Overview
Following on from our successful in-person, full-day workshop in October last year, the Outer Eastern Melbourne Branch is once again hosting Jennifer Kemp for an intermediate workshop on neurodiversity-affirming practice.
This experiential skills workshop will help psychologists who already understand the fundamentals of neurodiversityaffirming practice to navigate the complex challenges experienced by Autistic and ADHDer clients with confidence. Delivering affirming therapy has now been recognised as an essential competency for psychologists. Yet, it can be challenging to know how to support Autistic and ADHDer adolescents and adults who are often unidentified as neurodivergent and have a complex history of interpersonal trauma, chronic mental health problems, overlapping forms of disability, and chronic illness. Many have also accumulated several misdiagnoses and had invalidating experiences with healthcare providers, creating further barriers to well-being.
Led by an experienced clinical psychologist who was late-diagnosed as Autistic and an ADHD, this one-day workshop will target three essential skill domains for practising psychologists working with Autistic and ADHDer clients: functional analysis, interoceptive and emotional awareness, and building safe relationships.
Functional analysis - is a therapeutic process that allows mental health professionals to distinguish behaviours that might be the focus of intervention from valid expressions of Autistic and ADHDer needs. Through case studies and real examples, participants will explore how to apply functional analysis to unwanted and harmful repetitive behaviours such as skinpicking, hair-pulling, and non-suicidal self-injury.
Interoception - is a sensory ability to notice and understand our internal bodily states, including our emotions. Approximately 75% of Autistic people have interoceptive differences, with this contributing to greater difficulties with managing distressing emotions, meltdowns, shutdowns and self-harm. Participants will learn how to help clients develop their interoceptive and emotional awareness and apply this to help them recover from distressing emotions, including the intense, pervasive, and long-lasting pain of rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD).
Unmasking and expressing oneself authentically - can be a challenge for many Autistic people and ADHDers, particularly those who are late diagnosed. Our society operates on unspoken neuro-normative social rules that emphasise conformity and being liked. To stay safe and avoid rejection, many will ‘perform neurotypicality’, a process that becomes so automatic and habitual that it disconnects the person from their authentic self. To unmask safely, Autistic people and ADHDers must find or create environments where they can be themselves. Participants will explore how key relationship skills, including maintaining boundaries and connecting through shared interests, can help their clients avoid rejection and express themselves authentically.
Participants will leave the workshop with greater confidence and enhanced skills in supporting clients with harmful repetitive and compulsive behaviours, those recovering from painful rejections, and those seeking to safely unmask and live authentically. Practical e-books, scripts, references, checklists, workbooks, and client resources will be provided to help participants immediately apply their new skills with clients.
About the presenter(s)
Jennifer Kemp is a privately practising Clinical Psychologist based in Adelaide who works primarily with neurodivergent adult clients who are experiencing anxiety, burnout, perfectionism, eating disorders, OCD, and chronic illness. Using a neurodiversity-affirming approach, Jennifer weaves together acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and compassion-focused approaches with her own lived experience of neurodivergence to help her clients improve their mental health and develop greater self-compassion, self-acceptance and pride in their neurodivergent identity.
Jennifer juggles clinical practice with writing, presenting, and clinical supervision. Jennifer is the co-author of “The Neurodivergent Skills Workbook for Autism and ADHD:Cultivate Self-Compassion, Live Authentically, and Be Your Own Advocate” and author of “The ACT Workbook for Perfectionism: Build Your Best (Imperfect) Life Using Powerful Acceptance & Commitment Therapy and Self-Compassion Skills.”
Notes
Registration includes morning and afternoon teas as well as lunch.
Discounted parking available at Eastland.
Target Audience
This event is aimed at all mental health practitioners keen to improve their skills when working with neurodivergent adults.
CPD
It is up to attendees to assess and determine how learning from this event aligns with the requirements of their learning plan. The providers accordingly do not make any representation that the event counts towards attendees’ CPD learning requirements. If an attendee determines themselves that the learning they complete aligns to their learning plan, then they can decide to count those hours towards their CPD requirements for the registration cycle.
The information in this presentation has been prepared in good faith and for educational purposes only. Therefore, the information is general in nature and should not be relied upon in the treatment of any condition and you should seek your own independent professional and/or legal advice concerning any specific issue. The APS accepts no responsibility for any errors, omissions or decisions relating to the information. The content should not be reproduced without permission or unless permitted by law.
If you are experiencing registration difficulties please contact APS Events Support.