Therapy for ADHD and Autism
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’re gifted, Autistic, ADHD, or twice exceptional, I can help.
ADHD and Autistic Therapy Online in Colorado Springs, CO and PSYPACT States
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 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, CO 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 Masking 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.
Autistic Burnout
Common signs of Autistic burnout:
- Extreme exhaustion, often not relieved by sleep
- Brain fog
- Increased sensory sensitivity or intolerance
- Difficulty with executive functioning: planning, organizing, and decision-making
- Withdrawal from social interactions or previously enjoyable activities
- Heightened emotional dysregulation (e.g., anxiety, depression, irritability)
- Loss of previously acquired skills or abilities (sometimes called “skill regression)”
- Feeling detached from identity or self (“I don’t know who I am without masking)”
- Physical symptoms like chronic pain, headaches, or gastrointestinal distress
Why Autistic burnout happens:
- Chronic masking: Constantly suppressing natural autistic behaviors to fit in
- High work demands, pressure to meet neurotypical explanations
- Sensory overload: Frequent exposure to environments that overwhelm the nervous system
- Emotional labor: Managing others’ perceptions and expectations at the cost of personal energy
- Cumulative stress: Burnout often builds over months or years rather than appearing suddenly
- Alexithymia: the inability/difficulty of accurately identifying emotions means that cues can be missed that are pointing to burnout or stress
ADHD Burnout
Common signs of ADHD burnout:
- Extreme exhaustion and mental fatigue
- Loss of motivation, even for things that used to be fun
- Feeling paralyzed by tasks (executive dysfunction)
- Emotional overwhelm, irritability, increased sensitivity
- Difficulty initiating tasks or sustaining focus
- Retreating, isolating, or shutting down
- Heightened self-criticism or shame
- Increased anxiety or depressive symptoms
- Feeling physically and mentally “fried” or numb
Why ADHD burnout happens:
- Years of masking or working twice as hard as others to appear organized
- Chronic stress from unfinished tasks or fear of falling behind
- Perfectionism and rejection sensitivity (common in ADHD)
- Taking on too much due to impulsivity or people-pleasing
- Shame spirals: push > burn out > crash > recover > push again
- Lack of structure, rest, or executive support systems
Therapy also provides coping strategies tailored to the neurodivergent brain: managing sensory needs, reducing overwhelm, communicating boundaries, navigating relationships, and advocating for accommodations. These tools help neurodivergent folks thrive without constantly sacrificing their well-being. And for those who experienced bullying, social rejection, or invalidation — which is common — trauma-informed therapy supports emotional healing and self-esteem. I can help facilitate your healing and growth in these ways and more.
Late diagnosed autism and/or ADHD are inherently linked to burnout. The consequences of late diagnosis often lead to burnout, which may be the starting point of diagnosis for neurodivergent folks. The lack of a diagnosis often leads to feeling of being “inherently bad,” and points to personal failures instead of predictable nervous system collapse.
Attempts to function in a neurotypical way will lead to consequences for neurodivergence individuals. The lack of diagnosis often means that there haven’t been enough (or sometimes any) internal or environmental accommodations for differing needs and ways of being. Autism and ADHD and the burnout that is often experienced is also linked to many health concerns and chronic health conditions. The cost of masking and burnout can also impact our physical health.
Late diagnosis also often comes with immense grief. The loss of self, functioning, time, and identity are deeply felt by those late identified. The cost of chronic and long term masking leaves little room for understanding one’s own internal needs, cues, and boundaries. Masking has often taken up all or most of the air in the room so to speak. Many parts of neurodivergent folks are left underdeveloped and unappreciated.
Empowering Autistic Women and ADHD Women
How is therapy helpful for Autistic women?
Therapy is especially important for high masking folks, which includes a high percentage of adult autistic women. Many grow up misunderstood, misdiagnosed, or masked. Autistic women tend to be under-diagnosed because their traits are often less visible or are expressed in socially expected ways, such as perfectionism, people-pleasing, or internalizing distress. Autistic folks who are “high masking” are often late-diagnosed. By adulthood, they’re carrying years of exhaustion, shame, and confusion about why life has felt harder than it “should.” Therapy helps name and validate their experiences, which can be life-changing after years of feeling “different” without knowing why.
A big reason therapy matters is unmasking. Many autistic women have learned to camouflage their traits to fit in–pushing through sensory overload, forcing eye contact, mimicking social cues. While masking can help them survive socially, it comes at a high cost: burnout, anxiety, depression, identity confusion, and chronic fatigue. In therapy, they can safely explore who they are without the mask. They can rebuild a sense of self rooted in authenticity, instead of constant effort to appear “normal.”
In short, therapy gives autistic women permission to understand themselves, honor their needs, and build healthier lives. It helps shift the narrative from “I’m too sensitive / too much / not enough,” to “My brain works differently, and I deserve support, not self-blame.”
How is therapy helpful for ADHD women?
Therapy for adult women with ADHD is important because many women reach adulthood without ever being diagnosed or supported, yet still struggle with symptoms that impact work, relationships, and self-esteem. Historically, ADHD research and diagnostic criteria were centered on boys whose symptoms, we thought, tended to be more externalized (hyperactivity, impulsivity). Women, on the other hand, we’re discovering are can be more likely to present with inattentive symptoms, emotional dysregulation, internalized stress, and perfectionism. These behaviors can be mistaken for anxiety, depression, or simply “being scatterbrained.” Therapy offers a space to recognize ADHD for what it is rather than a personal flaw.
Adult women with ADHD often carry years of shame, burnout, and self-criticism from trying to meet social expectations of organization, emotional control, and caregiving. Therapy helps untangle these patterns, build self-compassion, and reduce the pressure to mask symptoms. It also provides practical strategies for executive functioning–planning, time management, emotional regulation, and breaking tasks down. This can improve daily life significantly. It is paramount that ADHD, Autistic, and Audhd folks are given space to operate from their natural rythms and work with their brains, instead of against them. Beyond coping skills, therapy supports identity reconstruction: clients often need to rewrite narratives like “I’m lazy,” “I’m unreliable,” or “I’m too much” into ones that reflect their neurodiversity and strengths.
Additionally, many women experience ADHD alongside perfectionism, rejection sensitivity, trauma, or hormonal fluctuations that amplify symptoms. A therapeutic space can integrate these pieces holistically, validating their experience rather than pathologizing it. In short, therapy offers women with ADHD both skill-based support and emotional healing. Allowing them to function more effectively, advocate for themselves, and thrive without carrying the silent weight of shame or misunderstanding is instrumental to healing.
