Dr Emma Svanberg, Psychologist

Dr Emma Svanberg, Psychologist Welcome! I’m Dr Emma Svanberg, a Clinical Psychologist guiding you on your parenting journey.

11/08/2026

I turned on my phone this morning to yet more news stories questioning the validity of autism diagnoses.

Just no.

My view is that we’re in a paradigm shift. We are questioning a lot, us humans. Here in the U.K. we do that in a particular lens. We like certainty, we get polarised in medical model vs something more holistic.

Maybe we don’t know enough yet to reach firm conclusions about very much at all?

Maybe that’s not the point, anyway?

I choose to believe that the changes to autism diagnoses that have led to increases in diagnosis, especially for women, AFAB folks and marginalised folks are valid because diagnostic change and shifts in our thinking are part of how psychology- and medicine- work. We get new information, and we shift. Some people don’t shift with that new information.

I choose to believe that the increased awareness of autism is positive because I have a personal belief that self understanding is a core element of a life well lived

I choose to hold all of this loosely.

And I choose where to spend my spoons. And today, Uta Frith - someone who has contributed enormously to autism understanding in the past- is not getting my spoons.

Also. I ❤️ Chris Packham and everything he has done for neurodivergent advocacy

After the workshop comes the obligatory totally unnecessary but so delicious rabbit hole
30/07/2026

After the workshop comes the obligatory totally unnecessary but so delicious rabbit hole

On Sunday night I held my first workshop in maybe two or even three years. I used to run them monthly for a while, and t...
28/07/2026

On Sunday night I held my first workshop in maybe two or even three years. I used to run them monthly for a while, and to be perfectly honest I was feeling pretty rusty. This was a new workshop topic for me, but a subject I have deep dived into over recent years- fawning. And particularly how we can move from a fawn response (a stress or trauma response which is like people pleasing on max) to something more assertive.

One of the topics we discussed was how with these sort of changes in how we show up there can be both relief and grief existing simultaneously. I heard the term ‘grelief’ in a paper by Longley et al (2026) describing the experiences of late diagnosed autistic women, and the experience of liberation and loss co-existing in this way. I think the term really fits many experiences of shift and change.

When we begin to understand ourselves better, and ask for things to be different for us, or show up differently in our relationships (with ourselves as well as others), it can be deeply painful. There might be a sense of relief in knowing what we need at last, but grief can come from other people’s reactions, as well as our own learnings.

Fawning isn’t just people pleasing. It often comes out of survival and needing to keep safe (emotionally, or physically, or both). Beginning to untangle how to let go of appeasement and start to become bolder is messy work. But it’s definitely worth it.

💬 does this resonate? Maybe you’ve noticed a sense of grelief in other moments of shift in your life too? Let me know in the comments 👇🏽👇🏽

Take it easy out there people. It’s hectic.💬 what would you add?
27/07/2026

Take it easy out there people. It’s hectic.

💬 what would you add?

25/07/2026

See you tomorrow? Link to book my fawning workshop is in my bio ❤️

Fawning is, in a sense, a kind of mirroring. We become a reflection of what’s needed, what’s acceptable, what will keep ...
21/07/2026

Fawning is, in a sense, a kind of mirroring. We become a reflection of what’s needed, what’s acceptable, what will keep things smooth. We get so good at it that the mirror starts to feel like ourselves.

What I think we’re actually working toward - on the other side of that - isn’t just boundaries or assertiveness as a skill. It’s something more physical than that. Learning to speak from your own belly instead of from the room. From your own want, your own no, your own yes - rather than from a read of what everyone else needs you to be.

That’s not confidence in the polished sense. It’s something rawer. Something with more power in it, because it’s finally coming from you.

This is exactly the territory we’ll be in on Sunday, in the workshop - moving from understanding the fawn to feeling, in the body, what speaking from that place might actually be like.

Tickets in my bio if you’d like to join. 🦌🦁

💬 What would it feel like to speak from your belly instead of mirroring others? 👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽

What are the words that kid in you needs to hear?👇🏽👇🏽I’ve been talking about the fawn response for a month now and had s...
16/07/2026

What are the words that kid in you needs to hear?👇🏽👇🏽

I’ve been talking about the fawn response for a month now and had so many great questions from people wanting to dive deeper. I’m holding a workshop on 26th July to do just that- link to book is in my bio

A month of writing about fawning is coming to an end next week, with my workshop From Fawn to Lion on Sunday 26th July. ...
15/07/2026

A month of writing about fawning is coming to an end next week, with my workshop From Fawn to Lion on Sunday 26th July.

If you’ve been here for all of it: thank you. If you’ve just landed, welcome - this one’s a bit of a recap.

Here’s what I most want you to take with you: fawning isn’t a personality trait or a flaw. It’s a survival response, and it made complete sense given what you were navigating. But knowing that doesn’t have to mean staying in it forever.

The work isn’t a technique - it’s slower and sometimes stranger than that. Getting to know yourself. Getting curious about the parts that learned to disappear. Beginning to feel, in your body, what it might be like to take up a little more space. Learning to be ok with pi***ng people off. Discovering what it feels like to choose yourself.

If any of this has resonated, the full series is on Revolutions at Home - link in bio.

And if you want to do this work together, rather than just on the page - From Fawn to Lion is on Sunday 26th July 5pm, 90 minutes (it’ll be recorded).

💬 Which line landed for you most this month? Let me know 👇🏽👇🏽

14/07/2026

Ever wondered why you keep saying yes to things when you want to say no?

I’ll be talking about fawning as a response to stress, why we do it, and how we can start doing things differently. Join me on 26th July 5pm UK time for 90 minutes. It’ll be recorded if you can’t attend live. Link to book in bio ❤️

💬 do you notice this response in yourself? Any tips to share on learning to say no? 👇🏽👇🏽

I wrote a bonus bonus fawning post on substack, around what it feels like to be on the receiving end of fawning. And wha...
13/07/2026

I wrote a bonus bonus fawning post on substack, around what it feels like to be on the receiving end of fawning. And what often lies underneath it. Link in my links.

If you want to dive a little deeper into this topic, I’m running a workshop ‘From Fawn to Lion’ next Sunday 26th July 5pm for 90 minutes. Book tickets in my bio. It’ll be recorded if you can’t attend live, and there’ll be time for questions at the end.

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