Insurances Accepted

 Therapy for ADHD, Autism, AuDHD, and more, without pathologizing who you are. Available in person in Irvine or virtually throughout California.

At Affirming Psychological Services, we offer neurodivergent-affirming therapy for clients who want support without having to mask, explain, or reshape their identity to fit someone else’s model of “normal.” Whether you're newly diagnosed, self-identified, or still exploring how your brain works, we’re here to help you better understand yourself and build a life that actually fits.

Our clinicians are trauma-informed, identity-affirming, and trained to work with neurodivergent clients of all ages. Services are available online throughout California.

It means we don’t view your neurotype as something broken or in need of fixing. We reject ableist ideas of “normal functioning” and instead help you identify your own needs, strengths, and values.

We don’t use compliance-based approaches. We won’t try to extinguish your stimming, make you force eye contact, or push you to act “less autistic.” Instead, we support you in:

• Reducing burnout and sensory overload
   
• Unlearning shame, internalized ableism, or masking strategies that no longer serve you
   
• Building tools for executive functioning, self-advocacy, and emotional regulation
   
• Creating relationships, work, and routines that work for your brain, not someone else’s

We work with:

• Autistic clients (diagnosed or self-identified)
   
• ADHD and AuDHD clients navigating attention, overwhelm, or burnout
   
• Neurodivergent teens and adults exploring identity, masking, or rejection sensitivity
   
• Late-diagnosed clients who feel like they’re starting over
   
• LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC neurodivergent clients navigating layered identity stress
   
• Parents or partners of neurodivergent people seeking support or clarity
   

Whether you have a formal diagnosis or not, you're welcome here.

•  Executive functioning challenges
   
• Sensory sensitivities and shutdowns
   
• Autistic burnout and masking exhaustion
   
• RSD (Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria)
   
• Navigating school, work, or social expectations
   
• Self-doubt or imposter syndrome
   
• Shame, anxiety, depression, or trauma linked to misdiagnosis or invalidation
   

Many of our clients have been previously misdiagnosed (or missed entirely) due to gender, race, or high-masking presentations. We recognize the impact of systemic bias in the diagnostic and educational systems, and we’re here to do better.

We tailor therapy to your needs, not to a manual or to social norms. Depending on your goals, our sessions may include:

• Collaborative problem-solving, planning, and goal-setting
   
• Tools for managing overwhelm, transitions, or task paralysis
   
• Rebuilding trust in your own perception and experience
   
• Exploring your identity and unmasking safely
   
• Mindfulness, body-based awareness, or sensory integration strategies
   
• Optional integration of psychological testing results, if applicable
   

Our therapists work from modalities like CBT, DBT, person-centered, ACT, and trauma-focused approaches, but always through a neurodivergent-affirming lens.

•  Therapists who truly understand neurodivergence
   
• We welcome self-diagnosed and exploring clients
   
• Sessions are flexible: we don’t require you to “show up a certain way”
   
• We know what masking, burnout, and invalidation can do to a person
   
• We offer both therapy and psychological testing, which can be integrated for clients who want both support and clarity
   
• Online therapy across California, accessible from wherever you are within California