What is Neuro-divergent Affirming Therapy?
Neurodiversity: all brains have differences.
Neurodivergent: a brain that diverges from the expected ways a brain develops and functions. Neurodivergent people range from those of us living with Anxiety, Depression, Epilepsy, OCD and the more well known to be Neurodivergent neurotypes: Autism and ADHD.
Neurodivergence can be inborn (you were born with a brain that is already uniquely wired) or acquired (something occurs in your life to cause your brain development, processing and functioning to change significantly enough to impact how accessible a Neuronormative world is for you).
Neuromormative is the term we use to recognize the systems and structures of expectations and requirements certain cultures and societies have which are not accessible or possible for many Neurodivergent people.
Affirming and inclusive therapy for Neurodivergent folks requires us to challenge the Neuronormative beliefs and standards we bring into our practices.
Being an affirming and includive therapist to Neurodivergent folks requires consistent mindfulness and awareness of when Neuronormative ideas, beliefs and expectations are present in the therapy we are providing.
In order to actually be affirming and inclusive, we must actively divest from the pathology paradigm and medical model of disability - which can seem impossible or at least improbable within a mental health system.
Essentially, Neurodivergent affirming and inclusive therapy recognizes unique needs in our clients and actively works toward making therapy modalities work for the client, not the other way around.
Learning from folks who live with the neurotypes you work with is the best place to start. Then, learning more about different models of disability (more than the medical model vs. social model - look into the human rights model, the holisitic model by AutisticTic and more). Read books about Neurodiversity, its movement and paradigm. Essentially immerse yourself in learning and shifting the way you think, what you believe and it will alter how you approach therapy.
Terminology notes:
The term “Neurodiversity” was created by online communities of Neurodivergent folks and was brought to wider awareness by Judy Singer.
The term “Neurodivergent” was coined by Kassiane Asasumasu, a Hapa and Asian American Autistic rights activist and blogger from Oregon.
The term Neuronormative has unknown (to me) origins.
