Autism (Level 1) & Neurodivergence Support

Any diagnosis is just a lens we look through to understand ourselves and map out the road ahead. It is never an identity.

You can drop the mask here.

Many autistic teens and adults spend so much energy reading the room that there's little left for anything else. In sessions, you can pause, fidget, or say exactly what you mean without worrying about being misread.

Masking, people-pleasing and trying to keep up can lead to exhaustion, anxiety and burnout. We'll look at where your energy goes each day, which demands cost the most, and what supports or boundaries would give some of it back.

Neurodivergence includes many ways of thinking, feeling, learning, and experiencing the world—such as level 1 autism, ADHD, sensory processing differences, giftedness, and other forms of neurological differences that don't always fit neatly into a box.

"Understanding how your brain works makes it easier to stop blaming yourself for it."

My approach is affirming and collaborative, and it starts with understanding how you experience the world rather than asking you to mask. We may use CBT or ACT tools, adapted to how you think, for things like overwhelm, transitions or self-criticism.

Do I need an autism diagnosis to work with you?

No. Some clients come to counseling with an autism diagnosis, while others recognize autistic or neurodivergent traits in themselves without having pursued formal testing. We can work with the experiences that are affecting you without requiring a diagnosis first.

Do you provide autism evaluations?

I provide counseling rather than formal autism evaluations. If you decide that a formal assessment would be useful, you can pursue testing with an appropriately qualified evaluator.

What if I have autistic traits but don’t think I meet criteria for autism?

You don’t have to fit neatly into a diagnostic category for your experiences to be worth understanding. We can explore sensory, social, emotional and executive-functioning patterns without assuming those patterns automatically indicate a particular diagnosis.

What is masking?

Masking generally refers to consciously or unconsciously modifying, suppressing or rehearsing behavior in order to meet social expectations or avoid standing out. It can make someone’s differences less visible to other people while requiring considerably more effort internally.

Can therapy help with sensory or social overwhelm?

Yes. Therapy can help identify what contributes to overwhelm, recognize patterns earlier, understand your limits and develop ways of navigating environments and relationships that fit you better. The goal is not to train you to appear less neurodivergent.

Do you work with autistic adults and teenagers?

Yes. I work with adults and adolescents age 13 and older. Counseling can address anxiety, masking, sensory differences, executive functioning, relationships, school or work demands, emotional overwhelm and other concerns that may overlap with neurodivergence.

Support that honors who you are.

Let's build a life that works for you.