Neurodivergent-Affirming Autism Therapy

Most therapy models weren't designed for autistic brains. They assume a certain pace of processing, a certain comfort with eye contact, a certain tolerance for sensory input. When those assumptions don't fit, sessions can feel exhausting or beside the point. I work differently.

What neurodivergent-affirming actually means

"Neurodivergent-affirming" isn't a buzzword. It's a concrete approach to therapy. It means I treat autistic wiring as a difference, not a deficit. It means I don't push eye contact, I welcome stimming and movement during sessions, and I don't quietly frame the goal as "helping you look more neurotypical."

It also means I work with the nervous system, not around it. A lot of what causes suffering for autistic people isn't the autism itself — it's the cumulative weight of masking, sensory overwhelm, and trying to function in environments that weren't built for your brain. Real therapy addresses those directly instead of pretending the problem is that you haven't tried hard enough to be normal.

What we actually work on

• Sensory overwhelm and regulation — understanding what your nervous system needs and building a life that gives it to you
• Co-occurring anxiety and depression — which show up for the vast majority of autistic adults, often because of chronic masking and environmental mismatch
• Relationships and communication — not neurotypical scripts, but genuine ways of connecting that fit your specific wiring
• Self-understanding — especially for adults who got a late diagnosis and are now reprocessing their whole life through a new frame
• Unmasking and burnout recovery — for people who have spent decades performing neurotypicality and are now paying the cost
• Parenting support — for adult autistic clients who are also raising neurodivergent kids, or for parents of autistic children who want a therapist who gets the bigger picture

Why telehealth often works better for autistic clients

For a lot of my autistic clients, telehealth isn't a compromise. It's the thing that finally lets therapy work. You stay in your own sensory environment. Your own lighting, your own chair, your own smells, your own temperature. You're not burning 60 percent of your capacity just surviving the waiting room and the unfamiliar office. By the time we start the actual session, you still have resources to bring to the conversation.

Ready to start?

Book your first session through Tava Health. You can verify your insurance in about 30 seconds and see my real availability. If you want to read more first, the Why Standard Therapy Isn't Working for Your Autistic Child article on my blog goes deeper into how I think about this work. The specialties page covers everything else I work with.