Neuro-Affirming Therapy for Women and LGBTQ+ Folks in Greater Denver
Specialized, trauma-informed support for late-identified, high masking nuerodivergent adults navigating ADHD, Anxiety, and high sensitivity.
FROM INTELLECTUAL KNOWING TO INTEGRATED LIVING
A Compassionate, Embodied Approach For Your Unique Brain
For many neurodivergent adults, especially high masking women and those in the queer community, the struggle often isn't a lack of information, it’s the exhaustion of trying to fit in and apply strategies that aren’t tailored to support your unique nervous system. You may already know exactly what you "should" do, yet find it impossible to integrate those tools. Traditional therapy often fails here because it focuses on behavioral fixes rather than the physical reality of your brain and processing style.
When you're running on a different operating system, standard advice isn't just unhelpful; it’s a recipe for disappointment, shame, and burnout. In this space, we’ll move beyond surface-level hacks into deep self-exploration and healing. By externalizing the parts of you that are struggling, and processing the physiological "pockets" of trauma they hold, we’ll help you quiet the internal alarm bells, unmask with safety, and creating a life that finally honors your natural rhythm and needs.
What We Can Work on Together
➕ Unmasking & Identity Development
➕ Burnout Recovery
➕ Executive Function Support
➕ Communication & Boundaries
➕ Relationship/Family Dynamics
➕ Work Stress
➕ Gender and Sexuality
➕ Perfectionism
➕ People Pleasing
➕ General Anxiety & Low Mood
You May Be Wondering…
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While traditional Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) uses a "top-down" approach—relying on logic and cognitive reframing to change your thoughts—neuro-affirming therapy with IFS and EMDR is "bottom-up." Instead of trying to "talk you out" of your neurodivergent experience or masking your traits to fit a neurotypical mold, we focus on the physiological roots of your burnout and the brilliant survival strategies your "parts" have used to keep you safe. By processing the sensory and social trauma stored in your nervous system, we move beyond surface-level hacks toward deep, somatic integration that finally honors your authentic rhythm and needs.
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Nope! For many women and LGBTQ+ folks, formal diagnosis can be a path filled with barriers and historical bias. I operate from a framework that validates self-identification. Whether you have a formal clinical label or are just beginning to untangle why your nervous system feels "different," this is a safe space to explore your identity without the need for a gatekept diagnosis.
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Unmasking isn't about forcing yourself to be "vulnerable" everywhere; it’s about regaining the agency to choose when you feel safe to let your guard down. In our sessions, we work at your pace to identify which survival strategies (like people-pleasing or perfectionism) are still serving you and which ones are leading to burnout. We prioritize your felt safety above all else, helping you rebuild a sense of self-trust.
Trauma-Informed Therapies
There are many ways to process and heal from difficult life experiences. While I integrate a number of appraoches, below are the two I use most often. Together, we’ll explore each of them to decide which feels like the best fit for you.
EMDR Therapy
EMDR is a powerful tool for processing the trauma that often comes with growing up neurodivergent in a neurotypical world. For late-diagnosed adults, years of sensory overwhelm and social "misses" can leave the nervous system in a state of chronic high alert. This therapy helps lower the volume on those past experiences so they no longer drive your present-day anxiety or burnout.
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Unlike traditional talk therapy that focuses on the "what" and "why," EMDR works directly with the way your brain and body store memories. We use bilateral stimulation (such as guided eye movements, handheld tappers, or rhythmic sounds)) to help your brain "re-file" distressing memories that feel stuck in the present. This process helps your nervous system recognize that the threat has passed, allowing you to move from a state of "fight-flight-freeze" back into a state of felt safety.
In our sessions, we adapt the process to respect your sensory needs, ensuring the "work" feels sustainable and supportive rather than overwhelming.
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This approach is an ideal fit if you find yourself easily "triggered" by specific sensory inputs or social situations, or if you struggle with chronic "hyper-vigilance" (always waiting for the other shoe to drop). It can be especially helpful for those who are tired of "talking in circles" and want a more embodied, physiological way to heal from the shame and exhaustion of high-masking.
Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS)
For those who have spent a lifetime "masking," IFS offers a gentle way to meet the different parts of yourself—like the part that works overtime to keep you "functional" or the part that carries the weight of never feeling "enough." Instead of trying to fix a "disordered" brain, we approach your internal system with curiosity, recognizing that even your most frustrating habits started as brilliant survival strategies for a world not built for you.
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In our sessions, we don’t just talk about your problems; we learn to speak to the different parts of you. We focus on externalizing and unblending—the process of recognizing that a specific feeling (like intense anxiety or overwhelm) is just a "part" of your experience, not the whole of who you are. By identifying these parts, we can communicate with them to understand their specific fears and needs.
This collaborative approach allows us to work with your brain and body rather than against it, fostering a deep internal curiosity that makes self-care feel like an intentional choice rather than another "should” or “best guess” on your to-do list.
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This approach is an ideal fit if you are navigating heavy inner criticism, shame, people-pleasing, or perfectionism and find that intellectual "logic" isn't enough to shift them. It is designed for those who want more than traditional talk therapy and are open to a more relational, embodied, and creative way of engaging with their "big feelings” and trauma.
Let’s Help You Unmask & Reconnect
I know how much energy it takes to reach out, especially when you’re already running on empty. Let’s connect for a gentle, low-pressure conversation to see if we’re a good fit for your unmasking journey.