brokenEngagement through design
Beautiful, eye-catching resources that invite exploration.
Illustrated by a humanEvidence-informed foundations
Grounded in clinical expertise, and built for real-world use.
Made by psychologists