Neurodivergent Affirming Executive Functioning Skills
In this workshop, participants will learn multiple neurodivergent-affirming methods for managing executive functioning challenges such as body doubling, managing sensory experiences, utilizing dual attention for focus, and planning around ultradian rhythms.
Overview
Recorded: Fall, 2024 1 CE
As awareness of ADHD and executive functioning challenges increases, many clients are seeking diagnosis and support with challenges around planning, focus, organization, and task initiation. In this workshop, participants will learn multiple neurodivergent-affirming methods for managing executive functioning challenges such as body doubling, managing sensory experiences, utilizing dual attention for focus, and planning around ultradian rhythms.
Learning Objectives
- Name and describe executive functioning tasks that neurodivergent people often struggle with
- Learn about sensory and attention differences and variations common to neurodivergent minds
- Understand how traditional advice around executive functioning challenges that are effective for neurotypical people can be counterproductive and mental distressing for neurodivergent people
- Learn multiple concrete strategies for managing executive functioning challenges in a neurodivergent affirming way
Course Outline
- Define and describe different executive functioning tasks
- Describe how neurodivergence creates differences in attention, motivation, and sensory needs that affect executive functioning.
- Commonly prescribed organization and focus recommendations and why they are often ineffective and distressing for neurodivergent people
- Neurodivergent-affirming methods for managing executive functioning skills
About the Presenter
Dr. Tanya is the co-founder and CEO of Colorful Minds Psychotherapy Collective. She is a neurodivergent, queer, Cuban-American counselor educator, clinical supervisor, and licensed mental health counselor in both Florida and Washington state. Dr. Tanya provides virtual clinical supervision, mental health consultation and psychotherapy through her private practice, Evolve Counseling Center, LLC. She also currently teaches as Adjunct Faculty at Antioch University Seattle. Dr. Tanya’s clinical experience includes inpatient acute psychiatric stabilization, college counseling centers, and ambulatory substance abuse detox. She opened her private practice in 2014, and was an early adopter of telehealth, or online counseling. Dr. Tanya has presented original research on distance counseling, distance supervision, and culturally competent counseling pedagogy at national conferences including the American Counseling Association, Association for Counselor Education and Supervision, and Association for Specialists in Group Work. She co-wrote a CCE-Global certification curriculum for Distance Counseling (2014-2017), and developed training and courses on online counseling for Antioch University Seattle’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling program. Dr. Tanya has supervised over a dozen pre-licensed clinicians, and taught hundreds of masters and doctoral counseling students as a professor at Antioch University Seattle, Barry University, Nova Southeastern University, and The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Currently her clinical work focuses on supporting adults who are recovering from harmful religious or spiritual experiences, as well neurodivergent adults who are exploring their unique minds. Dr. Tanya is passionate about supporting counselors and clients to build lives that are custom built for their needs and preferences. Dr. Tanya enjoys mentoring and supporting all Colorful Minds Collective clinicians. In a landscape of telehealth companies and agencies that require psychotherapists to work long hours and see many clients a day, many neurodivergent and/or chronically ill clinicians are only able to sustainably practice psychotherapy in private practice. This provides autonomy over their time, caseloads, and environment. Clinicians who are able to take control over their work are better able to care for their clients, improving clinical outcomes. If you’re a Washington psychotherapist interested in launching or growing your private practice within the Colorful Minds Collective community, contact Dr. Tanya for more information.