Blog
By Leah Barnes, LCMHCS
Blogs about: Autism in Adults, Adult ADHD, Anxiety, OCD, and Online Counseling in Charlotte and throughout North and South Carolina
Accommodations for Autistic Adults: Part 1
We talk a lot about how autistic adults need accommodations, but it can be hard to figure out what your specific needs are. In part 1 of this 2 part blog, I'll give you some ways to figure out what your particular needs are according to your social needs, communication needs, and stim needs.
Frequently Asked Questions about Out-of-Network Benefits
Many therapists are out-of-network with insurance these days, but that doesn’t always mean you are responsible for 100% of the cost. In this post, I go over ways to check and use your out-of-network benefits for therapy.
Affirming Neurodivergence in the Workplace
The workplace can be tough for autistic and ADHD adults, especially because many of our needs aren’t met in a traditional work environment. Fortunately, there are many strategies an employer can keep in mind to help employees.
Three Things your ADHD Partner Wishes you Knew
Relationships are hard. ADHD can be hard. Being in a relationship where one person has ADHD and the other doesn’t can be an extra level of hard. It can be fairly easy to find information about successful relationships in general, but what about when one partner has ADHD? What do you need to know?
Recovering from Holiday Burnout
This time of year can be hard on everyone, but even more so for neurodivergent folks. Our schedules are off, there’s more stimulation, lots of expectations, and more. We feel a sense of relief that the holidays are finally over and we get to return to normal, but sometimes it takes a while to overcome the anxiety and stress. So how can we recover from the holidays?
What can you address in a therapy intensive?
Many people, therapists and clients, are doing therapy intensives lately. One question that comes up often is “what can you address during a therapy intensive?”
In short, almost anything! Of course, this will vary from counselor to counselor, but generally speaking, most concerns can be addressed through an intensive model. Here are the ones that I personally do the most.
Top 10 Truths About Counseling, Therapy, and Psychotherapy
Ok, so you’ve found some potential therapists that seem great, and you’ve scheduled some free consultations, but maybe you have a ton of additional questions. There are lots of misunderstandings about therapy and the counseling process, so I thought I’d clear some of them up for you.
Top 10 Truths about counseling and therapy
Top 10 Myths About Counseling, Therapy, and Psychotherapy
Ok, so you’ve found some potential therapists that seem great, and you’ve scheduled some free consultations, but maybe you have a ton of additional questions. There are lots of misunderstandings about therapy and the counseling process, so I thought I’d clear some of them up for you.
Top 10 myths about therapy and counseling
What to expect from counseling, therapy, and psychotherapy
Ok, so you’ve found some potential therapists that seem great, you’ve scheduled some free consultations, but maybe you have a ton of additional questions. Totally normal! I’ve created this brief “What to expect” guide for you. While every therapist works a little differently, this should help give you a brief overview of what the process generally looks like.
How to Choose a Therapist
Finding a therapist, counselor, or psychologist in North Carolina and South Carolina
Questions to ask a therapist, counselor, or psychologist
So, you did your search and found a few therapists that seem like they might be a good fit for you. They all mention doing a free consultation, which sounds great, but what should you ask? What do you say? And what is even appropriate to ask them?
Neurodiversity-affirming care
There’s a lot of talk nowadays about the importance of affirming care, specifically in the medical and mental health fields. But what exactly is this, and how do you know if you’re getting it?
Getting an autism or ADHD diagnosis
You recently got a copy of your child’s evaluation, and it turns out they’re ADHD or autistic, and the report sounds like it is talking about you. Or maybe you’ve seen all the memes about things neurodivergent (ND) folks do, and realize you relate a lot to all of them. Or, you’ve noticed that the majority of people you get along with well are ND. There’s many places your journey could have started, but it’s led to this point- you’re questioning whether or not you are ND and are thinking about seeking an “official” diagnosis.
Neurodivergent, Neurotypical, What Does it all Mean?
Sometimes it can feel hard keeping up with terminology, especially in areas we are continually learning about. You may worry about saying the wrong thing or using the wrong words or even feel uncomfortable asking what certain terms mean. While this certainly isn’t an all-inclusive dictionary, and some of this information may (and likely will) change over time, I wanted to give you a good starting place for talking about neurodivergence.