Individual Therapy

Individual Therapy for Neurodevelopmental Differences

Purpose of This Service

This service provides individual, one-to-one clinical therapy for children, adolescents, and adults whose neurodevelopmental profiles impact emotional regulation, flexibility, executive functioning, stress tolerance, and daily functioning.

This is not Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and is not intended to replace educational, behavioral, or skills-based services. Instead, this therapy focuses on the internal emotional, cognitive, and executive processes that contribute to distress, rigidity, overwhelm, and functional interference.

Who This Therapy Is For

This service is appropriate for individuals who:

• Have autism, ADHD, or related neurodevelopmental differences
• Experience anxiety, rigidity, shutdown, or emotional overload
• Struggle with planning, organization, initiation, follow-through, or cognitive flexibility
• Have difficulty managing transitions, uncertainty, or increasing life demands
• Are cognitively capable but experience internal distress that interferes with daily functioning

Services are available for children, adolescents, and adults.

Therapeutic Approach

Treatment is neuro-affirming, trauma-informed, and developmentally appropriate, with an emphasis on structured, evidence-based clinical methods rather than behavior modification or compliance-based models.

Interventions may include:

• Executive Function Support focused on planning, organization, task initiation, prioritization, and follow-through
• Behavioral Activation to reduce avoidance and support engagement in daily responsibilities
• Cognitive-behavioral strategies adapted for neurodevelopmental profiles
• Emotion regulation strategies to improve tolerance for stress, frustration, and uncertainty
• Cognitive flexibility strategies to reduce rigidity and perseverative thinking
• Stress-management and coping strategies tailored to individual sensory and cognitive needs

Executive functioning work is embedded within therapy and focuses on reducing internal barriers that interfere with effective use of skills.

Focus of Therapy

Therapy may address:

• Executive functioning difficulties that contribute to overwhelm or shutdown
• Emotional factors that interfere with task initiation and completion
• Rigidity or “getting stuck” during decision-making or transitions
• Avoidance related to anxiety or cognitive overload
• Reduced independence despite adequate cognitive ability

The emphasis is on improving internal regulation and functional engagement, not on external behavior shaping.

Role of the Therapist

Therapy is provided by licensed psychologists or licensed mental health clinicians with expertise in neurodevelopmental conditions, executive dysfunction, and lifespan development.

The therapist works collaboratively with the client to:

• Increase awareness of emotional, cognitive, and executive patterns
• Develop strategies to support regulation, flexibility, and task engagement
• Reduce internal distress that interferes with functioning
• Collaborate with families or other providers when appropriate

Important Ethical Boundary

To maintain ethical standards and clinical objectivity, the testing Psychologist does not provide ongoing therapy to individuals for whom they have conducted a comprehensive psychological or neuropsychological evaluation.

Assessment and treatment are kept separate to avoid dual relationships and to ensure clarity of roles, boundaries, and clinical decision-making. When appropriate, referrals for therapy are provided following evaluation.

Medical Necessity & Coverage

This service addresses clinically significant emotional, cognitive, and executive functioning challenges associated with diagnosed neurodevelopmental and related conditions. When medically necessary and provided by a licensed clinician, services are eligible for insurance coverage under standard behavioral health benefits.

Relationship to Other Services

This therapy is intended to complement, not replace, educational, behavioral, or community-based supports. We maintain clear boundaries between clinical therapy and skills-based or behavioral service models and collaborate respectfully when appropriate.

To maintain ethical clarity and objectivity, comprehensive evaluations and ongoing therapy are provided by different clinicians within the practice. While evaluations and treatment may occur within the same practice, the evaluating psychologist does not serve as the treating therapist.