Therapy is Not for “Fixing” Autism

I love therapy. It greatly enhanced my life. I also see how therapy improves the lives of people every day. I might be a little biased though - I’m a therapist. More specifically, I’m an autistic therapist.

Why does that matter?

For most of my life I’ve been obsessed with psychology. I love reading nonfiction and consuming books about psychology. Whenever a new topic interests me related to psychology, I binge on more and more books.

Before I knew I was autistic, people suggested I be more “balanced” in my reading and try fiction or at least other topics. I tried, but it simply wasn’t as interesting. I felt a little guilty about it. I internalized that I wasn’t “balanced” enough.

"Joyful Freedom" Acrylic painting by Jackie Schuld

Learning I am autistic freed me from these and other internalized judgments. It helped me to fully embrace who I am. Now, I’m an autistic therapist who specializes in working with other newly identified autistics.

I want to be very clear: we are not “healing” or “curing” autism in therapy. Autism is not a disorder or problem to be fixed. When I’m in therapy with an autistic client, we’re doing the opposite of the medical model that implores us to “treat” autism.

We’re embracing autism.

We’re exploring everything about it and how it impacts a person.

We’re looking at how a person can embrace and expand into their autistic identity more and more.

We’re examining and dismantling all of the internalized judgments and shame from a lifetime of trying to fit impossible neurotypical norms and standards.

We’re sweeping out all of the crap so that a person can fully see themselves. See their strengths. Their wonderful quirks. Their passions. The things that feel good.

We’re constructing a mentality and life that embraces who they are.

My goal is for a newly identified autistic person to leave therapy feeling more confident and more self-love than they ever have in their life.

THAT is what therapy is for.

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Thank you for reading. If you’d like to read more, sign up for my FUNletter. If you would like to explore your autistic identity with an autistic therapist, you can learn more about my therapy services here.