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On Being an Autistic Therapist
This book is about working as autistic counsellors and psychotherapists. It is a collection of stand-alone chapters put together by members of the international online collective Autistic Counsellors and Psychotherapists (ACP). It shares their main to tackle the lack of appropriate therapy available to autistic clients and to challenge the common stereotypes about autistic people, which are still very much alive and can bar them both from therapy and therapy training. But, because the writers have lived experience of the issues they are working with, they are also writing about ways of working most effectively and helpfully with autistic people. And that is what makes it unique. Each chapter describes both how the writer perceives and processes the world and how they work with clients. Their stories provide incontrovertible evidence that the existence of autistic therapists, far from being problematic or even a contradiction, is quite simply normal. And that neurodiversity, just like biodiversity, enriches, broadens and benefits all. It offers readers - autistic, allistic, therapists and would-be therapists, clients and would-be clients - the chance to meet the contributors and see them as humans, therapists and supervisors. Their hope is that, in its small way, this collection may give readers the understanding that they need to join them in changing the world.
406 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 6, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
August 13, 2026
What an excellent anthology of the lived experiences of being an autistic therapist!
The book is organised around numerous lived experiences, clinical adaptations, and clinical supervision. Chapters span diverse modalities, including person-centred therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), somatic experiencing, art therapy, and dance/movement psychotherapy, which demonstrates how autistic practitioners adapt traditional frameworks to foster authentic connection with clients (and in a lot of ways, themselves). I found this book to be both healing, reaffirming in my practice - as someone who is neurodivergent - and incredibly informative.
My favourite takeaways:
- The collection directly dismantles the persistent stereotype that autistic individuals lack empathy or interpersonal depth. Throughout each chapter, contributors highlight how intense analytical observation, deep hyperfocus, and heightened sensory awareness allow them to build profound therapeutic rapport. It has always been a challenge for me to articulate this when asked about my own practice, so seeing my experience written down in black and white has been a welcome sight.
- The book explores how lived experiences of "othering", sensory processing differences, and late diagnosis enhance a clinician's ability to validate neurodivergent clients. Which has been my experience in all my years of practice! Reading these experiences for the first time brought a tear to my eye, with how seen I had felt.
- Authors don't shy away from the institutional obstacles present in therapy training and practice. They address sensory overload, workplace burnout, moral injury, and the struggle to navigate neurotypical professional norms.
- The book provides practical models for accessible supervision, sensory-friendly environments, and self-disclosure, offering a roadmap for neurodivergent-affirming clinical spaces. I certainly feel affirmed and empowered after reading this!
Overall Verdict: The book’s strength lies in its mosaic of authentic, unapologetic voices. Rather than treating autistic adults purely as recipients of therapy, it firmly establishes them as skilled, empathetic providers. For me, I found it an unbelievably humanising experience.
I would 100% recommend this book as an essential, transformative read for psychotherapists, supervisors, educators, and neurodivergent clients alike. It bridges a vital gap in clinical literature by proving that neurodiversity enriches the entire therapeutic landscape.
The book is organised around numerous lived experiences, clinical adaptations, and clinical supervision. Chapters span diverse modalities, including person-centred therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), somatic experiencing, art therapy, and dance/movement psychotherapy, which demonstrates how autistic practitioners adapt traditional frameworks to foster authentic connection with clients (and in a lot of ways, themselves). I found this book to be both healing, reaffirming in my practice - as someone who is neurodivergent - and incredibly informative.
My favourite takeaways:
- The collection directly dismantles the persistent stereotype that autistic individuals lack empathy or interpersonal depth. Throughout each chapter, contributors highlight how intense analytical observation, deep hyperfocus, and heightened sensory awareness allow them to build profound therapeutic rapport. It has always been a challenge for me to articulate this when asked about my own practice, so seeing my experience written down in black and white has been a welcome sight.
- The book explores how lived experiences of "othering", sensory processing differences, and late diagnosis enhance a clinician's ability to validate neurodivergent clients. Which has been my experience in all my years of practice! Reading these experiences for the first time brought a tear to my eye, with how seen I had felt.
- Authors don't shy away from the institutional obstacles present in therapy training and practice. They address sensory overload, workplace burnout, moral injury, and the struggle to navigate neurotypical professional norms.
- The book provides practical models for accessible supervision, sensory-friendly environments, and self-disclosure, offering a roadmap for neurodivergent-affirming clinical spaces. I certainly feel affirmed and empowered after reading this!
Overall Verdict: The book’s strength lies in its mosaic of authentic, unapologetic voices. Rather than treating autistic adults purely as recipients of therapy, it firmly establishes them as skilled, empathetic providers. For me, I found it an unbelievably humanising experience.
I would 100% recommend this book as an essential, transformative read for psychotherapists, supervisors, educators, and neurodivergent clients alike. It bridges a vital gap in clinical literature by proving that neurodiversity enriches the entire therapeutic landscape.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review