Specialties
Therapy cannot be one-size-fits-all because no two humans experience life the same way. These are the topics I know the most about, and underneath each is a wide array of directions we can go, topics to explore, and interventions to try out.
Autism & ADHD
I use a neurodiversity-affirming lens, lived experience, and the constantly developing knowledge base within the neurodivergent provider community to help folks formally diagnosed with, self-identified, or exploring potential ADHD and/or autism navigate a neurotypical world authentically. Some of the work I often do with clients includes:
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Coping with ongoing neurodivergent grief
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Revisiting old narratives with a new compassionate lens for those identified later in life
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Unlearning internalized grind culture
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Rejecting compensatory strategies of perfectionism and people-pleasing
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Deconstructing the "mask" and increasing autonomy in unmasking
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Fighting for disability justice
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Meltdown mapping and proactive crisis planning
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Understanding and accessing accommodations at work or school
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Supporting sensory processing differences
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Accommodating pervasive drive for autonomy (problematically known as "pathological demand avoidance")
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Problem-solving conflicting needs in neurodiverse relationships
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What I don't do:
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Behavior modification
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Teach neurotypical social skills (though I can help you interpret others' behavior!)
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Help you implement life hacks to become more productive (though living in capitalism, I understand their benefit and work with some awesome coaches who do this work)
Eating disorders
I enjoy non-traditional eating disorder work and tend to draw in people for whom "love your body" rhetoric has been inadequate; those who may have been blamed for not trying hard enough to recover, as though eating disorder recovery is simply a series of choices one makes. There are so many complexities in the development and maintenance of an ED, so why would recovering be easy, especially given resource disparities? I encourage my clients to use harm reduction strategies not just as a last resort but proactively, whether they are working toward recovery or not, and I hold space for the feelings associated with either path. Within the eating disorder therapy umbrella, I often work with:
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Intersection with chronic illness and pain
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Scarcity mindset
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Unpacking anti-fat bias and fatphobia
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ARFID from a social model of disability framework
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Loved ones learning to support someone with an ED
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Impact of gender dysphoria on body image
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Understanding the root cause and function of the ED to avoid band-aid behavioral "fixes"
Neurodivergence-eating disorder intersection
Eating disorders don't just happen in a vacuum. There are so many reasons why both the way an individual's brain is wired and the way others respond to that wiring may lend itself to the development of a distressing relationship with food, exercise, and the body, including:
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Pursuit of weight loss to compensate for perceived inadequacies and differences from peers
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Hyperfixation on the body as a project
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Hypo- and hyper-sensitivities to input in different sensory systems (e.g. low awareness of body cues or heightened need for certain kinds of movement)
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Difficulty coping with extreme rejection sensitivity
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Executive functioning differences causing challenges acquiring, preparing, eating, and cleaning up after food
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I work with folks of all neurotypes to determine how to best work with their natural preferences and meet their needs rather than trying to limit or change them.
Other areas of interest and experience
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Asexual identity exploration
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Attachment wounds and complex PTSD
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Medical and compliance trauma
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Hostile workplaces and work-related stress