Autism Therapy
Do You Need Help Managing Life In A Neurotypical World?
Is your autism creating emotional or social challenges that are difficult to overcome on your own? Are you a concerned parent of a child or teenager who is on the spectrum and struggles with:
Communicating their thoughts and feelings?
Behavioral issues at home and/or school?
Sensory sensitivity or over-stimulation?
Emotional regulation or executive dysfunction?
Perhaps you’re a young adult who gets stressed out by social situations or has trouble interacting with people, so you find yourself unable to connect with others.
Or maybe you received an autism diagnosis later in life, and you’re hoping that therapy can help you finally understand and manage this unique aspect of yourself.
The Symptoms Of Autism Can Manifest Differently For Everyone
In young children, autism is often characterized by delayed language skills, lack of eye contact, and repetitive body movements, such as hand-flapping or spinning. Individuals may have difficulty understanding social cues, following directions, and staying calm and cool.
Young adults with ASD may struggle to make friends, maintain employment, or manage daily tasks without getting overwhelmed. As people on the spectrum grow older and develop a sense of self, they can feel like there’s something fundamentally broken or wrong with them, fostering low self-esteem and confidence issues.
For anyone living with autism, learning to navigate life in a neurotypical world can be difficult, to say the least, but our therapists at Key Counseling Group want to help. Whether you’re looking for guidance for yourself or your child, therapy offers you knowledge, tools, and support for overcoming obstacles and thriving with autism at any stage of life.
Autism Knows No Boundaries
Autism can affect anyone regardless of age, sex, race, or ethnicity—and it manifests in numerous ways, which is why it’s referred to as a spectrum. Autism affects males at four times the rate of females, although it has historically been underdiagnosed and misdiagnosed in women.
Up until very recently, neurodivergence has been largely stigmatized and misunderstood. As a result, people can still feel shame, discomfort, and confusion over a diagnosis. They also may feel pressure to "mask" their symptoms or to conform to what is acceptable to society as a whole.
When a person on the spectrum can’t conform to society’s rigid standards for learning or functioning, it can have a powerfully negative psychological impact. The truth is there is no "correct" way for the brain to work. Nothing "causes" neurodivergence and nothing is "wrong" with being different, so there’s nothing to cure or fix.
The real issue is that people who are different are not getting the help they need. They often don’t have access to resources for support, or they simply don’t realize the importance of learning how to navigate their differences in a neurotypical world. After all, everything from the education system to the workplace was designed for the benefit of neurotypical individuals.
Working with one of our therapists at Key Counseling Group offers support for navigating all of the factors that can make life with autism more challenging. We offer autism therapy services for children, teens, adults, and anyone who feels like they think or process things “outside of the box.”
Autism Therapy Offers You The Tools And Resources To Succeed And Grow
Parents of children and teens with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis tend to feel like they’re not parenting correctly—as if they don’t have the right tools to be successful. Young people on the spectrum can look at themselves like they’re broken or defective. Adults just long to feel “normal” and function like “everyone else,” while others with ASD simply can’t pinpoint what’s going on.
Our autism therapy services at Key Counseling Group can address all of these issues. We give children and teens with ASD a place where they can feel safe expressing their thoughts and feelings. Parents can receive guidance for managing their autistic child’s behavior and symptoms. Additionally, we offer adults with ASD insight into their struggles as well as tools for improving relationships, reducing feelings of overwhelm, and generally managing life better.
What Are Autism Treatment Sessions Like?
Regardless of age or situation, we offer all our clients a safe space to express themselves and process experiences while receiving unbiased support. Some of the goals we’ll work toward include:
Identifying personal triggers
Improving symptoms
Building problem-solving skills
Developing healthy coping strategies
We also provide psychoeducation about autism to help clients deepen their understanding of what’s going on beneath the surface of their symptoms.
For parents of a client who is able to explain what’s going on, we’ll meet independently with the child. With autism counseling, it’s really about what the client is capable of and most comfortable with. So, if a child prefers the presence of a parent in sessions, that’s completely doable. If parents need help with specific skills, we can look into parent coaching sessions to supplement therapy sessions.
What Kind Of Tools Do We Use In Autism Treatment?
Autism exists on a spectrum, so our counselors utilize a dynamic range of interventions to create a treatment plan based on each individual’s unique needs and situation:
Play Therapy for Autism meets children on their level and speaks their language through play, which can facilitate communication, exploration, and behavioral adaptations.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Autism helps individuals with adequate language processing abilities address emotional, behavioral, and mental health-related challenges.
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA therapy for Autism) focuses on changing behaviors and developing skills for clients with more severe autism.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) involves improving grounding techniques and emotional regulation skills for reducing sensory sensitivity, reactivity, and overwhelm.
Motivational Interviewing is a client-centered approach to healing that puts people in touch with their strengths, empowering them to overcome problems and create change.
Autism Doesn’t Have To Hold You (Or Your Child) Back
If you’re struggling to navigate life with an autism diagnosis, you are not alone—and you are beautiful just the way you are. Your differences are what make you unique, and our neurodivergent-affirming therapists at Key Counseling Group want to help you see that for yourself. We’ll be here to give you all the tools and support needed to succeed, grow, and change your life for the better.
Still Have Concerns About Autism Therapy?
I’m a little skeptical about the effectiveness of play therapy for something like autism.
Think about it like this: play is the language of children, especially those who do not yet have the ability to express themselves through words. Adults talk through their issues in talk therapy, and children use play to process their issues in play therapy.
Through narration, participation, and observation, play therapy allows us to increase a child’s emotional awareness and build a real relationship with them. Play therapy also gives kids with autism an adult figure they can trust—one who is calm, non-reactive, and authentic.
What role will I play in my child’s or teen’s therapy process?
At Key Counseling Group, we regard the child as our client, which means they have similar rights to confidentiality as adults. So, outside of posing a risk to themselves or others, what we uncover in therapy is mostly confidential.
That being said, you and your counselor are welcome to meet independently for parent coaching sessions for additional support. Or we can do group therapy for autism with you, your child, and/or any other friends or family members who would like to attend. All are welcome—just let us know beforehand.
I had a poor experience with autism counseling in the past, and I worry I’ll be judged again.
If you've tried therapy before and the therapeutic relationship was not that great, we encourage you to give us a chance. Our autism counselors are here to support you and provide you with resources without judgment or agenda. If it turns out you don’t connect with your therapist and want to try counseling elsewhere, we won’t be offended. Our only purpose is to help you find the compassionate help you deserve, regardless of where that journey may take you.
You Don’t Have To Manage The Challenges Of Autism Alone
If you would like support navigating life with autism or you want to ensure your child’s healthy development, Key Counseling Group is here to help you find a way. Please call 678-400-9477 or contact us for your free, 20-minute consultation to see how our online or in-person autism therapy services can help you.
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