Has anyone had or considered a therapist who specializes in autism?

darkcloak_dragon

Do you think a specialization in autism made a difference for you relative to a regular therapist?

Amity

Yes, post pandemic I have seen an Autistic counsellor online/video, and yes it made a significant difference... I made progress from the start, they spoke and understood the language of Autism, no translations needed by me.

Eg Me "I jump and sometimes shout when the quiet is suddenly broken with a noise, I feel silly when I do this to my partner, as they also get a fright from my reaction"

Autistic-Them "Yes, you mentioned your noise sensitivity, this can be quite normal, have you spoken with your partner about it?"

Me "We have, but they were absorbed in thinking about their special interest, as was I, they didnt notice me until I jumped and shouted, usually we try to give eachother a heads up"

Autistic-Them "It sounds like a normal reaction for both of you, given that your focus was elsewhere"

Eg Me "I jump and sometimes shout when the quiet is suddenly broken with a noise, I feel silly when I do this to my partner, as they also get a fright from my reaction"

Non-Autistic-Them "Yes, you mentioned your noise sensitivity, how anxious were you feeling at the time?"

Me "I wasnt necessarily anxious at that time, I was thinking about gardening and where I could plant my vegtables, prior to the noise I was absorbed in my special interest"

Non-Autistic-Them "Just to clarify, were you relaxed when you had this reaction?"

Me "Yes"

Non-Autistic-Them "Were there any stressful events before this happened?"

These are not the best examples and are super simplistic, but thats what my brain could pull together atm.

The focus is different, to an Autistic person from an Autistic person, speaking about distress due to noise or a change in routine is quite normal. Its not necessarily a sign of PTSD for example.

In the second example the context of the absorption in a special interest has not fully resonated with the counsellor, there could be more diversions off each of the topics I bring up. Its subtle, but accumulatively over a number of sessions it can feel frustrating to spend time educating the person you are paying about ASD, so that they focus on the pertinent issues.

darkcloak_dragon Have you any experiences with this?

Statest16

I have but they are in cities about two hours away not available super close to me

firemonkey

I would consider one, but getting to see one would be a problem;due to my poor sense of direction and difficulty getting to places.

darkcloak_dragon

Amity said:

darkcloak_dragon Have you any experiences with this?

I don't think the therapists I've seen knew much about autism. But it was many years ago when I saw them, and I didn't know I was autistic back then anyways. What I know is that therapy seemed useless for me, and talking to people in psychology was just about as unsatisfying and aggravating as talking to any regular person. But I do wonder if it could be better with a different kind of therapist.

verity

There are counsellor who are themselves autistic, which is different from those that specialise in autism although there is overlap sometimes.

Amity

verity said:

There are counsellor who are themselves autistic, which is different from those that specialise in autism although there is overlap sometimes.

I've been to counsellors who have Autism training, which helped to bridge the gap in communication styles (eg less emphasis on eye contact), but it was a different experience compared to an autistic counsellor, she just "got it" instantly.

For example this UK list of counsellors/therapists will have completed neurodiversity training, some may even be neurodiverse. https://www.counselling-directory.org.uk/service/neurodiversity.html

This is a regional list of neurodiverse therapists/counsellors https://neurodivergenttherapists.com/directory/ 

pangolin

darkcloak_dragon said:

Do you think a specialization in autism made a difference for you relative to a regular therapist?

The most significant difference between an autism-informed/specialised therapist and a conventional therapist that I've observed is that the former has the knowledge and terminology to be able to understand autistic clients more easily. I've been able to discuss concepts such as autistic inertia and autistic fatigue/burnout with full understanding, even gaining a better insight of myself than I had previously.

It helps for the therapist to have that additional specialisation so you're able to fully utilise your sessions with them rather than spending that time trying to explain yourself to them. Accessing them is an entirely different matter and you may experience financial barriers due to their additional training.