Neurodivergent- Affirming Consultation Group
with Melissa Jean Dellens, MA, LMFT
Ongoing case consultation group for process-oriented therapists working with Neurodivergent clients.
- Tuesdays 1:00pm-2:30pm Pacific on Zoom
- Fee: $65/week
- Limited to 5 Clinicians
- Minimum Commitment of 3 months
- New participants beginning in October 2025
The Neurodiversity framework is a social movement that seeks to de-pathologize brain-based diagnoses, explore differences in cognitive functioning with curiosity and compassion, and consider the social dynamics and marginalization of neurodivergent identities. Neurodivergent diagnoses include, but are not limited to:
- Autism
- ADHD
- Dyspraxia
- Dyslexia
- Dyscalculia
- Tourette’s Syndrome
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
- Epilepsy
- Genetic Conditions (Down Syndrome, Fragile X)
- Traumatic Brain Injuries
- Neurological symptoms of Long COVID
- Functional Neurological Disorder
More About The Group
This weekly process group is for clinicians ready to deepen their clinical work while holding a more affirming Neurodiverse approach. You’ll explore core concepts like:
- Clinical Boundaries and the Therapeutic Frame: Conversations about the foundational structures like the time and day of session, fee, and length and frequency of the session can enter the therapeutic space more often with Neurodivergent clients. Finding way to talk about these objective realities with a relational approach can open non-judgmental discussions about the emotional responses to the expectations of therapy.
- Navigating the Double Empathy Problem: The double empathy problem is a relational dynamic that considers who is responsible for changing their behavior in conflict or miscommunication (Milton, 2012). Focusing on empathy as a clinical tool to explore your own limits can help identify where relational breakdowns occur and find ways to bridge those gaps in the therapeutic space.
- The Burden of Understanding: The demand for clarity from a Neurodivergent client can become a power struggle in moments of conflict or miscommunication. When the burdens Neurodivergent people carry is revealed in therapy, there is an opportunity to explore power dynamics and masking – the conscious and unconscious ways Neurodivergent people seek to limit their natural ways of being in social situations.
- Transference and Countertransference: When clients lose their speech, rely on their behavior, or experience embodied responses like stimming, you can learn to use your own understanding of the unconscious to make meaning and build compassion around these ineffable moments.
More About Melissa:
I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with extensive experience in Neurodiversity advocacy and community inclusion practices. As someone who is both Neurodivergent and allistic, my clinical work is deeply attuned to the unique needs of Autistic clients a focus on supporting their journey toward greater self-compassion, -determination and -advocacy. I work with young adults via telehealth in California to build
- a deeper understanding of what a Neurodivergent identity means to them
- more support systems around unmet needs, while grieving earlier needs that never got met
- and resiliency in the face of ableism that emerges in the relationships and systems they are a part of.
My non-clinical experience includes supervising a community integration program for a wide range of people who live under the Neurodivergent umbrella. My work supported families, neighbors, and communities to build deeper relationships with peoples very different from themselves. I have presented a continuing education course on Autistic Affirmative Therapy for Allistic Providers, demonstrating the things I have learned from walking along side people very different from me. This group is another opportunity to extending this commitment to peers and colleagues.
Melissa
