Couples Therapy for Neurodivergent Couples
Truly neurodivergent affirming couples therapy is rare and hard to find, as most therapy research and theories are not designed for this population. Research shows that neurotypical couples therapy can be harmful to neurodiverse couples, sometimes more than receiving no therapy at all, and most of my clients who previously sought out couples therapy with other providers report having this experience.
I help couples learn each of their unique neurodivergent profiles and what it means for them. I assist couples in recognizing their unique strengths and how to design a life that capitalizes on those. Whether neurodivergent couples are presenting wanting to work on communication, conflict resolution, their sex life, division of labor in the household, adjusting to life transitions, etc, coming at it from a very open-minded, outside-the-box style is usually the key to progress. A lot of neurodivergent couples struggle or have conflicts partly due to misunderstandings from ableist messages they’ve received from society or neurotypical assumptions about how best to proceed. A lot of skills and techniques neurodivergent couples have learned might actually be the opposite of what will work best for them. I help couples figure out strategies tailored to them and their particular neurodivergent profile.
I offer couples to see me individually for therapy too, if they’re interested. This can provide a fuller picture and potentially accelerate progress.