Evergreen Counseling Blog — Evergreen Counseling

Evergreen Counseling’s Commitment to Being a Neurodivergent Affirming Therapy Practice

Hello friends and neighbors. The end of 2024 is here. Evergreen is undergoing some exciting new changes. 

The world is spinning fast. The word “overwhelmed” seems extremely inadequate to explain the intensity of the change that has happened to us this past year. We now have new words in the mental health field to describe these intense changes. 

Here are some new words from the last 4 years or so (Since the pandemic) THAT we nOW very freely as a society: 

Triggered.

Overstimulated. 

Sensory Overload. 

Traumatized. 

While these new words can be helpful in describing the overwhelm we are noticing, when there is such a huge influx of new mental health words, the meaning of these new words can become diluted, confusing or at worse, inaccurate and harmful. 


There is another new word that has been exploding in our collective dialogue: Neurodivergent. 

Neurodivergent is a very new word and idea. This word was coined in 2000, but this word has expanded much more swiftly since 2020. With all the late diagnosed ADHD and Autistic folks that have exploded in numbers after 2020, I thought it was time to discuss what a neurodivergent affirming therapy practice is. 

Because Evergreen Counseling is a neurodivergent affirming practice. 

First, what do I mean by neurodivergent? 

Neuro = Brain; Divergent = diverges from the norm

You can already see that this is a VERY inclusive and broad term. It does not simply refer to ADHD or Autistic brains. Being neurodivergent means you process information differently than the norm. ND (Neurodivergent) brains process divergent from the norm, due to your trauma, due to your genetics and due to your neurobiology. 

There are many disorders that fall into thE NEURODIVERGENT CATEGORY, but are not limited to:

  • ADHD

  • Autism

  • Sensory Processing Disorder

  • Dyslexia/All Learning/Reading Disorders

  • Oppositional Defiant Disorder

  • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

  • Bipolar Dx

  • C-PTSD & PTSD

  • Down syndrome and genetic neurological disorders

  • Intellectual and cognitive disabilities and disorders

  • Traumatic Brain Injury sufferers

  • All Personality Disorders

You may be reading that and either feeling surprised, skeptical, or perhaps feeling pretty uncomfy with that list. I know I was. Before I knew I was ND, the idea of neurodivergent as a very inclusive category was pretty unusual and uncomfortable, even as a trauma therapist. The personality disorder inclusion is especially hard to grasp, and I believe is the most shamed and misunderstood disorder in therapy communities.

Let’s remember, ND brains just think and process differently. These disorders are not the same. The list above is in no way lumping these all together in pain, consequence or experience. The experience of each of those diagnoses vary strongly from each other. AND yet, we can say they are all neurodivergent expressions. 

Let’s look at that list again.

Because if you look at that list again, you will see that these disorders have another uncomfortable truth in common: These mental health disorders are the least understood and welcomed by the therapy community, your local school community, and the medical community. These disorders are the most feared and shunned by parents, psychologists, teachers and doctors, and they are by far, the most stigmatized labels in society. (psst: ND people also make TERRIBLE 9-5 corporate job climbers. Interesting how strongly we stigmatize ND people, looking at this from a capitalist perspective.) The deficits in the research in diagnoses, and especially in treatment methods are vast. Especially in categories broken down by gender and race. Women weren’t even studied for ADHD until 2017, even though ADHD has been in the DSM in some form for decades. 

So what, you may be wondering, is the “normal” brain, anyway? 

Good question. But a better question is this: Who told us what a normal brain is, anyway? Who has the right to answer what brain is normal? The DSM? The predominantly White Medical and Psychiatric Establishment? Even as a trauma specialist, I certainly don’t have the right to say who is normal and who is not. 

I can say that some humans I treat as a therapist do not struggle with time management, sensory overwhelm, or executive dysfunction. And some do not have any significant trauma dysfunction. (Maybe the normies do exist!) 

This brings me back to what I think is special about Evergreen.

We started in 2018 as a “trauma-informed” practice.

This happened during a time when there was only a fraction of providers and group practices discussing trauma-informed care in therapy spaces. We intentionally have created a space where your trauma is explored and supportive, with your symptoms only being the starting point of treatment. We approach every client’s story with the lens of trauma. 

Going into 2025, we are going into the neurodivergent affirming chapter. We believe that: 

  • All brains are beautiful. 

  • All weirdness in humans is beautiful. 

  • We do not judge any person for using coping skills that help them (aside from self or others’ harm), no matter how “unusual” the coping is. 

  • No one is normal. Normal doesn’t exist. 

  • Parents examining and supporting their own neurodivergence is the absolute best way to support their ND child. 

  • Emotional, verbal, and physical accommodations are the norm, not the exception. 

  • Shaming and will-powering yourself to be “normal” never, ever reduces suffering. 

  • Overstimulation and anxiety are not the same thing. 

  • Sensory burnout and depression are not the same thing. 

  • Emotional regulation is the goal, not behavioral compliance. 

  • Supportive networks of people and therapists are required for a neurodivergent human to thrive.

  • Personality Disorder sufferers deserve non-judgmental trauma treatment.

  • Autism should be celebrated, accommodated, and supported, not fixed. 

    And my personal favorite:

  • A felt sense of safety is more important than factual safety. 

