Affirming therapy for late-diagnosed autism

a collaborative space for understanding yourself

So you’ve recently realized (or suspect) that you’re autistic. It’s validating to have this new understanding of yourself, but also overwhelming.

You’re not sure how to function as a neurodivergent person in a world that wasn’t made for you.

You want to understand yourself better and feel more at ease in the world, but you feel stuck in doubting yourself and your value.

You’d like close relationships without feeling the need to please or entertain others, shapeshifting your personality to best fit who they want you to be.

Neurodivergence-affirming therapy can help you understand yourself & learn to support your neurotype… without changing who you are.

Truth is, you second-guess yourself constantly. You can learn to trust your own instincts and innate wisdom. Together, we’ll identify your own best path forward, not the path that others might assume you should follow. We’ll explore how your own unique neurodivergence shows up and how your environment might support (or sabotage) your needs as an autistic person.

How do I know if I’m Autistic?

Autism is experienced differently by everyone. (Ever heard “if you’ve met one Autistic person, you’ve met one Autistic person?”) Outdated and misinformed ideas about autism can make it hard to identify in yourself, especially if you’re not a young white boy which is what most autism research has been based from. Features of an autistic neurotype are lifelong differences in socializing and communication, experiencing high sensitivity and/or low sensitivity to sensory input, deep passions and interests, and repetitive movement that is experienced as soothing or calming.
If you’re not sure if autism might fit for you, I’d recommend reading personal accounts in memoirs, on social media (search the hashtag #actuallyautistic) and taking some screeners over at Embrace Autism. Part of my work involves supporting folks through untangling if autism or other neurodivergence makes sense with their life experience. You don’t have to know that you’re autistic for us to work together. It would be my honor to collaboratively explore this possibility with you.

how therapy works

We’ll schedule a free 15 minute phone consultation to see if we’re a good fit to work together and answer any questions you have for me.

In our initial session, we’ll explore your current top challenges and what’s most important to you. I’ll ask some questions and give you lots of space to answer. I know that the first few sessions with a new therapist can be overwhelming, so we’ll go at your pace.

For the next 2-4 sessions, we’ll go more in depth about your struggles, how your neurodivergence shows up for you and how your life has influenced where you are today. This helps me get a holistic view of you as a person and then we will identify goals for our continued work together. We’ll also assess how your current lifestyle is supporting your needs as a neurodivergent person.

We’ll begin working towards your identified goals organically. Some folks are satisfied after 3-6 months with their progress, others choose to stay in therapy longer term to do deeper, inner work. There’s no right or wrong answer- it’s up to you and what feels most supportive as our work unfolds.

Schedule a free consultation

questions you may have

No. I hold the tension of two things being true at the same time- the paradox that neurodivergence is a normal and natural human difference and that autism and ADHD are disabilities in a world that is not made for neurodivergent folks. I don’t believe in trying to make an autistic person or ADHDer more neurotypical, I believe in finding individual strategies that can support how your brain works.
Yes. Please do whatever helps you feel most comfortable and present! Taking notes, stimming, bringing a fidget toy or a pet to session are all great.
This is simple and complex at the same time. Yes, I can screen you for autism and ADHD and diagnose you. However, most accommodations are granted on the diagnosis of a psychiatrist or a psychologist who are able to do psychological testing, which I do not provide. So yes, I can diagnose you if you meet diagnostic criteria, but it may not be seen as relevant for disability accommodations unless you receive testing from a psychiatrist or psychologist.