Join us to improve your capacity to provide neurodiversity affirming mental health care to autistic adults and their families.

AAutism and nuerodiversity pose a number of challenges for navigating environments that are designed for and reward neurotypical or allistic ways of being. Historically, this has extended into health and mental health care. But a growing number of clinicians, informed by the autistic community, are learning what it means to affirm and embrace neurodiversity in how we approach, support and collaborate with autistic clients.

Join us for a day of expanding your neurodiversity affirming tool kit.

Elsbeth Dodman, is Autistic and engages in Autism education and activism. Elsbeth has a BA in Fine Art History and Anthropology as well as a post graduate certificate in Autism Behavioural Sciences. Elsbeth has been giving presentations on Autism since she was 18. Elsbeth has worked with the Ontario Child Advocate's office on their We Have Something to Say project as well as an Autism Mental Health Toolkit with York University. Elsbeth lives at home with her parents and two cats.

Wendy McGuire, will follow Elsbeth and discuss how we can apply this new understanding of autistic experience with practical tools to support neurodiverse-affirming care. Wendy McGuire’s counselling and consulting practice is committed to providing neurodiverse and LGBTQ2S-affirming individual, couple, family, and group counselling, and organizational training in health, education, and social services. Using a variety of therapeutic modalities, she supports newly, self, and late-diagnosed individuals in exploring their neurodivergence to increase self-awareness and self-acceptance. With ten years experience teaching in universities, Wendy also promotes skill-building in executive function, attention, time management, and goal setting. In 2021, she founded the Canadian Neurodiversity-Affirming Therapists Network to build capacity for neurodiversity-affirming services and support for neurodivergent therapists. Wendy is committed to co-creating new narratives about and new experiences of neurodiversity in a world that embraces all forms of diversity.

We'll conclude the day with a panel discussion on supporting autistic young adults as they navigate transitions in education, career, living situations, relationships and care providers.

Julie Knights Thomson will join Wendy and Elsbeth for the panel discussion. Julie is a post-secondary accessibility counsellor, supporting the educational experience of many students, including those with a diagnosis of autism. More notably though, Julie is the mom of a wonderful young man who was diagnosed with autism at the age of 2, and who recently transitioned to post-secondary education and independent living. Julie has a passion for learning about autism and neurodiversity, is an ally to the autistic community, and is grateful to have self-advocates as her best teachers.

Join us as we work to become neurodiversity affirming in our approach to care.

A recording of the sessions will be provided to registrants and available for 2 weeks following the session.