Unmasking Neurodivergence in Family Therapy - 2024 Conference

Session Description

Therapists are trained to be cautious about self-disclosure; there are ethical concerns about over-disclosure from therapists. However, anecdotally, most neurodivergent therapists who self-disclose about their neurotype to clients report that self-disclosure as therapeutically useful. Many neurodivergent therapists struggle with this contrast: on one hand, they experience shame about disclosing “too much” or “too often” and, on the other hand, they have the lived experience that disclosure is meaningful and useful at times.

This training will help clinicians (neurodivergent or neurotypical) identify ways in which their own neurotype impacts the work they do with clients, positively or negatively. Our neurotype greatly impacts how we see the world and, often, how we expect others to see the world. In family therapy especially, if our neurotype aligns us with a specific family member, we may side with that family member; being thoughtful about our neurotype can prevent that mis-alignment in family…