Neurodiversity-Affirming Therapy
Neurodiversity isn’t just a consideration in my work—it’s a cornerstone of my approach. While all of my therapy is rooted in neuroscience, nervous system regulation, supporting neurodivergent experiences, and challenging internalized ableism, this focus is so important to me that it deserves its own space.
Because here’s the truth: your brain isn’t the problem—the world just wasn’t built for it. My goal is to help you unlearn the messages that tell you you need to "fix" yourself and instead embrace the strengths, creativity, and unique ways your mind moves through the world. Whether you're navigating burnout, masking fatigue, executive functioning challenges, or simply looking for a space where you don’t have to explain yourself—I’m here for you.
Therapy with me isn’t about forcing yourself (or your kid) to fit into a neurotypical mold. It’s about learning how to work with your brain, understanding your nervous system, and building a life that actually feels good for you.
A Unique Approach
Neurodivergent minds need therapy that makes sense for them. That’s why I use:
✅ Narrative Therapy – Externalizing the problem so it’s something we work with, not something you are
✅ Experiential & Play-Based Approaches – Because sitting and “just talking” doesn’t work for everyone
✅ Sensory-Informed & OT Strategies – Honoring the nervous system, sensory needs, and regulation strategies
✅ Attachment & Family Systems Therapy – Understanding relationships, connection, and how past experiences shape the present
This isn’t one-size-fits-all therapy. It’s your therapy, built to work with your brain.
For Neurodivergent Adults
Your brain is always on—spinning through a hundred thoughts, hyperfocusing on something random at 2 AM, or shutting down completely when the world gets too loud. Whether you’re navigating sensory overwhelm, executive dysfunction, autistic burnout, or the never-ending battle with time blindness, you deserve support that actually works.
Therapy with me can help you:
✅ Manage sensory overload without just “pushing through” (because that never actually works)
✅ Navigate PDA-driven avoidance, executive dysfunction, and burnout with actual strategies, not shame
✅ Learn how to rest without feeling like you should be doing something “more productive”
✅ Process the impact of years (or decades) of masking and unmet needs
✅ Advocate for yourself in relationships, work, and daily life—without apologizing for being you
For Neurodivergent Kids & Teens
Your kid isn’t trying to be “difficult.” The meltdowns, shutdowns, hitting, screaming, running away—it’s not misbehavior. It’s a nervous system in overload.
Maybe your kid is the one who melts down after holding it together all day at school. Maybe they avoid tasks like their life depends on it. Maybe they’re sensory-seeking one second and hiding from noise the next. However it shows up, I see them—and I see you, trying your best to support them.
Therapy with me can help your child:
✅ Build emotional regulation skills without forcing them to mask
✅ Understand their sensory needs and how to advocate for them
✅ Process PDA-driven anxiety and avoidance without making them feel “bad” or “wrong”
✅ Feel understood and accepted, especially if they’ve felt like “the difficult one”
✅ Strengthen communication with you (their parent) in a way that respects everyone’s needs
For Parents of Neurodivergent Kids
Parenting a neurodivergent child isn’t just “hard.” It’s all-consuming. The constant noise, the meltdowns, the “I hate yous” that sting even when you know they don’t mean it—it’s a lot. And the worst part? So much of the advice out there doesn’t actually work for your kid.
And if you’re in a relationship? The stress of parenting a neurodivergent child can feel like it’s crushing your partnership. When your entire focus is on survival—keeping your kid regulated, advocating at school, handling meltdowns—there’s not much left for each other. Resentment builds. You feel like roommates at best, strangers at worst.
I help parents shift from trying to “manage” behavior to understanding the nervous system behind it. When you get what’s happening beneath the surface, everything changes—for your child and for your relationship.
Therapy with me can help you:
✅ Decode your child’s meltdowns, shutdowns, and PDA-driven panic responses
✅ Create sensory-friendly routines that actually help everyone in the house
✅ Support your child’s needs without losing yourself or your partnership in the process
✅ Learn how to navigate school systems, IEPs, and medical professionals who don’t get it
✅ Let go of guilt for not being a “perfect” parent (because that doesn’t exist)
✅ Reconnect with your partner and build a relationship that can handle the hard stuff together
You aren’t broken. You deserve therapy that actually understands how your brain works.
Let’s make that happen.
Amy Johnson, LMFTA #MG61606691
amy@jamhandsfamilytherapy.com
"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else, is the greatest accomplishment."
— Ralph Waldo Emerson