Coaching
I coach adults on the autism spectrum, or autistics, and those with autism-like profiles (qualities). Whether you have an official diagnosis, or you just suspect that you might have autism or autism-like qualities, working with a coach who understands what you are dealing with is the way to go.
I approach things in a way that makes sense and is not overwhelming. I adapt my interaction style to your needs. I fully respect and honor your experience. The focus of our work is not, by any means, on making you "more like everyone" (unless this is what you want). The focus of our work is to help you accomplish your goals while autistic. I create a suportive, safe, non-judgemental and structured environment, which makes it possible to honestly explore your difficulties and develop concrete steps to address them. I put my whole heart and soul, and all my extensive expertise, into helping you move forward towards the goals you set for yourself.
When you work with professionals who do not have deep knowledge of autism, they will not understand why you see , experience and respond to the world around you the way you do. Professionals who do not understand autism also will not appreciate the strengths and gifts that come with autism, and how they are hindered by its challenges. How to make the best of these strengths while managing the challenges could be one of the things we work on together.
Coaching is a way to solve problems that lie in the present, rather than in the past. If you are struggling to realize your potential and move towards your goals, you will benefit from a structured, systematic and supportive approach that can help you discover barriers that are in your way and strategies to move past them. Your goals can be personal, social, professional, educational, or be in any other area that is important to you. We will work together to understand the areas of your life which you want to improve, and identify the specific changes you want to see. We will look at the strengths you are bringing to each situation and at the obstacles in your way. Together, we will develop strategies around those obstacles and adjust as you test them out in real life. We will evaluate progress regularly to make sure that you are mobing in the direction you want.
You might be a mid-career professional struggling to succeeed in your workplace. Or you could be a college student who is having a hard time figuring out academics and student life. You might be a parent who just got diagnosed along with one or more of your kids, and you are trying to process your new identity. Or maybe you are a parent of a child who has autism, or is autistic, and you need to work on your parenting , self-care, or on coping with the mulptiple demands you are juggling. We can work on all these, and many other issues, together.
I understand and respect the personal experience of autism. I have seen incredible accomplishments by individuals with autism, or autistics. I have also seen a lot of struggle. It would be my privilege to tell you more about coaching and my approach. Please contact me for a free consultation to learn more about my practice and find out if what I do is a fit for your needs.
* Coaching autistic adults is a new area of coaching. There are some professionals out there who offer it, but not too many. Their philosophies and training vary. No approaches have been formalized. As someone who is passionate about helping those with autism, or autistics, I want to develop the best practice possible. While I am working on that, I offer my clients rates that are significantly lower than my usual rates.