Neuroaffirming therapy
Neuroaffirming therapy starts from the belief that neurodivergent ways of thinking, feeling and experiencing the world are natural variations of the human mind. Diversity in brain type is not a problem to be fixed.
Neuroaffirming therapy isn’t a specific modality like CBT, DBT or EMDR. It’s a broader way of working that honors neurodiversity in the therapy session. Much like trauma-informed care or cultural humility, it shapes how a therapist views, thinks about and interacts with the person in front of them.
Five principles
Flexibility
Client choice and control; a range of approaches and modalities; adaptations and accommodations; and feedback that shapes what we do.
Lifelong learning
Grounded in the neurodiversity paradigm and the voices of lived experience, and aware of the mental health impacts of internalized ableism, masking and minority stress, complex trauma, depression, anxiety and shame.
Acceptance
Of your culture, identities and worldview; your autonomy, strengths and needs; and the many ways people express emotion, thought, behavior and communication. An assumption of competency.
Advocacy
Rejecting the pathological paradigm, ableism and oppression; promoting inclusion, acceptance and accommodations; and supporting your voice in and outside the therapy room.
Genuineness
Critical self-reflection, compassion for self and others, safe use of self and disclosure, and humility in place of an expert stance.
Neurodiversity-affirming therapy, in a few minutes
A short video on what this kind of therapy looks like.
Play video: Neurodiversity-affirming therapy
Schedule a free consultation
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