Accessing Therapy When You’re Autistic

UPDATED Feb 2023 with free resources for accessing Black-led therapy

This is too important to leave to the winds of social media. Therapy is a vital resource for most everyone but when you’re neurodivergent, accessing support that works for you can be challenging.

This episode of the Neurodiverging podcast is *so* excellent, it is required listening IMO. Additional resources are below.

Danielle Sullivan, host, certified life coach, and Guide at The Autastic Community discusses why it’s so tough for us to access the help that’s readily available to others and breaks down ways autistic people can locate, validate, assess, and best use the therapy options we may have available to us.

How Do I Find A Therapist? A Guide For Neurodivergent Folks

Part one covers the basics of finding a therapist that’s a good fit. Part two covers finding support when you’re neurodivergent.

Read the full episode transcript (with useful links!) on the Neurodiverging website. Listen on Anchor or right here 👇🏽

Find Support

The services below may have providers that work with autistic clients. Do your due diligence to determine if they’re an autistic practitioner and/or using a neurodivergent-affirming approach.

You heard me, free. 

 

freeblacktherapy.org

 

There are resources to many paid therapy resources that offer culturally competent therapy listed as well. As far as autism-specific therapy, that’s still a find-it-as-you-can situation. But guess what? We’re working to change that inside The Autastic Community. If we don’t, who will?

National Queer & Trans Therapists of Color Network. Image is an open hand with paint in the trans flag colors.

National Queer & Trans
Therapists of Color Network

nqttcn.com

 

“Our Mental Health Practitioner Directory is an interactive digital resource that helps QTBIPOC connect to QTBIPOC mental health practitioners. With more than 300 practitioners, this resource is essential to help our communities gain greater access to therapists who are aligned with healing justice.

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Other Resources

Autism, psychotherapy and trauma: why many autistic people need a different approach

This episode of The Square Peg Podcast. covers: alexithymia, autism and trauma, CBT, friendships, proprioception, psychoanalytic therapy, sensory issues, social issues.

Can therapy solve racism?

NPR’s Code Switch examines therapy from the perspectives of people of colour. Not autism-specific but a valuable conversation to inform your search for support.

Listen

Why Doesn’t Standard Talking Therapy Work for Autistic People?

From Dr. Alice Nicholls, autistic clinical psychologist.

Read

For Mental Health Professionals

Thread For Clinical Practitioners On Recognizing Autistic Patients

Share this guide with your mental health practitioner. Sam Porter is a Neurodivergent Consultant Perinatal Psychiatrist who works to improve care and support for autistic & ADHD parents.

Read

Working with Autism – Best Practice Guidelines for Psychologists

Share this guide with your mental health practitioner. The sources are respected and includes input from those with lived experience.

Read

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