Therapy as a support strategy

A LOT of neurodivergent people struggle with anxiety and depression (in addition to a swath of other things), and therapy can be an incredible tool to help us cope...

But the TYPE of therapy can be what makes it work (or not) for many of us because we each have a unique mix of challenges (and in many cases, a unique brand of cPTSD). And this can cause some types of therapy to work better than others (and even be harmful for some of us)

With that said, here are 5 types of therapies that are considered particularly helpful for ND people...

- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)

- Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)

- Acceptance & commitment therapy (ACT)

- Trauma-informed therapy

- Neurodiversity-affirming therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) – Focuses on changing unhelpful thought patterns (e.g. negative self-talk) and is often used to address anxiety and depression. This does sometimes cause ND people to feel invalidated, so it’s not going to work for everyone.

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) – Focuses on self-acceptance while also addressing things a person wants to change (e.g. many ND people want to work on their rejection sensitivity).

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) – Focuses on self-acceptance rather than changing a person and emphasizes things that matter to the person (value-based living).

Trauma-informed therapy – Focuses on validating neurodivergent experiences while addressing past trauma.

Neurodiversity-affirming therapy – Similar to ACT, focuses on self-acceptance but takes it a step further and seeks to empower a person to advocate for themselves. (This can be integrated into most other therapies.)

I've been talking a lot about how anxiety medication can help alleviate anxiety related to autistic challenges, but doesn't necessarily address the underlying issues... therapy is one way to figure out the root cause of autistic challenges to address them...

And on a personal note, I would even say that therapy saved my life as an autistic person. (But finding the right therapist was pivotal for me).

I hope this helps some of you.