Neuro-Affirming Therapy
*Anne-Marie is not accepting new therapy clients at this time.
It is not always easy to ask for help. I understand that it may feel embarrassing, or you may feel like seeking therapy means admitting that you are “defective” in some way. But our survival as humans has been dependent on our ability to give and receive help from others. Everyone, including the rich, the wildly successful, and the geniuses of the world, can benefit from support and guidance in self-understanding and figuring out how to manage life sometimes. In that way we are no different from each other.
The majority of my clients work with me for one of these reasons:
- After learning about their Autistic, ADHD, and/or Gifted neurotype, people work with me to integrate and understand what that means more deeply. From a neuro-affirming perspective we explore how their unidentified neurotype has played a role in their life so far, including the role it has played their life’s challenges. We explore ways to better care for themselves in healthy ways based on their new understanding of what are personal strengths and areas of vulnerability.
- Some clients have had previous therapy but not with the understanding of their brain style. They work with me to understand more about how their neurodivergence has affected their life experiences. Often we find that growing up and living with unidentified Autism and/or ADHD is associated with negative self-talk and psychological distress, including trauma, because of the lack of support and misunderstanding in a world designed for the neuronormative population.
- After learning that a child of theirs is Autistic and/or has ADHD, some clients start seeing similarities between themselves and their children and they want to explore the possibility of their own divergent neurotype. This may include pursuing their own assessment.
- Clients come to therapy because they want help with anxiety, depression, and/or trauma, which do occur more often in people with Autism and/or ADHD. Whether or not they have been in therapy before, neuro-affirming therapy enhances the effectiveness of the process for clients.
Whatever your reason for seeking therapy, my goal is to help you feel seen, heard, and respected in our therapeutic relationship. In terms of technique, I use a combination of psychoeducation (including how biology affects thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and learning), a humanistic, client-centered approach to change and growth, EMDR, parts work, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, somatic awareness, and mindfulness to help you on your journey to health and healing.
I want you to be able to live your best, truest, most unapologetic life, and to feel safe and comfortable in your own skin.
Getting started is easier than you may think. I work exclusively via teletherapy, which allows you to connect with me from the comfort of your own space.
Contact me to schedule a free 20-minute consultation to see if we may be a good fit. I look forward to helping you get your life back.
Therapy Rates & Payment
Therapy sessions are $180 per hour and $220 per 75 minute session. I accept major credit cards, FSA and HSA payments.
I do not accept insurance for a number of reasons
Regarding Insurance
After years of working as a provider taking insurance, I no longer accept insurance for a number of reasons.
First, when a provider bills directly to an insurance company, the provider must prove that the client’s treatment is “medically necessary” by submitting personal information about the client. This information includes itemized lists of symptoms or issues and goals for treatment. This compromises an individual’s right to privacy which is one of my most important values as a treating clinician.
Furthermore, treatment is only considered “medically necessary” when a client’s issues are severe enough (by their definition) to interfere significantly with daily functioning – going to work/school, social interactions, taking care of daily activities such as bathing, eating, etc. ALSO a therapist must provide a diagnosis that the insurance company decides it will cover. My clients are often individuals for whom a serious diagnosis is neither applicable nor necessary. Additionally, many people prefer not to have a recorded history of “mental health” diagnoses.
Lastly, I have found that seeing only self-pay clients also allows me to be a better therapist. I can spend more time seeing clients, going to trainings, reading the latest research, etc. and less time on paperwork and tracking down reimbursement from insurance companies. In the past I found that both of these tasks took significant time away from my practice and were distracting in a way that created resentment and interfered with my ability to remain enthusiastic about my work.
All of this is not to say that insurance is bad – I can attest that having insurance is an important and helpful resource! However, when considering psychotherapy services, investing in an amazing therapist with whom you connect, trust, and feel safe can make a really big difference in terms of your therapeutic outcome. How much is your overall well-being worth?
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Contact me to schedule a free 20-minute consultation
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