Key Points
Considering Sensory Needs: Create a therapeutic environment that accommodates clients’ sensory sensitivities, addressing lighting, sound, and other potential distractions.
Embrace Flexibility: Adapt to clients’ needs regarding punctuality and communication styles, recognizing that rigid scheduling might present barriers.
Foster Open Communication: Encourage open dialogue about neurodiversity from the outset, normalising conversations around individual differences.
Practice Adaptability: Remain flexible in your therapeutic approach, adjusting questions and techniques to suit individual client needs and preferences.
Recognise the Broad Spectrum: Understand that neurodivergence encompasses a vast range of experiences, requiring individualised approaches rather than generalised interventions.
Summary
Neurodivergent-Affirming Practice in Therapy
Neurodivergent-affirming practice involves creating a therapeutic environment that respects and accommodates the diverse needs of neurodivergent clients. This encompasses modifying the physical space (lighting, noise levels, smells), adjusting expectations around punctuality and communication, and adapting therapeutic approaches to better suit individual needs. The speakers highlight the importance of not pathologizing differences. Lateness or atypical communication styles shouldn’t automatically be interpreted as resistance; rather, they might reflect valid needs or challenges related to neurodiversity.
The Importance of Open Communication
Openly sharing one’s own neurodivergence can significantly benefit the therapeutic process. By openly identifying as neurodivergent, therapists create a safe space for clients to share their experiences. This openness can undo some of the shame often associated with neurodivergence. The speakers discuss how they’ve found that openly sharing their own neurodiversity has positively impacted their client relationships, leading to deeper connections and more effective therapy.
Adaptability and Flexibility
The speakers emphasize that neurodivergent-affirming practice demands adaptability and flexibility. Standard therapeutic techniques may not always be suitable for all neurodivergent clients. It is crucial to recognize the importance of tailoring approaches to meet the unique needs of each individual. This might involve adapting questioning techniques, modifying sensory elements of the session, or finding alternative ways to access parts in IFS therapy.
Addressing Misconceptions and Assumptions
It’s crucial to avoid making assumptions about a client’s needs based on their neurodivergent diagnosis. For example, an autistic client may not experience sensory sensitivities in the same way as another autistic client. This also involves acknowledging that what may appear to be psychological challenges might actually be physical manifestations of their neurodiversity. The therapists also encourage the understanding that there is a range of awareness from those who have little to no understanding of neurodiversity to those who are more versed. They emphasize the importance of tailoring your approach to each individual’s level of awareness.
Ongoing Invitation and Openness
A neurodivergent-affirming practice involves an ongoing invitation to clients to discuss and adjust the therapeutic space to best meet their needs. It involves continuously checking in with them about what might make them more comfortable or improve their ability to access the therapeutic process. This repeated check-in is essential not only because needs can change over time but also because the therapeutic process itself can help clients to understand and trust in their needs being met.
