"This is the book that would’ve saved me nine different therapists, decades of self-analysis, thousands of pounds, twelve different doctors and untold amounts of pain, frustration and trauma - in spending a lifetime looking for the right answers in the wrong places I’ve become an accidental expert."
In this candid, witty and insightful exploration into therapy, Steph Jones uses her professional and lived experiences as a late diagnosed autistic woman and therapist, as well as consulting therapists from across the world and tapping into the autistic community, to create the ultimate autistic survival guide to therapy.
Steph confronts the statistics, inadequate practices and ableist therapists head on and poses the questions of how we can make therapy neurodivergence-affirming and how to create safe spaces for autistic individuals. With strategic and practical advice to help recognise the “red flags’ of a dodgy therapist and provide a clear roadmap to finding your confidence and setting the appropriate boundaries with a new therapist, Steph has every question answered.
To support therapists striving for inclusivity and a neurodiverse affirming practice, the inclusion of a context guide provides a deconstruction of each therapy session so you can recognise how undiagnosed (or diagnosed) autism may present itself during therapy and how you can start to explore this in the therapeutic space.
An absolutely crucial resource in a world where autistic people are desperately looking for effective therapy, but few therapists seem appropriately equipped to deal with us. Given that many autistic people have co-occuring conditions, it is vital that therapists have up to date knowledge and training on how to understand and treat us. A real gem that will change lives.
Steph Jones takes readers on an entertaining, informative and incredibly relatable ride through her therapy journey as a late diagnosed Autistic woman and therapist. Steph’s insights and advice on what to look for in an affirming therapist, how to know when a therapist is not for you, and so much more, will prove invaluable to Autistic adults and therapists alike.
Steph Jones is an autistic therapist and former journalist, who has written many articles on the experience of therapy and terminology of therapists.
