Let's get those true colors of yours to shine brightly ...
I meet you in New Mexico, the "Land of Enchantment" ... on unceded (stolen) Indigenous lands of many tribes (pause) ... honoring the ancestors and wisdom of this place whose Spirit informs my life daily.
Like most of us who have made it to adulthood, I have a lifetime of experiences that have brought me to this place, NM and this moment in time. My journey, like yours, is a vast intergenerational and intercultural web of connections, stories of success and stories of failure, joy and sorrow, emotional and physical bumps and bruises. My journey is informed by this truth ... I am Autistic white bodied female.
At 62.5 I reflect on my formal Autism diagnosis at 54 with "Asperger's - High Functioning" and laugh out loud ... I have arrived and am more myself. Skyler’s, my Service Dog, companionship creates ease. Wrinkles, gray hair, and bifocals are my proof of active living in the midst of ambivalence, uncertainty, doubt, and our complex global community. Sometimes, we humans need more than a friend to sort through this matrix of living. Sometimes we need a professional companion to brain share, clarify our thoughts and feelings, nourish creativity, clarify reflections of an event and hone the making of request for healing, mend wounds … repair the torn fabrics of life, and skill to maintain resilience. My tasks with clients unfold as this professional fellow traveler, meeting you in the midst of it all.
My practice supports Autistic adults and their families exclusively. My unique orientation informs the therapeutic process. I excel at problem-solving. My mirror-emotion synesthesia (I literally grock what you are feeling) helps me identify, understand, and empathize with you. I do not judge because I have been judged … I offer genuine acceptance. Best you know I love research and literally obsess about it. I am eager to share what I learn with clients. That said, if I don’t know the answer, I will find it and welcome your research contribution. I have a formal diagnosis of Dyslexia, ADD, Auditory Processing Disorder, and C-PTSD. Yeah, I personally understand what it is to experience being bullied, trauma and the daily work to navigate life so that your true colors brighten your day.
From my vantage point, I approach counseling as a dialogue, a conversation between equals. I draw from a diverse background of life and work experiences embellished by clinical research, eclectic reading, service in diverse practice locations and a rich mix of wise clients. My approach to counseling is holistic and integrative by design. It is inclusive of nutrition, physical, spiritual, financial, family, friends, pets, mental and medical health history. I intentionally collaborate with my adult clients - individuals living with major medical both mental and/or physical diagnoses - to facilitate self-understanding and acceptance in the emotionally and physically disabling culture in which we live. My approach is holistic and person-centered. I am an IFS-Infomed therapist as of 2024. I also utilize various evidenced-based therapeutic modalities, including CBT, DBT, as well as Nonviolent Communication plus support by many hours of continuing education programs. All of this learnings, I generously share with clients.
I got tools, tricks, skills, and time to listen
to the story and share the journey ...
Welcome artist, Laura Zizette ... coloring my website