You had to learn to adapt at an early age
You remember feeling slightly out of step or different from your peers as a kid or teen. Social situations took more energy than they seemed to for other people, and you learned to watch how your peers acted so you could try to fit in. Certain environments left you overwhelmed, and you didn't know why. It often felt like everyone else had received instructions for life that you somehow missed.
Looking back, you can see how much effort it took to get through school, daily life, and eventually your career. And since it's likely the adults around you didn't recognize your neurodivergence, you may not have received a diagnosis or the support you needed until much later in life.
For many late-diagnosed people, finally having language for these experiences brings relief alongside grief and a completely new understanding of themselves. Neurodivergent therapy gives you room to process what that understanding means and find holistic support that works with the way your brain is wired.
Neurodivergent therapy isn't about learning to be neurotypical
You've spent enough of your life adapting yourself to other people's expectations.
Together, we can explore what helps you regulate, where your energy goes, what contributes to overwhelm, and which expectations no longer make sense for you to keep trying to meet.
This might mean learning to recognize your needs before you're completely exhausted or shut down, or questioning rules you've followed for years about productivity, relationships, or what it means to be a "good" person. It can also mean figuring out which patterns are connected to trauma and which are simply part of how you're wired.
You want something different from talk therapy
You may have been in therapy before and developed plenty of insight into why you do what you do, but still find yourself overwhelmed, disconnected, stuck, or exhausted by how much effort daily life takes.
For many neurodivergent adults, understanding something intellectually is only one piece of the puzzle. That's why I bring in brain and body-based approaches, including polyvagal and somatic therapy, parts work and IFS, EMDR, and Brainspotting.
Somatic and polyvagal-informed therapy can help us understand how overwhelm shows up in your body and nervous system. Parts work offers a way to explore how you've learned to cope and protect yourself. EMDR and Brainspotting help you process past experiences that affect your daily life and relationships.
The goal isn't just to understand yourself better. It's to create changes that make life feel more manageable and sustainable.
Neuro-affirming therapy for the whole you
Being neurodivergent is only one part of who you are. Your experiences are also shaped by your identity, relationships, history, culture, and the environments you move through.
For many neurodivergent people, years of masking and feeling misunderstood become intertwined with anxiety, perfectionism, people-pleasing, trauma, and disconnection from themselves.
Some sessions may focus on processing painful experiences. In others, we might explore why a particular situation leaves you depleted, how to recognize overwhelm earlier, or which changes would better support how you move through the world. I'll tailor therapy to your needs rather than trying to fit you into a particular approach.
Grief that comes with a late diagnosis
Realizing later in life that you're ADHD, autistic, or otherwise neurodivergent can bring a lot to the surface. You may feel relieved to finally understand your experiences. But there can also be anger and grief over the years you didn't have support, felt misunderstood, or believed you were lazy or failing when you were actually overwhelmed.
Therapy is a place to make sense of what this understanding means for your life now. You won't be pushed towards acceptance or towards turning your diagnosis into something to overcome. Together, we'll make room for the relief, grief, and questions that come with seeing yourself and your life in a new way.
Why I do this work
As a late-identified neurodivergent adult myself, I know what it's like to go through life feeling like you didn't get the same instructions as everyone else. My own path has involved coming to understand my neurodivergent brain and body, healing from burnout, and learning how to get through daily life without abandoning my needs.
My approach is trauma-informed and neurodivergent-affirming. We'll explore the patterns shaped by your experiences without treating your neurodivergence as something that needs to be fixed.
Is neurodivergent therapy right for me?
This type of therapy may be a good fit if you're:
- Exploring an ADHD or autism diagnosis later in life
- Spending a lot of energy masking or trying to keep up
- Facing anxiety, depression, chronic exhaustion, or burnout
- Trying to separate trauma responses from your neurodivergent traits
- Reconsidering your identity after a late diagnosis
- Tired of blaming yourself for things that may require more support or accommodation
- Looking for neuro-affirming therapy that goes beyond traditional talk therapy
You don't have to keep trying to become the person you thought you were supposed to be. I offer neurodivergent therapy in person in Asheville and online throughout North Carolina. Schedule a free 15-minute consultation to see if we're a good fit. I'd love to hear from you!