All of our therapists on staff have received some form of neurodivergent affirming training and education. We exist in our community to support all forms of mental health concerns, and we believe that ND people are highly under-resourced and highly stigmatized. 

Our goal is to normalize and support all ND expressions and experiences, which is easily complemented by our trauma inclusive values. 

We are a neurodivergent affirming practice. 


Lastly, on a personal note:

I am a late-diagnosed woman with ADHD and Autism. I was 36 years old, an entrepreneur, a trauma therapist of over 10 years, and a mom, too, when this realization first dawned on me. In fact before I knew I was ND, for about 10 years I prided myself on being exceptional at identifying and diagnosing ADHD in my female clients. (The irony is still quite hilarious to me.) My three children are all neurodivergent, as is my husband. Every moment of my parenting I am dealing with someone who is overstimulated, or someone on the verge of a meltdown, and sometimes it’s the kids, too. ;) 

My partner and I are working tirelessly to normalize sensory and emotional accommodations for our children, as well as prioritizing receiving support for ourselves. And in so doing, we are experiencing the beautiful benefits of increased emotional regulation when a felt sense of safety is created in our routines consistently! Especially when we tried 99 things and the 100th thing finally worked. After my late diagnosis, it started with a deep sense of grief. How long did I shame myself for not being neurotypical enough! With more time (and my own therapy!), more accommodations and support for my quirky insane brain and nervous system, slowly I am feeling a new sense of liberation! I have much more self-acceptance as I support my neurodivergent brain. I want the same for you, if this is your story, too. 


Some FAQ’s on Neurodivergent Affirming Therapy Care:

  • No. Neurodivergent is a term used outside of DSM specifiers and qualifiers. You cannot be diagnosed with “neurodivergence.” While we use DSM diagnoses for treatment and support purposes, neurodivergent exists as a term to support and celebrate diverse brains and to recognize diverse accommodation needs. 

  • Simply, yes. But we would strongly recommend finding support from a neurodivergent affirming therapist in this often tender identity exploration process. (It should also go without saying to not label others in  your life as neurodivergent without their express consent.)

  • Personality disorders are caused by childhood trauma. We consider PD to be a trauma disorder, yet unfortunately PD is still met with much stigma in the therapy community. Many therapists refuse to treat PD sufferers equally as other trauma disorders like PTSD, although thankfully that trend is changing slowly. More trauma therapists and practitioners are beginning to understand trauma is rooted in PD issues. But these sufferers are included in the neurodivergent umbrella because PD sufferers have divergent thinking and processing and need diverse accommodations in treatment. Just like all other ND issues. Abuse is also common in all kinds of disorders and human conditions, unfortunately. Abuse is not unique to Personality Disorders. 

  • Neurodivergent is not a diagnosis. It is a supportive, inclusive, non-medical diagnostic term. However, we support psychological testing for a ND categorized disorder, especially if you need accommodations for your school or workplace. Oftentimes an official psychological evaluation and diagnosis is needed for accommodations in academic and workplace settings. However, being tested is not required to consider yourself neurodivergent. Contact our office for referrals to a psychologist for this kind of assessment.

  • While this is a popular idea with the neurodivergent movement, identifying a group of brains as “superpowered” is pretty foolish. To simply highlight the “superpowers” of ND brains while ignoring the real disabilities and suffering that occurs with ND lived experiences is highly problematic. That being said, the amazing abilities of some ND brains to create, to invent, to be walking experts in topics and areas of expertise is often missed, unappreciated and absolutely under-researched. When compliance, submission, and productivity are the only goals for a school setting or a workplace, much creativity and expertise is lost. Accommodations are required for so-called “super-powered” brains to reach their full potential and to live full lives. 

  • No. Everyone is not a little neurodivergent. While every brain is unique, and we can call everyone “neurodiverse”, not every brain is neurodivergent. Divergent brains have highly sensitive nervous systems, and require specific supports to do basic life functions and interact relationally with others. Not all brains need specific accommodations to do basic functions such as attend school or work regularly, wash their dishes more than once a week, keep their basic personal items organized, remember to shower or use the bathroom regularly (even as an adult!), or panic at being abandoned by everyone they love because someone didn’t text them back in a timely manner. These are only a few neurodivergent daily frustrations and challenges that truly do not happen to everyone’s brains. Simply put: if you don't need accommodations to live your life in a basic functional way, you likely are simply neurodiverse, not neurodivergent. 

  • Head to our therapy bios page, and check out the therapist bios! We have several neurodivergent specialized, therapists, seeing couples, teens 12+, and adults. A therapist here can help you identify possible ND traits, make any testing or psychiatric referrals, and start living your life with more accommodation and supports, and even help reduce your masking behaviors (masking is when you work extra hard to appear “neurotypical”, but at a high mental health cost), if needed. 

If you have more questions about our neurodivergent affirming therapy approach, don’t hesitate to reach out to us!

 

Priscilla Dean, LCPC - Owner of Evergreen Counseling

Thanks for reading. Shaming, dismissing or forcing compliance onto Neurodivergent people has never produced justice, liberation, or healing for us. My main hope in this new chapter is to increase disability justice in our community, and decrease the pathologization of all kinds of human experiences. 

Peace,
Priscilla