Neurodivergence-Focused Peer Support

What is peer support?

Peer support is a modality of care, primarily defined by people using their own lived experience to offer support and build mutually beneficial relationships with others who have similar lived experience. There are different types of peer support, but they generally aim to bring together people with shared experiences to provide a space where you feel accepted and understood. Here is more about what peer specialists do.
I provide private-pay peer support on a sliding fee scale for neurodivergent individuals who are working on post-trauma growth and other self-inquiry and personal development practices. (Scroll down to find several links of interest, videos, and other resources for self-education). 

I also provide professional education in Neurodivergence-Affirming Care for healthcare providers, teachers, counselors, support workers, families and communities, and any other group who wants to learn more about topics related to embracing neurodiversity in order to better understand the neurodivergent experience and be able to offer better care and support for patients, clients, family members, etc.

The majority of my private practice clients are adult women who have had a late in life diagnosis of autism and/or ADHD, many of whom have experienced significant trauma. I also work with:
  • Those who self-identify as neurodivergent without a formal diagnosis
  • Those who identify as a highly sensitive person
  • Those who have sensory processing challenges and environmental sensitivities
  • Those with a history of developmental trauma or difficult circumstances
  • Those who live with chronic pain conditions, complex chronic illnesses, or psychiatric diagnoses such as autoimmune conditions, hypermobility spectrum disorders, connective tissue disorders, POTS, allergy-based conditions such as MCAS, fibromyalgia, PTSD, bipolar disorder, etc (if this applies to you or your close family members, here is another rabbit hole you might want to explore: RCCX Theory) 
  • Those who feel like they just don't fit in
  • Those who identify as introverted or empathic

Honoring Lived Experience

My approach honors you as the expert of your own life and values your wisdom and experiences. ​While working together, we might touch on topics such as personal goals, working with sensory challenges, maintaining boundaries, restorative practices, energetics and how we process experiences, and just generally navigating the world as a person with highly sensitive neuroception.  

Sessions may include: 
  • ​​Opportunities to be heard
  • Honoring your lived experience, personal goals, & challenges in a space without judgment or advice-giving
  • Non-clinical emotional support and resiliency support
  • Sharing resources & information
  • Self-advocacy support and community building
  • Encouragement towards your goals
  • Validation of women's autistic / neurodivergent experiences
Please note that sessions are not a substitute for care provided by a licensed professional. Sessions are available by appointment only. On-call support and crisis support is not available. 

My Story

I was formally diagnosed as autistic when I was 39 years old. I was later formally diagnosed with ADHD (combined type) as well. All of a sudden, my entire life started to make sense. Since childhood, I have struggled with severe sensory processing challenges, countless environmental sensitivities, migraines and chronic pain, extremely draining "social hangovers," the need for a lot of alone time, difficulties in social situations, extreme chemical sensitivities, and always feeling like I was out of place. I always knew I was "wired" differently than most people, that I did not enjoy things most people enjoyed, and that I had to put incredible effort into so many things that seemed to come easily for others. Through this process, I was also led to discover that I have a genetic connective tissue disorder and a mast cell disorder, which are more common among neurodivergent individuals. That finally explained the decades of chronic pain that nobody could seem to figure out and the random, inconsistent, allergy-like reactions I have experienced for years (all of which included decades of medical gaslighting). 

Upon learning all of this, I was flooded with aha moments and self-compassion. I grieved my lost childhood and was sad and angry about experiencing almost 4 decades of missed opportunities, the lack of support, the fact that nobody seemed to notice how much I was struggling enough to take action, and the hardships I experienced. Through this process, I was also able to see myself as someone who has persevered through unimaginable difficulties, severe abuse, extensive developmental trauma, having no disability accommodations, and many other challenges. 

I realized that even with all that extreme hardship, my heart has stayed soft and open with a desire to help alleviate the suffering of others. I completed incredibly challenging college degrees, including a masters degree, Summa Cum Laude, and took national board exams with no accommodations. That is something I'm ultimately proud of, but also incredibly sorrowful about. The costs were so high and impacted my well-being so negatively. There is deep grief in knowing that I would not have had to suffer and sacrifice so much if I had only known and had accommodations. But, I am resilient if nothing else. It is in my nature to get back up, create a new way, and keep going in whatever way I can after cycles of extreme autistic burnout (more here). 

Talk about a new appreciation for myself! The underlying sense of misalignment with the world that I had carried deep inside for decades began to dissipate with this new knowledge and perspective. I started seeing myself as the whole, beautifully sensitive, incredibly valuable, neurodivergent individual I am - someone who sees what others don't see, someone who has an immense sense of resourcefulness after so much lived experience with constantly needing to creatively overcome obstacles. Through this deeper level of self-knowledge, I have been able to hone in on my self-care needs and to start advocating for myself much more effectively. I continue to learn to honor my disabilities and dismantle my internalized ableism. Most of all, I found my people! 

I am always honored to share lived experiences and to offer support and encouragement to others who have come through similar, difficult circumstances. I offer support and education for those who are seeking a non-clinical listening ear - those who are craving being seen, heard, and accepted exactly as they are, those who need help with more fully understanding their own support needs, and those who want support with advocacy around educating schools, workplaces, etc. 

I have provided peer support professionally since 2017. In addition to challenges around neurodivergence, I also have lived experience in the following areas and offer peer support for general mental health, PTSD, suicidality, survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and sex trafficking, challenges around experiencing unusual sensory perceptions, and other related concerns.        

Like many other women who go decades without a diagnosis, validation, or support, life has presented many challenges. The intention of my work is to provide support and education for others who experience similar challenges and to give people a glimpse into the world of highly sensitive neuroception - the immense depth and beauty as well as the difficulties related to social disabilities and living in a world that is often less than welcoming (and actually often predatory) for those of us who are wired differently.
Here are the slides from a talk on embracing neurodiversity, understanding communication differences, and how sensory processing disorders lead to the trauma response in the nervous system. 
Here are the slides from a mini-course for bodyworkers on introducing Polyvagal Theory. 

More Resources of Interest