Meet The Clinician

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"I grew up in a small town in middle Tennessee. I have one sister (3 years older) who was diagnosed early as being Autistic, ADHD, Dyslexic, Epileptic, and having an intellectual disability. 

I learned about resources within the community at an early age. I also learned about the challenges that someone like my sister experiences on a daily basis. Her verbal communication was minimal during our childhood so I often translated her needs and wants to my parents. I often observed that she would get mistreated by peers and was commonly misunderstood. I also witnessed several peers, family, and professionals attempt to intervene and/or support my sister in very questioning ways, some even traumatic.

After a series of unfortunate events in early college, I decided to change my major from Biology to Psychology and pursue my desire to learn more about human behavior and the psyche.

I've worked various administrative roles within the mental health field. I've worked as a residential counselor for a group home supporting individuals with severe mental illnesses. I have co-led a psychosocial educational group for a community mental health organization. I've had the privilege to be a personal assistant to an Autistic individual needing support with their independent daily living skills. I've worked on a team of IDD/MH experts and provided consultation, crisis support, and neurodivergent affirming training to individuals and their family members / supports. 

Working with this population has always come natural to me. It also energies me. 

In addition to my work and life experience of being a sibling to a neurodivergent individual, the biggest contribution to my work would be my lived experience. 

After several years of working as a licensed therapist, I found myself not only very understanding of my high masking clients, but I found myself relating to them and their challenges and experiences. Despite my knowledge of how hereditary diverging neurotypes can be, I never thought to question my own experience; although, I always felt 'different' from my peers. 

In 2023, I received my formal diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder, Level 1, Requiring Support, Without accompanying language impairment, Without accompanying intellectual Impairment. Through the completion of this psychological evaluation, I also learned that I was cognitively gifted in processing information very quickly and efficiently. 

This diagnosis is based on the DSM 5 TR, the medical / pathological model, and not the neurodiversity paradigm which acknowledges Autism simply as a neurotype that deviates from the neurotypical or neuronormative mind." 

I am Autistic, not less than. 

I am not inherently disabled because I am Autistic. The environment in which I live in disables me.