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Autism Training for Therapists
Sharon Kaye O’Connor, LCSW is an autistic psychotherapist who provides clinical supervision, case consultation and workshops for therapists, psychologists, OTs, SLPs, physicians and other health professionals. Sharon’s training teaches neurodiversity-affirming care from the inside: masking, autistic burnout versus depression, sensory regulation and autistic communication.
My training can bring tangible improvements in your clinical confidence and client outcomes:
- Deep understanding of the autistic experience from an insider perspective
- Clinical confidence with autistic clients across the lifespan
- Neurodiversity-affirming tools that honor autistic neurology
- Stronger therapeutic alliances with clients who finally feel understood
- Better client outcomes toward their self-identified goals
- Ethical practice that avoids interventions that cause harm
- Professional growth in an essential area of practice
Fees and Booking
Individual Consultation: for therapists, physicians and other healthcare providers seeking guidance on specific cases or autism-informed approaches.
Trainings & Workshops: custom quote based on scope and duration. Contact me to create a plan for you or your organization.
Platform: Phone, Zoom, Spruce App or Signal App
Contact me for fees
Individual consultation, 45-minute appointments
How to Book
Fill out the contact form to schedule supervision, consultation, or training.
Transform Your Clinical Practice with Autistic Insight
Most of what we learned in training about autism was unhelpful for actually supporting autistic clients. Traditional autism education often leaves us unprepared.
- Feeling unprepared? You may question whether your interventions truly help, or struggle to connect with autistic clients.
- Built without autistic voices. Much conventional training pathologizes natural autistic traits and can cause harm.
- Insight from lived experience. Learn from a clinician who understands the autistic experience from the inside.
Why Autism Training for Therapists Matters
Specialized training creates meaningful change in both your confidence and your clients’ wellbeing.
Neurodiversity-Affirming Care
Care that respects autistic identity rather than attempting to “fix” it.
Understanding from the Inside Out
The autistic experience, not just a diagnostic lens.
Authentic Therapeutic Relationships
Relationships with autistic clients based on genuine understanding.
Avoiding Harmful Interventions
Recognize approaches that cause trauma or promote masking.
Co-Occurring Conditions
Anxiety, depression, and trauma through an autism-informed framework.
Identity and Self-Advocacy
Support identity development rather than masking and compliance.
What’s Included in Autism Training for Therapists?
Essential topics that traditional autism education overlooks:
An Autistic Perspective
Sensory processing, communication, social navigation, energy conservation and nervous system regulation.
The Neurodiversity Paradigm
Autism as a difference in neurotype, not a disorder to be cured.
Autistic Communication Styles
Bridge communication differences without pathologizing autistic expression.
Sensory Processing and Regulation
Support regulation rather than suppress natural responses.
Masking and Its Consequences
Spot masking and understand the toll of constant camouflage.
Autistic Burnout and Mental Health
Distinguish burnout from depression and support recovery.
Honoring Special Interests
Learn how to draw from special interests as strengths and resources rather than viewing them as problematic.
Supporting Autistic Identity
Help clients embrace their identity and build self-advocacy skills.
Who Can Benefit?
My autism consultation and training serves health professionals across disciplines. Whether you’re new to working with autistic clients or an experienced clinician, insight-based training can fundamentally shift your understanding and effectiveness.
- Psychotherapists and counselors (LCSW, LMFT, LMHC, LPC) in private practice or agencies
- Clinical psychologists incorporating neurodiversity-affirming approaches
- School-based mental health providers supporting autistic students
- Occupational therapists seeking to deepen insight to support regulation-focused, client-centered practice
- Speech-language pathologists supporting autistic communication styles
- Social workers in clinical, agency, and school settings
- Psychiatrists and psychiatric NPs who want to better understand autism’s intersection with mental health
- Pediatricians and other physicians supporting neurodivergent patients
How I Provide Autism Training for Therapists
- Clinical Supervision for therapists who support autistic clients, or clients who may be autistic
- Autism Consultation for therapists, physicians, and other health care providers
- Trainings and Workshops on the foundations of autism and the autistic experience
Frequently Asked Questions
What does neurodiversity-affirming mean in therapy?
It means treating autism as a difference in neurotype, not a disorder to be cured, and supporting identity and self-advocacy rather than masking and compliance.
Who is your training for?
I work with psychotherapists and counselors (LCSW, LMFT, LMHC, LPC), psychologists, school-based providers, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, social workers, psychiatrists, psychiatric NPs and pediatricians.
What formats do you offer?
I offer clinical supervision, individual case consultation in 45-minute appointments, and trainings or workshops quoted by scope and length, by phone, Zoom, Spruce App or Signal App.
Why learn from an autistic clinician?
Much conventional autism training was built without autistic voices and can pathologize natural traits. I teach the autistic experience from the inside, including how to recognize and avoid interventions that cause harm.
Begin Your Autism-Informed Practice Today
Grounded in the lived experience of an autistic clinician with over 15 years of clinical practice. Contact me to schedule supervision, consultation, or training.