"Screaming into the void"—this describes the experiences of many neurodivergent clients who come to therapy seeking our support. Often, they have encountered helping professionals who have overlooked, dismissed, or invalidated their unique identities and needs. If you aspire to be the difference but are unsure where to start, The Neuroaffirmative Therapy Handbook: A Practitioner's Guide to Working with Autism and ADHD is an essential resource. Authored by an autistic and ADHD therapist, this guide will explore how you can provide informed and affirming care that’s specifically tailored to your client’s neurodivergent identities. Inside, clinicians will discover: • Insights into the nuances of neurodivergence. • Common barriers to achieving accurate diagnosis. • Detailed information on neurodivergent traits, behaviors, co-occurring conditions, and challenges. • An exploration of how structural ableism contributes to attachment insecurity and heightened exposure to trauma. • Techniques for building rapport and delivering effective psychoeducation. • Strategies to address counterdependence and enhance client engagement. • Methods to identify and alleviate neurodivergent stress responses. • Comprehensive action plans designed to improve executive function and mental flexibility. • Reviews of popular therapeutic modalities, including an introduction to a new approach specifically designed to address complex PTSD. • Essential guidelines on the dos and don’ts of neuroaffirming therapy. • Strategies to help clients cultivate personal growth, find community, and achieve fulfillment. Using The Neuroaffirmative Therapy Handbook, you’ll gain access to a comprehensive suite of tools designed to empower autistic and ADHD clients to lead lives rich with connection, satisfaction, and meaning.

Adult autism assessment is a new and fast-growing clinical area, for which professionals often feel ill-equipped. Autistic adults are often misdiagnosed which has enormous implications for their mental health. This accessible and comprehensive adult autism assessment handbook covers the most up to date research and best practice around adult autism assessment, centering the person's internal experiences and sense-making in clinical assessment, rather than subjective observation, thus providing the clinician with a truly paradigm shifting Neuro-Affirmative approach to autism assessment. Traditional clinical assessment tools are comprehensively explored and unpacked to enable the clinician to have full confidence in aligning traditional criteria to the Autistic person's subjective experiences. Full of additional resources like language guidelines and an exploration of the common intersections between Autistic experience and the effects of trauma, mental health and more, this book supplies a breadth of knowledge on key areas that affect Autistic adults in everyday life. The mixed team of neurotypical and neurodivergent authors describe lived experience of Autistic adults, a how-to for conducting Neuro-Affirmative assessments and post-assessment support, alongside reflections from practice. This book also has a directory of further resources including downloadable forms that you can use to prepare for your own assessments and a downloadable deep dive into Autistic perception. This guide will also support professionals through every step of the assessment process.

This inclusive and comprehensive manual equips marriage and family therapists with the skills to identify, support, and provide Brain-Informed Care to neurodiverse couples. Written from Murgado-Willard's unique perspective as a neurodivergent couple therapist, this book addresses a knowledge gap in the couple counseling field and helps therapists develop and maintain an ethical standard of care for neurodiverse couples. The text also introduces a new style of couple therapy for use in private practice settings: Brain-Informed Neurodiverse Couple Therapy (BINCT). Chapters begin by providing some historical context of neurodiversity before offering invaluable training on best practices, assessment, treatment planning, and using non-ableist, practical interventions for this population. Case studies that present a variety of sexual identities are featured throughout as well as a glossary of key terms and checklists that therapists can use immediately in their practice. This book aims to implement a paradigm shift in the field and is essential reading for therapy students. It is invaluable reading for practicing therapists that did not receive training on working with neurodiverse clients.

From the playgrounds of our youth to the professional realms of our adult lives, autistics and ADHDers must navigate a world ill-suited to our unique needs—often without support. Written by a neurodivergent therapist, Neurodivergent Game Plan: Cheat Codes for Empowered Living offers a compassionate exploration of the neurodivergent experience from the inside out. Drawing on lived experience, rigorous research, and clinical insights, the book delves into the impact of structural ableism on neurodivergent experiences of attachment and trauma. It provides evidence-based approaches for addressing executive dysfunction and improving mental flexibility, while offering practical advice on managing neurodivergent needs and finding support. Within its pages, you will learn how to: • Identify often-overlooked autistic and ADHD traits. • Understand common co-occurring challenges. • Recognize symptoms of complex post-traumatic stress disorder. • Develop robust strategies for managing stress. • Construct a tailored plan for sensory, executive, and social self-care. • Refine organizational skills for peak efficiency. • Maximize the benefits of therapy. • Discover and leverage latent strengths. • Engage with the community. • Create a roadmap for career satisfaction. • Thrive in the face of ableism. Whether you’re new to your neurodivergent identity or further along in your journey, Neurodivergent Game Plan is an opportunity to deepen your self-knowledge and explore new ways to flourish.