Neurodivergent-Affirming Care

The healthcare industry has, historically, treated neurodivergence (ND) with a “deficit” model. This means that behaviors and characteristics that were not seen as neurotypical (NT) were often treated as disorders or limitations.

We at Forward Wellness Counseling understand that neurodivergence can be a superpower. We believe our neurological differences are NORMAL and not pathological. We also acknowledge that normal divergence in a world made for neurotypicals creates hardships and disabilities by design.

At FW we support individuals who are neurodivergent and diagnosed (or exploring diagnosis) later in life with Autism, ADHD, and OCD. We support families and individuals navigating difficulties with communication, emotional regulation, sensory overwhelm, social anxiety (or discomfort), and other executive functioning challenges. We support by working with you to understand your brain and how you think… then working with you to find (or unmask) your authentic self.

Often individuals diagnosed late in life will talk about a repeating cycle of relief, anger, and imposter syndrome. We are here for you wherever you are on your journey.

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Forward Wellness Can Help:

Did you know that Temple Grandin talks about autistic brains as having different operating systems and neural pathways? Here is what she says:

"All minds of the autism spectrum are detail-oriented, but how they specialize varies. By questioning many people both on and off the spectrum, I have learned that there are three different types of specialized thinking:

Visual thinking - Thinking in Pictures
Music and Math thinking
Verbal logic thinking"

We are here to explore with you, YOUR individual, internal experiences of neurodivergence- rather than just checking a box of behavioral symptoms (that historically exclude fem and BIPOC individuals).

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HELPFUL ORGANIZATIONS & WEBSITES

ADDitude: Inside the ADHD Mind

ASAN (organization)

TASH (organization)

The Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism

Helpful Articles

Autism While Black

"Meet the people being left out"

Not Autistic Enough

Where is the Research

What does it mean to be neurodivergent - barriers to diagnosis, masking, and more