THERAPY FOR ADHD & NEURODIVERGENCE IN Vancouver, & online in BC.
BRAINS ARE AS UNIQUE AS FINGERPRINTS AND NEURODIVERGENCE IS THE NORM
This is what I’ve learned from neuroscience nerd and creator of the STAIR framework Julianne Taylor Shore. While my personal and professional experience tells me this is true, we also know that our systems are set up in ways that make it harder for some brains to function in this world and easier for others. For example, wouldn’t it be nice if we weren’t in late-stage capitalism? If we each had enough time to breathe and process? And if people would just say what they mean?
Unfortunately, this is the world we are in. One where things move quickly and are often overstimulating, where the price of eggs is… bonkers, and where rest is treated as a luxury and not a necessity. While therapy is not an efficient way to change these systems, it can help those of us who are neurodivergent figure out creative ways to navigate this reality, process hurts we have gained along the way, and relieve some of the pressure we put on ourselves that contributes to it being so hard.
Feel FAMILIAR?
It seems like everyone else is managing and you’re drowning
you either feel everything, or you feel nothing.
You wish you didn’t worry so much about social situations
You HopE you can feel more relaxed and less burned out
Here’s what we’ll do together
THERAPY for ADHD & Neurodivergence CAN HELP YOU process difficult experiences in the way YOUR BRAIN knows best.
I promise you won’t hear, “but you have so much self awareness… why are you still struggling?”
Many of my neurodivergent clients who have been to therapy before have been asked that question. And it really highlights how often therapy focuses on insight. But my experience with queer and neurodivergent clients is that lack of insight is rarely the problem. I’ll often say to people, “If you could have thought your way out of this, you would have by now”. And I mean it, because most people who come to me could write a 10 page paper or wax eloquently for 20 minutes about their thoughts and reflections regarding their current problems.
This issue I find here is that typically the part of the brain causing the present day difficulties is not the part we have conscious access to. So thinking about it more will not actually lead to a satisfying resolution.
The solution here is to work with the structures of the brain below the conscious awareness. STAIR and DBR are both designed to do this and work well for people with varying degrees of access to their bodies (a common limitation in this type of brain-changing therapy). What this means is that lasting change to some of your most persistent internal problems is possible.
YOU’RE READY TO WORK WITH YOUR BRAIN INSTEAD OF AGAINST IT.
THERAPY FOR NEURODIVERGENT HUMANS CAN HELP YOU:
Navigate big and overwhelming feelings
If there was one phrase I could take out of the common mental health lexicon, it would be “feel your feelings”. I know, weird for a therapist to say. It’s not because I don’t think we should, but because too often that phrase comes with a belief that making the feelings bigger or diving into and rolling around in them is the only way “get through them”. This is a misunderstanding of emotional regulation. I can help you “be with your feelings” so they are not alone and you can breathe better.
01
Be less anxious about social situations
May neurodivergent people come by this honestly. If you experienced bullying, frequent rejection or feeling alone and misunderstood, it makes a lot of sense to feel anxious about social situations. You brain is trying to prevent you from being hurt again. Smart. But it’s possible your situation has changed, and your whole brain doesn’t know that yet.
02
Process difficult/ traumatic experiences.
Neurodivergent brains process the word and inner experiences differently than neurotypical brains. This means that the healing path for a neurotypical person looks different than a neurodivergent person. If you’ve tried therapy before and it hasn’t helped, this could be a missing piece. I will offer you lots of options, and together we will figure out how your brain best processes difficult/ traumatic experiences.
03
Feel less overstimulated.
If you have a neurodivergent brain you might also have a sensitive nervous system. Sounds, and lights, and scents and people, all of these things can contribute to nervous system load. We can work together to find ways to help you identify sensory overload and strategies to incorporate more sensory rest into your life.
04
Easier is possible.
I’LL HELP YOU GET THERE.
FAQs
COMMON QUESTIONS
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No. Our work together will focus on goals you identify. We’ll look at the internal and external forces that are barriers to these goals. We’ll work together to process stuck places, create strategic adaptations, and grieve what cannot be changed.
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Yes. One of the most frustrating things about personal growth is understanding, but not being able to change something. This is likely because what’s causing the problem is sitting lower in your brain that your conscious awareness. I can help you make shifts here.
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Therapy can address challenges of all sizes. Things that feel small but are persistent, often have big impacts over time. And honestly, if you’re spending your time looking through counselling websites, it’s likely serious enough.
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Yes. A lot of what’s called experiential therapy (therapy that supports brain-based changes in the moment) relies on accessing emotion-related sensations in the body. However, parts work and DBR do not require this in order to be effective.
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Yes, absolutely. Eye contact is not required. Parts work using a sand tray often works well to give us a place to focus, and in DBR eyes are often looking softly down or closed. We’ll work together to figure out what works best for you.