What Is Neurodivergent-Affirming Therapy?

Sep 17

A Shift Toward Respect and Partnership

For too long, therapy for neurodivergent people has been framed around “fixing deficits” or reducing behaviors that don’t fit a narrow mold of “normal.” A growing body of recent research and lived experience is shifting this narrative. Instead of viewing autism, ADHD, dyslexia, or other neurodivergent identities as disorders to treat, affirming therapy begins with a different premise: neurodivergence is a valid and whole way of being in the world. This aligns with the emerging neurodiversity-affirming paradigm, which prioritizes acceptance, accessibility, strengths, and justice in mental health care. SAGE Journals

When therapy is affirming, the goal isn’t to erase traits—it’s to create spaces where clients can unmask, regulate, grow, and build meaningful lives.

The CARES Model in Practice

The CARES model, published in 2025 in a peer-reviewed source, offers a helpful framework for what affirming therapy looks like: Collaborative Assessment, Accessibility, Recognizing Strengths, Empowering Self-Understanding, and Supporting Self-Advocacy. therapistndc.org+2SAGE Journals+2 SAGE Journals

C – Collaborative Assessment
You and your therapist work as partners, exploring your experiences instead of having them defined for you—such as mapping sensory preferences or stress triggers collaboratively.
A – Accessibility
Therapy adapts to your needs—not you to therapy. This might mean adjusting lighting, allowing written responses, or offering sensory breaks.
R – Recognizing Strengths
Traits like pattern recognition, creativity, or resilience are highlighted as core strengths—not minimized as compensation.
E – Empowering Self‑Understanding
Therapy offers compassionate, brain science–informed frameworks—connecting executive function struggles to stress patterns, not character flaws.
S – Supporting Self‑Advocacy
Therapy equips you with language, confidence, and tools to advocate for yourself in relationships, at work, and in your community.

What Clients Can Expect

Affirming therapy isn’t about ticking boxes—it’s about how it feels to be seen. Clients often say it’s the first time they can bring their full selves without fear of judgment. Here’s how that may look:

A pace that works for you, honoring silence and revisiting topics when you're ready.
Flexible communication methods—writing, art, movement, or metaphor may be valid ways to process.
Sensory-aware spaces, where comfort (like soft lighting or sensory supports) is a priority.
Space to unmask and explore identity below social masks.
Validation of lived realities—like executive fatigue or sensory overwhelm—without pathologizing.
Collaborative problem-solving tailored to your daily world, not outside standards.
A focus on regulation over behavior— exploring what your nervous system is telling you and providing tools to address the root, not just symptoms.

Why This Matters

When therapy adopts this model, studies show that neurodivergent clients report stronger therapeutic alliance, deeper trust, and more durable outcomes. In the language of Botha & Gillespie‑Lynch (2022), affirming your neurodivergent identity helps shift therapy from deficit-fixing to identity-validating care—supporting you to build the life that aligns with your values, needs, and strengths. sensoryhealth.org+15kdholmeslpc.com+15en.wikipedia.org+15 durham-repository.worktribe.com

References

Cohn, E. G. (2025). Principles of Neurodiversity‑Affirming Collaborative Assessment. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy. (Article introducing CARES model) SAGE Journals+2SAGE Journals+2
Botha, M., & Gillespie‑Lynch, K. (2022). Come as You Are: Examining Autistic Identity Development and the Neurodiversity Movement through an Intersectional Lens. Human Development, 66(2), 93–112. en.wikipedia.org+9Karger+9CoLab+9
Emerging paradigm shift article: Moving to a neurodiversity-affirming paradigm in clinical support and mental health therapy (2025). SAGE Journals. SAGE Journals+1

Jen McNaughton