Neurodiversity-Affirming Therapy
Do you ever struggle being neurodivergent in a neurotypical world? Have you ever felt misunderstood or been mislabeled as “difficult,” “narcissistic,” or “dramatic?”
Navigating a world that wasn’t built for you is tough. Suffering through stigma, misdiagnoses, and invalidation takes a toll. Whether you are gifted, Autistic, ADHD, or twice exceptional, I can help.
Therapy for Autism and ADHD in Colorado Springs
You deserve to work with someone who gets you and your brain.
I work with those who suspect they’re Autistic or an ADHDer—whether or not you’ve been diagnosed. The world may have you convinced that neurodivergence is a downfall, an obstacle to overcome. Well, the world is ignorant. Engage in neurodiversity-affirming therapy in Colorado Springs and PSYPACT states that is tailored to you and your needs—that sees your strengths and your neurodivergence in their totality.
Could you have ADHD or Autism?
Undiagnosed ADHD May Look Like:
It feels like nothing is worth doing if it’s not done perfectly. You’ve struggled to start things and follow through. When you are interested in something you, shine, excel. You’re used to hearing “if you would just try harder you could be so successful,” or “you’re so good at ________. I wish you would apply that to _________. Your attention feels split. It’s hard to focus on one thing. When you do focus, time flies, and you feel energized.
You learned to appear calm, put together. You, “Faked it to make it.” You put on a smile and try not to interrupt. Maybe your personality felt like it was “too much” and you learned be in the background in social settings. If you felt anxious or overwhelmed inside, you developed a mask that looked non-chalant on the outside. You learned that your intensity was labeled as intimidation by others. You learned to smile and nod, make eye contact. You developed your own compensatory strategies to get work done and study. Everything became a game, a competition. You watched, noticed, and imitated those around you. It worked for a while, and you fit in.
Now, you’re realizing you don’t know who you are. You’re tired all the time. Masking your entire life has taken a toll.
Undiagnosed Autism May Look Like:
You know you’re different. You’ve always known it. You show up with a birthday gift after Googling, “What to bring to a 25th birthday celebration?” The list was overwhelming. You bought the charcuterie board and put it in a gift bag, but you don’t understand why. You have learned to fit in and do what is expected, most of the time. You’ve watched and learned how others behave and you have perfected your own performance. You have modified your body language, your facial expressions, you know now to match the tone of the other person you’re talking to. You hide that shaking leg or perform your cuticle picking under the table.
Maybe you have scripts for yourself. You don’t talk about your love for Minecraft, knitting, action figures, or bread making. You learned people don’t respond well to your tangents about your special interests, you tamp down your excitement. So, you found acceptable topics to discuss and learned how to perform in social settings. At work you’ve been told you can’t be autistic because you have friends and make eye contact. But, you’re different, you’ve always known you are.
What is Autistic and ADHD Masking?
Masking is when neurodivergent folks, particularly ADHDers and Austistics do what they can to “fit in.” This requires actively hiding, changing—putting on a mask—to meet the expectations of others.
We have learned more about neurodiversity in the last decade then we learned in the last century. Most of what we learned is how wrong we had gotten it. Men were estimated to be twice as likely to be diagnosed as Autistic or ADHD than women.
Now, we know that women were just underdiagnosed. Suffice to say, we learned that many women were overlooked and are now realizing they’re neurodivergent after decades of feeling crazy and exhausted.
Your ability to mimic, stay under the radar, mask was useful. However, now you realize there is more to you and more to life than appearing neurotypical. You are ready to understand yourself and learn to unmask in safe spaces with safe people. You are ready to heal from masking burnout.
The traditional or “Old-school,” approach to “Treating,” Autism and ADHD has been found to be quite harmful. My approach to your neurodivergence is curiosity and affirmation.
You have many strengths as a result of your neurodivergence, for example:
- Being an expert on topics that are your special interest(s).
- Seeing problems and solutions that others can’t.
- Being able to hyperfocus.
- Bringing directness, genuineness, and honesty that challenges others and facilitates growth.
- Excelling at mundane or repetitive tasks.
- Identifying patterns.
Build insight into your brain and body. Use that knowledge to build the life you dream of having. You are capable of cultivating fulfilling relationships, reaching your goals, finding work-life balance, and attaining self-acceptance. Take off your mask. Be seen and known for the intersection of all of your identities and parts.