Skills Based Therapy for Adults with Autism and ADHD
Therapy that gives you tools, systems, and guidance
(not just more processing.)
Whether you’re newly diagnosed, self-diagnosed, late-identified, or have known about your autism for a long time, you deserve therapy that actually helps you function better in daily life, not just talk about feelings without direction. I offer skills-based, neurodiversity-affirming therapy designed to help autistic adults stop masking, reduce burnout, and build a life that actually fits you
you might be wondering…
“What do I do with this diagnosis now that I have it?”
“How do I unlearn all the ways I’ve masked or people-pleased?”
“What would it look like to actually live as myself?”
“How do I ask for what I need without shame?”
“I’ve always been too much (or not enough). I want to make peace with that.”
What does “Skills-Based Therapy” Mean?
Too many therapy settings center open-ended processing or just talking about feelings, which isn’t always useful, especially if you’re someone who already thinks deeply about your experiences.
My approach is different. In skills-based therapy, we focus on learning and applying real, practical tools that help you:
✔ Manage executive functioning challenges (planning, initiating, follow-through)
✔ Build routines and systems that work with your brain, not against it
✔ Regulate emotions in ways that make sense for you
✔ Communicate clearly, set boundaries, and navigate relationships
✔ Cope when plans change, expectations shift, or overwhelm hits
✔ Create your own “life handbook” of strategies that actually work
Why This Approach Works
Traditional therapy often focuses on analyzing problems. Skills-based therapy focuses on solving them — with practical strategies, not endless conversation loops.
A lot of autistic adults:
are internal processors,
already understand their patterns,
and don’t need more reflection without direction.
You need clarity and application, and that’s exactly what this work delivers.
Therapy
WHO I WORK WITH
✔ 18 and older
✔ Self-identified or professionally diagnosed
✔ Late-identified or newly questioning their neurotype
✔ Tired of masking, overwhelm, or performance-based survival
✔ Looking for practical support, not emotional excavation
✔ Ready to build skills that improve daily functioning and confidence
Aetna, BCBS, Carelon, and Quest Behavioral Health insurances are accepted in North Carolina.
It makes sense that you adapted to survive.
Masking kept you safe. Unmasking can help you heal.
What we can focus on
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Explore what it means to finally have a name for your lifelong experiences, without shame, guilt, or judgment.
Receiving an autism or ADHD diagnosis in adulthood can feel like a relief, a grief, and a revelation all at once. In therapy, we make space for all of that.
Deconstruct internalized ableism and myths you may have absorbed about autism
Grieve lost time or misdiagnoses with compassion, not self-blame
Talk openly about what this new lens shifts in your self-concept, relationships, or identity
Find words and frameworks that help you feel seen
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Identify what’s truly you vs. what you’ve done to survive in neurotypical spaces. Practice slowly dropping the mask in safe, intentional ways.
Unmasking is not about ripping everything away at once. It’s about curiosity, choice, and liberation.
Explore the coping strategies you've used to fit in, stay safe, or succeed
Notice how masking affects your energy, emotions, and identity
Learn to recognize when you’re masking without judgment
Practice showing more of your authentic self—bit by bit, in spaces that feel safe
Make space for play, creativity, and connection outside of performance
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Make sense of your history, especially the parts shaped by being misunderstood, dismissed, or praised for your ability to "pass."
When you've spent a lifetime trying to be "normal," burnout can feel inevitable—but it’s not the end of your story.
Understand autistic burnout and how it differs from other types of exhaustion
Explore how people-pleasing, perfectionism, or dissociation may have helped you cope
Process the pain of being overlooked, misdiagnosed, or pathologized
Untangle your worth from your productivity or ability to perform
Rebuild your sense of self from a place of truth, not adaptation
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Learn tools for planning, scheduling, prioritizing, and task initiation that actually fit your brain’s processing style. We’ll explore ways to build routines without shame or self-criticism. Systems you can rely on instead of fight against.
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Many autistic adults experience executive functioning challenges that look like procrastination, burnout, or inconsistency. Together, we’ll unpack what’s really happening and build strategies that help you get stuff done in ways that respect your nervous system.
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Instead of vague encouragement to “feel your feelings,” we work on concrete, accessible ways to recognize emotions (even when they’re delayed or confusing) and respond in ways that calm your nervous system instead of overwhelming it.
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Social norms can feel like unwritten rules that never made sense. I teach communication strategies, boundary language, and scripts for real-world situations. This way you can navigate relationships (work, family, friendships, dating) with clarity instead of guesswork.
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Build a life around your rhythm (not one based on masking or overcompensating). Together, we’ll make space for rest, fun, and connection that feels real.
You don’t have to spend your life chasing “normal.” You get to choose what living authentically looks like.
Celebrate your special interests, sensory joys, and unique perspective
Build community with other neurodivergent people (if that feels good to you)
Practice rest as a radical, necessary part of life
Redefine success on your own terms
Make room for joy that doesn’t require fitting in
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Career changes, relational shifts, moving, navigating expectations — transitions can be overwhelming. I help you break these into manageable steps, build anticipatory coping tools, and design transitions that reduce chaos, not add to it.
This is therapy that turns insights into tools you can use long after you leave your session.
You don’t need to be fixed.
You needs to be understood.
Together, we’ll explore what your brain and body need to feel supported.
FAQ’s
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Not at all. Many of my clients are self-identified or still exploring. You’re welcome here either way.
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I center your internal experience, not just outward behavior. Therapy is collaborative, nonjudgmental, and focused on helping you define a life that fits your unique nervous system and identity.
My work is collaborative, skills-based, and practical. You’ll walk away with tools you can use, not just insights you think about.
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Yes! This can make therapy more accessible, especially for those with sensory sensitivities or mobility concerns.
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It depends. For most folks, I recommend meeting weekly for the first month or so, to get a better idea of what your needs are. That being said, if you know weekly is absolutely too much, I can be flexible.
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You can utilize a credit/debit card as well as HSA and FSA cards! I accept Aetna, Quest Behavioral Health, Carelon, and Blue Cross Blue Shield insurances.
Ready to Build Your Life Handbook?
Therapy can be more than reflection. It can be your life handbook, your toolbox, and your support system. If you want practical, direct help that respects your neurodivergence and helps you function with more clarity, confidence, and ease, let’s talk.