There are multiple valid ways to experience and interact with the world – and neurodivergent ways of being are valued here.
Navigating a neurotypical world that is not aligned with the way Autistic, ADHD, and AuDHD brains thrive can lead to feelings of depression, anxiety, overwhelm, and burnout.
The demands of navigating a neurotypical world can also result in feeling the need to mask your authentic self, feelings of shame, experiences of bullying and discrimination, feeling chronically misunderstood, school and workplace challenges, and a complex array of emotions and responses to the identity-based traumatic experiences Autistic, ADHDer, and neurodivergent folx more broadly experience, oftentimes on a daily basis.
Neurodivergent-Affirming Therapy in North Carolina Can Help!
Request a free consult with a Neuro-Affirming Therapist
Neurodiversity is a normal and important part of human diversity. There is no one “normal” or “right” neurotype, any more than there is one “normal” or “right” ethnicity or culture. In fact, studies demonstrate that Autistic individuals communicate effectively with Autistic peers and that miscommunication between neurotypes (for example, between an Autistic and non-Autistic person) is the result of different neurocultural norms and values.
Still, it can be challenging for a neurodivergent person to exist in a neurotypical world. Shared experiences may include compulsory masking, having to learn and work in environments that do not align with the way your brain works best, sensory overwhelm, unmet needs, and neurodivergent-specific trauma. These experiences can lead to feelings of frustration, shame, low self-esteem, alienation, depression, anxiety, and burnout.
Let us help. Here, our neuroaffirming therapists will help you lean into your strengths to create solutions that work for you!
Contact Us Today to Begin Neurodivergent-Affirming Therapy!
Therapy for Autistic Clients in North Carolina
Have you recently learned you are Autistic and need support in exploring your identity and processing life experiences through this new lens? Or maybe you are exploring the possibility of being Autistic and want to speak to an Autistic-affirming clinician who can offer you the space, information, and resources to better understand how you experience the world?
Perhaps you are seeking a neuroaffirming space to process trauma and anxiety, address unmet needs, and navigate life and relationships.
Being Autistic is an innate identity that comes with shared neurocultural norms that are oftentimes not accepted in environments where you play, learn, socialize, and work. Here, our Autistic-affirming clinicians welcome and value your way of being human, while validating and helping you to develop solutions for any challenges and goals you identify.
Are you exhausted from masking? Maybe you feel the need to monitor your facial expressions, gestures, and word choice; to engage in conversations and social situations that don’t resonate with you; or to suppress stimming or hide your interests. Maybe you have even felt the need to mask with your therapist? Not here. We can offer you a safe space to show up more authentically.
Would you like to incorporate your interests into the therapy process?
Or maybe you are seeking a therapist who can support you as a non-speaking person or accommodate you during non-speaking days or moments?
Do you need someone to process internalized ableism or shame with? Autistic-specific trauma? Or someone who can help you avoid or recover from experiences of overwhelm and burnout?
Start Therapy With an AuDHD (Autistic and ADHD) Clinician in North Carolina Today!
We recognize the power of representation and healing in shared community, including with your provider. If you are seeking an Autistic/ADHD (aka AuDHD) clinician, reach out to schedule your free 20-minute consult with Jennifer! Jennifer Perry Newman, LCSWA, (she/her) is a neuroaffirming, AuDHD clinician who works primarily with Autistic clients ages 6 and older. Jennifer is client-centered, strengths-based, and LGBTQIA+ affirming. She supports clients in exploring Autistic identity, understanding how they experience the world, processing trauma and anxiety, addressing unmet needs, and navigating life and relationships. Her approach is nurturing yet empowerment-focused, sensory-sensitive, somatic-oriented, and IFS-informed. As an Autistic-centered clinician, Jennifer often incorporates client interests into the therapy process.
If you would like to connect with Jennifer directly, she can be reached at jennifer@beboldpsychnc.com, or you can learn more about Jennifer here!
ADHD-Affirming Therapy in North Carolina
Have you recently received an ADHD diagnosis or suspect you may have ADHD/be an ADHDer?
Are you a tangential and interest-based thinker?
Maybe you find it difficult to start tasks that are not of interest to you, or you experience feelings of overwhelm when a task has many steps and will require sustained focus. Maybe you feel able to complete tasks with imposed deadlines at the last minute and would like support in creating smaller, more doable steps to reduce stress and anxiety.
