Ruth provides Neurodiversity-Affirming Psychotherapy to autistic/neurodivergent adults, and to parents and kids where one or both are neurodivergent. She also provides training, consultation and clinical supervision, on neurodiversity-affirming clinical and educational practices.
Neurodiversity-Affirming Psychotherapy (NAP) (Strunz, 2024) is an umbrella term, referring to the therapist’s awareness of the sensory, communication and executive functioning needs of their neurodivergent client, and the adaptations they intentionally make to their “usual” way of working - thereby ensuring that mental health support is accessible to autistic/neurodivergent individuals at every age. Mainstream therapeutic approaches to assessing and meeting the mental health needs of autistic/neurodivergent individuals tend to be behaviourally based, particularly (but not exclusively) in childhood; behavioural modification is regularly misnomered as psychotherapy, often with painful, long-term outcomes for autistic/neurodivergent individuals and their loved ones.
The following services are provided:
- Neurodiversity-Affirming Psychotherapy - all ages
- Neurodiversity-Affirming Play Therapy - ages 2-14
- Parent Support and Learning
- Group Training - clinicians and educators
- Clinical Supervision - individual and group
- Consultation - public and private schools, clinics, service providers.