NEURODIVERGENT-AFFIRMING THERAPY · CALIFORNIA
ADHD and Autistic Affirming Care for Adults
Relational, compassionate support for adults exploring a new, suspected, or long-held ADHD and/or Autism diagnosis.
UNDERSTANDING ADHD
ADHD
Identifying ADHD in adulthood is often much more complex and layered than simply having difficulty focusing. The neurodevelopmental (AKA you're born with it!) diagnosis is holistically impactful, meaning it touches various integral parts of being and functioning across the lifespan. Many people are familiar with the attentional and organizational parts of ADHD that impact school or work. However, equally as impactful, adults with ADHD often struggle with processing information (especially auditorily), emotional regulation, and impulse control. Socially, some adult ADHD'ers report often feeling misunderstood and sometimes struggle to maintain meaningful relationships. Emotional regulation difficulties, impulsivity, and difficulties with communication — both receptive (the ability to process information given to you) and expressive (to communicate what is intended) — sometimes inform relational experiences of those who identify with ADHD.
UNDERSTANDING AUTISM
Autism
Autism is another neurodevelopmental diagnosis that commonly co-occurs alongside ADHD. Often under-identified in folks who are assigned female at birth, many autistic AFAB folks are beginning to identify with self-diagnosis. Autism can affect how folks navigate communication and social contexts. Some Autistic folks struggle to understand social cues, whereas others are hyper-aware of changes in others' body language, facial expressions, or tone of voice. Support needs vary, and many adults who identify with autism begin to understand their sensory sensitivities to light, sound, and food-related preferences with greater awareness. The spectrum and its features are vast and varied. Many autistic adults have led what we consider in our culture to be "successful lives." They've often done so through their own beautiful strengths and a series of systems they likely built as inadvertent forms of accommodation. Sometimes when life's demands begin to heighten, whether due to a phase of life or other changes or strains, individuals experience new forms of emotional and physical distress that can feel blindsiding. Therapy can offer a safe, non-judgmental space where folks can honor the frameworks that seem to align. I can also provide psychoeducational information about Autism and empower you with resources and referrals for further learning.
ADHD + Autistic = AuDHD
AuDHD is a term used in neurodivergent affirming spaces to describe a diagnostic profile that includes features of both ADHD and Autism. Though ADHD and Autism are distinct, classified forms of neurodivergence, ADHD and Autism both impact executive functioning, communication and socialization, and sensory processing, to name a few of the major domains.
A COMMON CO-OCCURANCE
Binge Eating Disorder in ADHD
Binge eating disorder commonly co-occurs with ADHD. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, individuals who have been diagnosed with binge eating disorders are also identified as having ADHD 20%–35% of the time. Folks diagnosed with or who identify with ADHD often struggle with interoception (awareness of bodily cues), including hunger cues, as well as the need to use the restroom, among other things. When eating at regular intervals is difficult due to interoception and time blindness (awareness of how much time has passed), neurodivergent folks can fall into patterns of eating larger amounts at once after forgetting to eat for long stretches. Additionally, food can provide sensory input that neurodivergent folks find stimulating. Sweet teeth are common among my neurodivergent clients. I (Lea) myself have quite the sweet tooth! Therapy can provide support for learning about eating-related patterns. I can refer you to HAES (Health at Every Size) and non-diet-aligned dietitians to support your understanding of your relationship with food without shame.
An important part of neurodivergent-affirming care is taking the time to recognize the culture we live and operate in. In therapy, clients often benefit from reflecting on how various systems and expectations can be unhelpful and even harmful. With a compassionately informed diagnostic framework, clients often find meaningful support by learning to accommodate themselves across various aspects of their lives.
This cultural context is important because often previously undiagnosed folks present to therapy with deep shame about who they are as a person and painful questions about why they can't seem to "keep up" or struggle with constantly feeling overwhelmed and burnt out.
Amethyst Holistic Counseling offers therapy for adults in California who are seeking guidance in understanding how ADHD and/or Autism affects their inner world, relationships, routines, and sense of self.
Therapy can be especially helpful if you are navigating a new or suspected diagnosis. Support can include: psychoeducation about neurodivergent diagnoses; exploration and refinement of routines or structural systems for navigating daily life; practical tips, tricks & accommodations; creative coping and grounding strategies; modeling and role-playing of empowered & authentic communication; and relational, human-to-human processing.
WHAT WE’LL GROW TOGETHER
Therapy can meaningfully support growth of:
A more compassionate and informed understanding of self and necessary accommodations, routines, etc.
Strengthened emotional regulation and empowered, authentic communication.
Empowered ability to set boundaries and clarify your needs.
Deeper understanding of supportive accommodations, strategies, and tools.
IS THIS YOU?
Who this page is for…
This page is designed for adults in California who are curious about ADHD- and Autism-related support in a therapeutic space that feels relational and affirming. It can also be a fit for people who are still figuring out whether ADHD or Autism is part of their experience.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
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Yes! As a neurodivergent therapist myself, I delight in supporting neurodivergent clients. It is my utmost hope that you'll experience therapy with me as empowering, affirming, and educational (if you'd like to learn more about these pieces of yourself and how they may show up in your life).
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Yes! Therapy can be utilized to explore these diagnoses and how they may or may not align with your experience of yourself. Many times I am able to confidently identify folks with ADHD based on historical reports of lived experience and functioning. An official Autism diagnosis is typically confirmed via an assessment. I am happy to provide referrals for further assessments for either diagnosis.
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Oof! Burnout especially within neurodivergence can be so draining and overwhelming. It is important to recognize that our capitalist culture often makes it difficult to recover from burnout. However, in therapy we can compassionately explore the parts of your life and functioning that support burnout recovery, and we can explore additional changes and accommodations to support areas that feel particularly challenging. Sometimes in therapy, folks discover that they deserve to ask for more help from loved ones and community. For others, community building is sometimes an important element of the work to support feeling seen and supported amidst burnout.
ENDORSEMENTS
Endorsements
"Lea is so warm and caring, she's incredibly easy to talk to. Her relational approach and unique lived experience as a queer, neurodivergent therapist makes her especially qualified to help folks who want to be seen, heard, and understood."
Corina Bair, LCSW
"Having known Lea for over 10 years, I can firmly and confidently speak to her incredible depth of compassion, empathy and kindness. She truly embodies what it means to be a healer."
Micaela Krusemark, MS, LPC, YTT-500
Amethyst Holistic Counseling of California