Therapy Services for Autistic Adults
Empowering Neurodivergent Voices with Compassion and Understanding
Life can be overwhelming and exhausting when navigating a world designed for neurotypical people. Whether you're newly diagnosed or have known for years that you are on the autism spectrum, finding the right kind of therapy - therapy that respects who you are without asking you to change your core self - is crucial. Autistic adults often face higher rates of mental health challenges, with research indicating that up to 66% of autistic adults without intellectual disabilities have experienced suicidal thoughts, compared to 17% of non-autistic adults. Anxiety, depression and eating disorders are particularly common, often linked to societal pressures and the need to mask or "camouflage" autistic traits to fit into neurotypical environments.
At The Wren Centre in Ottawa, our treatment approach offers a compassionate, respectful space for autistic and neurodivergent adults seeking support to navigate relationships, career challenges, life transitions, and improve mental and emotional well-being, without compromising who you are. Therapy can be highly beneficial for autistic individuals; we support your mental health and well-being, with neurodivergent-affirming practices for managing anxiety, improving social relationships, and enhancing overall life satisfaction
A Safe Space for Neurodivergent Adults
We understand that traditional therapy can often feel inaccessible or unhelpful to neurodivergent individuals, especially those on the autism spectrum. Many autistic adults experience decades of “acting neurotypical” and conforming to others’ expectations, and many therapists are insufficiently versed in supporting adults on the spectrum and can exacerbate the pressure you already feel to suppress your authentic experience.
We believe therapy is not about forcing change or trying to “normalize” you; it’s about creating a space where you can relax into yourself and approach the challenges of living with autism in an overly demanding world. We work with adults, both newly diagnosed and those who have lived with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) for years, helping you manage life’s complexities in a way that honours your experience.
Many of our adult clients are diagnosed with autism or self-identify as neurodivergent. You may know that the use of the terms “Aspbergers” or “high-functioning autism” are no longer in use as of the DSM-5 and were replaced with the term ASD-1.
Further, some research specialists advocate for the use of the term Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) to adopt a less stigmatizing framework that adopts a strengths-based approach (i.e. not viewing autistic individuals through a model that emphasizes deficiency in contrast to “neurotypical” standards). Some individuals prefer to self-identify as having Aspbergers - having identified as such their whole lives - and we respect an individual’s right to self-identification.
Understanding Your Unique Needs
At The Wren Centre, we know that our autistic adult clients face the same life pressures as everyone else, but that their experience also looks and feels different from neurotypical individuals. Therefore, we approach therapy with awareness and compassion for holding the contradictions of similar life pressures and experiences simultaneously experienced uniquely. Your needs may include:
- Difficulty managing the sensory overload that comes with busy workplaces or parenting.
- Challenges in maintaining relationships or working through disagreements due to communication differences.
- Anxiety stemming from life transitions or the constant pressure to "fit in."
- Struggling or unable to self-advocate in environments or relationships where your needs aren’t fully understood.
Our approach to therapy for adults on the autism spectrum centres on meeting these needs with compassion and respect. We work with you to cultivate gentleness, acceptance and support within yourself, while identifying the strategies you need and the strengths you have, rather than imposing a one-size-fits-all solution.
A relationship based approach to autism
We empathize with the lack of support, resources, and understanding that autistic children, adults and families have to cope with. We understand that many our exhausted or burnt out and feeling abandoned and chronically misunderstood is part of the experience. Our philosophy is a neurodivergent-affirming approach, which acknowledges that autistic individuals deserve therapies that promote their self-actualization, not therapies designed to force them to mimic neurotypical behaviors.
Too often, traditional approaches miss the mark by focusing too heavily on extinguishing “undesirable” behaviors, without recognizing the autistic person’s inherent strengths or meeting their need for supportive relationships. As relationships are vital to a human’s psychological and emotional well-being at every age and stage of life, at our west Ottawa therapy centre, our approach is both strengths and relationship (attachment) based.
What to expect from therapy for autistic individuals at The Wren Centre
Our services focus on creating a space where you feel safe, understood, and respected. We tailor each session to your specific needs and provide somatic supports, if you choose, including weighted blankets, sand bags, or neck/shoulder packs, fidgets, and white noise machines. We approach therapy responsively - so if you don’t make eye contact (because that’s more comfortable for some autistic folks), we’re not expecting you to. We help you address challenges such as:
- Improving Communication Skills: For many adults on the spectrum, communicating effectively - especially in social or work settings - can feel challenging and use up your entire “social battery”. We work with you on understanding communication dynamics and strategies for effective self-advocacy, without asking you to change who you are.
- Managing Sensory Overload: Life is exhausting when your senses are heightened; sensory processing challenges are frequently co-occurring for autistic individuals, and some (like misophonia) can be significant obstacles to feeling well. Our therapists offer tools for recognizing and managing sensory triggers to help you find peace.
- Building Relationships: Whether it’s a relationship, parenting, or friendships, relationships come with unique challenges for autistic adults. Therapy helps you understand and strengthen the bonds in your life in a way that feels authentic to you.
- Navigating Life Transitions: Major life changes can be daunting for individuals with autism. Therapy gives you the tools to manage these transitions with confidence, reducing anxiety and fostering resilience.
Who we serve
Our services can meet the needs for children, teens and adults of all experiences on the autism spectrum, whether you’re newly diagnosed or have identified as autistic your whole life. We work with individuals who:
- Want support with personal growth, career transitions, or relationship issues.
- Identify as neurodivergent or autistic and want therapy that respects and supports who they are.
- Are navigating life as a parent, partner, or caregiver while managing your own sensory and emotional needs.
- Need help recovering and moving forward from environments or workplaces that are high-pressure, sensory-heavy environments.
Take the next step toward empowerment
If you’re ready to find support that truly honours and uplifts your neurodivergence, we invite you to book a consultation at The Wren Centre. We offer a free phone or video consultations to discuss how we can support your journey toward greater self-understanding and balance.
Though our office for in-person service is located in west Ottawa, we also offer virtual therapy for autistic folks.
Folks on the spectrum help society evolve by challenging norms and reshaping our understanding of what it means to thrive.