Digital Seminar
Neurodiversity in Women: Therapeutic Strategies for Empowering Women with Autism or ADHD
- Average Rating:
- Not yet rated
- Faculty:
- Jennifer Gerlach, LCSW
- Duration:
- 4 Hours 01 Minutes
- Copyright:
-
Apr 15, 2025
- Product Code:
- POS150110
- Media Type:
- Digital Seminar
Description
Autism and ADHD look different in pink.
Traditional views of autism and ADHD often miss the mark when it comes to women. Research shows that neurodivergence manifests differently in women, leading to widespread misdiagnoses and delayed support.
The impacts can be profound, with many women facing feelings of inadequacy, the strain of masking, disordered eating, cycles of unhealthy relationships, and more. These women are seeking help more now than ever before.
But providing the therapy neurodivergent women need requires a specialized skillset rather than reliance on outdated tools based on male norms.
In this groundbreaking course, join psychotherapist and neurodiversity specialist Jennifer Gerlach, who brings both professional expertise and personal insight as an autistic woman. You’ll gain critical tools to support neurodivergent women on their journey to self-understanding and empowerment, including:
- Insightful diagnostic and intervention techniques rooted in the latest research on female neurodiversity
- Targeted therapeutic approaches from ACT and CFT to cultivate self-compassion in autistic women
- Powerful strategies for unmasking and fostering authenticity in relationships, workplaces, school settings, and beyond
Purchase now and become the clinician these women need!
Credit
Handouts
| File type | File name | Number of pages | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manual - Neurodiversity in Women (4.3 MB) | 135 Pages | Available after Purchase | |
| ASHA Instructions - Self Study (111.9 KB) | Available after Purchase | ||
| Manual - Neurodiversity in Women - French (4.3 MB) | 135 Pages | Available after Purchase | |
| Manual - Neurodiversity in Women - Italian (4.3 MB) | 135 Pages | Available after Purchase | |
| Manual - Neurodiversity in Women - German (4.3 MB) | 135 Pages | Available after Purchase | |
| Manual - Neurodiversity in Women - Spanish (4.3 MB) | 135 Pages | Available after Purchase |
Faculty
Jennifer Gerlach, LCSW Related seminars and products
Jennifer Gerlach, LCSW, is a psychotherapist in private practice in southern Illinois specializing in the crossroads of mental health, trauma and neurodiversity utilizing interventions informed by compassion-focused therapy, acceptance commitment therapy, EMDR and other traditions. Jennifer is the author of The Psychosis and Mental Health Recovery Workbook: Tools for Young Adults from ACT, DBT and Recovery-Oriented CBT and writes a blog for Psychology Today entitled ‘Beyond Mental Health: Defying Stereotypes and False Limitations.’
Jennifer has provided training to hundreds of clinicians nationwide on topics related to neurodiversity, mental health and healing trauma. She offers a unique perspective infused with her lived experience as an individual who has walked her own journey toward mental health and self-acceptance as an autistic person herself.
Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Jennifer Gerlach maintains a private practice and receives royalties as a published author. She receives a speaking honorarium from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Jennifer Gerlach has no relevant non-financial relationships.
Additional Info
Access for Self-Study (Non-Interactive)Access never expires for this product.
For a more detailed outline that includes times or durations of time, if needed, please contact cepesi@pesi.com
Questions?
Visit our FAQ page at www.pesi.com/faq or contact us at www.pesi.com/info
Objectives
- Identify gender-specific diagnostic tools to accurately assess autism and ADHD in women.
- Utilize therapeutic approaches from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) to foster self-compassion and resilience in neurodivergent women.
- Determine intervention strategies that support neurodivergent women in unmasking to embrace their authentic selves across personal and professional environments.
- Choose trauma-informed interventions to build self-worth in neurodivergent women.
Outline
Neurodiversity: An Overview- Neurodiversity introduction
- Autism and ADHD as processing styles
Neurodiversity Looks Different in Pink
- The female phenotype of autism
- Three common traits in the female presentations of autism and ADHD
- Challenges neurodivergent women face: Self-harm, eating disorders, sexual assault, suicide
- Common special interests in autistic females
- Camouflage and other compensatory behaviors
- Limitations of the research and potential risks
Gender Differences in Diagnostic Patterns
- Common misdiagnoses and effects
- Borderline Personality Disorder
- Bipolar disorder
- Oppositional Defiant Disorder
- ”Just” depression or anxiety
- Achieve accuracy in assessment and diagnostics
- Assessment instruments: Disproportionately normed on men
- Quantitative instruments: Accurate diagnosis in females
- Qualitative aspects of assessment: Look beyond diagnostic tools toward lived experience
- Grief, relief, and other common reactions to late diagnosis
Masking and Unmasking
- Pros and cons of ‘masking’
- Masking and the sense of self
- ACT-based strategies
- Creation of ‘masks’ used in different scenarios
- Map out masking behaviors and practice unmasking in safe spaces
- CFT approaches:
- Honor the function masking has played
- A kind letter to self
- Serenity box: Embrace strategies that may have been discouraged in the past
- Psychoeducation: The impact of neurodivergence on self-worth
- ACT intervention: A self-valuing declaration
- Trauma-informed interventions:
- Create a timeline of critical life experiences
- A letter to one’s younger self
- ”What has changed” art experiential
- Special considerations for the use of EDMR in neurodivergent women
- Build understanding of neurodivergent-specific needs
- Assertiveness strategies for self-advocacy
- Identify and meet sensory needs
- Executive functioning and helpful interventions
- Strategies for managing rejection-sensitive dysphoria
- Development of self-worth and interests
- Social connection, exclusion, and bullying
- School-based interventions
- Community interventions
- Role of social connection groups
Target Audience
- Social Workers
- Counselors
- Psychologists
- Psychotherapists
- Addiction Counselors
- Marriage & Family Therapists
- Behavioral Health Nurses
- Psychiatrists
- Other Mental Health Professionals
- Speech-language Pathologists
Reviews
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