What is a Neurodivergent-affirming approach to Therapy?

In my practice, a neurodivergent-affirming approach to therapy involves utilizing a particular framework for therapeutic treatment when working with different types of neurodivergence. This framework is a way for both client and therapist to contextualize a neurodivergent client’s unique experiences and struggles in a way that makes-sense-of and affirms their inherent existential value. At the heart of neurodivergent-affirming care is a collaboration between client and clinician, emphasized by an intention to discover a client’s unique vantage point through which they experience the world. Though this approach, clients can creatively explore the areas of support that they need while building self-trust and creating tools for self-advocacy, resources for regulating the nervous system, building an increased sense of autonomy, receiving accommodations, interpersonal effectiveness matters, distress tolerance, and many more areas of focus as they apply on an individual basis. The neurodivergent-affirming framework, at it's core, is designed to provide client-centered support for navigating the world with more security, safety, accessibility, and empowerment.