Could you benefit from solutions to support organization, retention of information, tackling “doom piles,” household tasks, caring for yourself, or school and workplace demands?
Do you learn, listen, and/or work best when you reduce external distractions? Or maybe you thrive when you are able to move or fidget, or do a secondary activity to support sustained focus, such as doodling?
Our clinicians can help. Using a variety of strengths-based approaches tailored to your preferences and needs, we can help you leverage your ADHD strengths to develop solutions for challenges and goals you identify.
Through individual and group therapy approaches and collaboration with other ADHD-affirming professionals, we will work together to create neurodivergent-affirming strategies and plans to lessen feelings of anxiety, overwhelm, and shame. We will work together in empowering you to achieve your goals and create a life more aligned with how your brain works and thrives.
Our team of neurodivergent-affirming therapists will incorporate approaches that work for you, which may include solution-focused, trauma-focused, and somatic-oriented therapies; parts work; and sensory-sensitive, mindfulness-based practices.
Reach out today, and request a free 20-minute consult with one of our neurodivergent-affirming therapists in North Carolina, and see if we are the right fit for you!
Self-Schedule Your Free New Client Consult Now!
Neurodivergent-Affirming Therapy for Autistic, ADHD, and Mixed-Neurotype Couples in North Carolina
We know that Autistic, ADHD, and mixed-neurotype couples may have unique needs in seeking relationship support, including competing sensory needs, communication styles, and ways of processing and regulating emotions. We have several clinicians who feel confident in supporting and affirming neurodivergent and mixed-neurotype couples.
Reach out today and ask for a free consult with Jennifer or Shantell!
What Does It Mean to be a Neurodivergent-Affirming Clinician At Be BOLD?
Our neuroaffirming clinicians strive to be culturally humble, especially when interacting and supporting folks with neurotypes that may be different from our own. We may mess up, and if or when we do, we are committed to acknowledging it and engaging in education and repair. We also welcome corrective feedback.
As a neurodivergent-affirming practice, we are explicitly anti-ABA (applied behavioral analysis).
We are vehemently against applied behavioral analysis (ABA) or any practices that compel or train Autistic people to perform as neurotypical. The Autistic community has long advocated against ABA and identified its practices as abusive and harmful. Studies demonstrate an 86% increased rate of PTSD symptoms in Autistic individuals who have been involved in ABA, compared to those who have not been involved in ABA. For more information as to why no provider at Be BOLD will utilize ABA-based or informed practices, check out this resource.
Statement on intersectionality:
Our neurodivergent and allied clinicians recognize that neurodivergent individuals experience additional layers of oppression and trauma due to intersecting identities such as race, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, and gender, as well as multiple forms of neurodivergence, size, physical disabilities, chronic illnesses, and mental health conditions.
We also recognize that BI&POC experience disparities in identification/diagnosis and access to neuroaffirming supports. Our clinicians work to acknowledge our individual points of privilege, seek education and training from individuals with multiple intersecting identities, welcome corrective feedback, and offer repair if we miss the mark.
Begin Neurodivergent-Affirming Therapy in North Carolina Today
Let our neurodivergent-affirming therapists provide the space for you to explore all of your intersecting identities and empower you to live your boldest, most authentic life. To start receiving our neuro-affirming, inclusive services, follow these steps:
- Send an email to info@beboldpsychnc.com or submit a request for a free 20-minute consultation here!
- Or, reach out via our Contact Page!
- Schedule your first appointment with a neurodivergent-affirming therapist in North Carolina!
- Receive the neuro-affirming support you deserve!
Other Counseling Services we Offer in Chapel Hill & Throughout North Carolina
Our mental health services support all people, races, abilities, sizes, religious beliefs, and spiritual backgrounds.
Our compassionate therapists offer inclusive individual, couples, and group therapy for LGBTQIA+ folx, BIPOC clients, and neurodivergent clients. We offer mental health services for clients in North Carolina, including trauma therapy and PTSD treatment, anxiety therapy, and grief counseling, in addition to therapy for depression, life transitions, and identity-based traumatic stress.
You can receive support from anywhere in North Carolina with online therapy. Likewise, clinicians offer walk-and-talk therapy in Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill and oftentimes provide therapy for UNC students, Duke students, and NC State students.
Begin neuroaffirming online therapy in North Carolina today with a free 20-minute consult! We can’t wait to meet you!
