Toward Neurodiversity Affirming Practice for Autistic and ADHDer Clients (1.5 CE credits)

Presented by Amara Brook, PhD, LCP Includes 1.5 CE credits for LMFTs, LPCCs, LEPs and LCSWs. In recent years, there has been increasing recognition of the importance of tailoring assessment and therapy to improve their accuracy and effectiveness for marginalized populations. Autistic people and ADHDers often experience mental health conditions like anxiety and/or depression due to the chronic stress and invalidation of living in a world not designed for these neurotypes. Autistic and ADHD neurotypes interact with societal stigma to drive chronic traumatic invalidation and pervasive shame. Autistic people often respond to this invalidation and shame with masking and camouflaging that is reinforced by societal norms and some treatments, and can further contribute to emotion dysregulation and elevated suicide risk. Drawing on both professional and lived experience, Dr. Brook will discuss ways to make your practice more neurodiversity affirming, from initial assessment through interventions, especially modifications to DBT and CBT. About the Presenter Dr. Brook (they/them) is a neurodivergent licensed clinical psychologist in private practice (amarabrookphd.com and sfmindmatters.com) serving clients in California, Colorado, and Florida. Their passion is helping people understand themselves through psychological assessment and reach their goals using Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) tailored to be optimally effective for their neurotype and other dimensions of diversity. They have particular interest in autism and ADHD. They frequently provide training and consultation to other clinicians around the world, helping them understand neurodivergent people and learn how to provide neurodiversity-affirming assessment and therapy. Recently, they were a guest on Charlie Swenson’s “To Hell and Back” DBT podcast discussing autism, neurodiversity, and ways of adapting DBT to help autistic clients reach their life-worth living goals. more info: https://www.scv-camft.org/event-5369753