neurodivergent-affirming care
Autism Therapy at Mind & Body Healing Collective
Autistic people don’t need to be fixed. You deserve a therapist who understands how your brain and body experience the world, and who helps you build a life that fits it.
- ◦ In person in Lawrence, Overland Park or Topeka
- ◦ Telehealth across Kansas
- ◦ Most insurance accepted
approaches we use
- Neurodivergent-Affirming Care
- CBT
- DBT Skills
- Somatic Therapy
- Internal Family Systems
- Family Systems
This might sound familiar
- 01
Your child melts down after school every day, even though teachers say they’re doing fine.
- 02
You come home from social events so drained that you need the whole next day to recover.
- 03
Bright lights, scratchy tags, loud restaurants or overlapping conversations feel unbearable, and others don’t seem to notice them.
- 04
You’ve spent years copying how other people act and are tired of performing a version of yourself.
- 05
A change in routine, even a small one, can throw off your whole day or week.
- 06
You recently learned you’re autistic, or suspect you might be, and want help making sense of your history.
- 07
As a parent, you’re getting conflicting advice from schools, relatives and the internet and want guidance that respects your child.
- 08
Anxiety, low mood or burnout keep showing up, and past therapy never quite fit the way you think.
Autism therapy at Mind & Body Healing Collective, in Lawrence, Overland Park, Topeka, or by telehealth, is neurodivergent-affirming from the first conversation. We see autism as a different way of sensing, thinking, communicating and connecting, not a list of deficits to train away. Therapy here focuses on what actually makes life hard for you or your child, such as sensory overload, anxiety, burnout, shutdowns or a world that keeps asking you to mask, while honoring the strengths, interests and honesty that so often come with autistic minds.
We work with autistic children as young as 4, teens, college students and adults, along with the parents, partners and families who love them. Some people come to us long before any formal diagnosis, simply wondering whether the word fits. Others have known for years and are facing new questions as a child heads into middle school, a teen prepares for life after high school, or an adult finally understands why so much has felt exhausting.
Our Topeka office includes clinicians who specialize in autism and neurodivergence, and neurodivergent-affirming care is a shared value across all of our locations. Some of our clinicians are neurodivergent themselves and bring that lived understanding into the room. The goal isn’t to make anyone look less autistic. It is to reduce suffering, build self-understanding and help you or your child feel more at home in your own life.
What neurodivergent-affirming autism therapy means
Neurodivergent-affirming therapy starts from respect. Stimming, intense interests, direct communication and a need for predictability are treated as natural parts of how an autistic person regulates and engages, not as behaviors to extinguish. We get curious about what each of those things is doing for you, and we focus our energy on the parts of life that are genuinely causing distress, rather than on making someone appear more typical to others.
That shift matters, because many autistic people have spent years being corrected, misunderstood or pushed to mask. Masking can keep someone safe in the short term, but over time it often leads to anxiety, depression, exhaustion and a fragile sense of self. Therapy is a place to set the mask down, notice what your nervous system actually needs, and practice advocating for it in a world that wasn’t designed with you in mind.
- Sensory overload, shutdowns and meltdowns
- Autistic burnout and the toll of masking
- Anxiety, depression and co-occurring ADHD
- Social connection on your own terms
- Transitions, routines and changes at school or work
- Late diagnosis and making sense of your story
Autism therapy for children, teens and adults
For children 4 and older, sessions are often playful and hands-on. Kids explore feelings through games, art, movement and their own special interests, and they practice noticing early signs of overwhelm and finding ways to calm their bodies that actually work for them. Parents are close partners in this work, so what happens in session can carry over into mornings, bedtimes and the drive home from school.
Teens often need a place to talk about friendships, identity, school pressure and growing independence without being lectured. Autistic teens and adults also explore gender and sexuality more often than many people realize, and our LGBTQIA+ affirming clinicians welcome those conversations. For adults, especially those diagnosed later in life, therapy can make room for relief, grief and anger about years of misunderstanding, and then help you design work, relationships and routines that fit how you are wired.
Support for parents and families
When one person in a family is struggling, everyone feels it. Parents of autistic kids can feel exhausted, isolated and second-guessed by schools, relatives and strangers in the grocery store. Siblings may feel overlooked or confused. We work with the whole family system, helping parents understand their child’s experience, adjust routines and expectations, and respond to hard moments in ways that protect connection rather than erode it.
Family sessions can also help everyone build a shared language for needs and limits, plan ahead for predictable stress points like the start of a school year or a family trip, and repair after the hard days that inevitably come. Parents are welcome to have their own space too. Caring for a neurodivergent child while managing your own stress, and sometimes your own neurodivergence, is a lot to hold alone.
Approaches that fit autistic minds
We adapt therapy to how you or your child think and communicate, not the other way around. That might mean clear structure and visual supports, written check-ins, fewer open-ended questions, sensory-friendly setups, movement breaks, or sessions built around a favorite topic. Some people prefer a quieter, lower-demand pace, and others thrive with concrete goals. We figure it out together and adjust as we go.
Your therapist may draw on several evidence-informed methods, always explained ahead of time and adapted for neurodivergent clients. Somatic therapy and EMDR are offered at our Lawrence and Overland Park offices, and our psychiatric nurse practitioner can be part of the conversation when anxiety, mood or attention concerns might benefit from a medication evaluation.
- Neurodivergent-affirming CBT: practical strategies for anxiety and overwhelm, adapted to concrete and literal thinking styles.
- DBT skills: emotion regulation and distress tolerance tools for shutdowns, meltdowns and big feelings.
- Somatic therapy: noticing body signals and sensory needs so regulation becomes easier to find.
- Internal Family Systems: getting to know the protective, masking and tired parts of you with compassion.
- Family systems work: helping households adjust routines and communication around everyone’s needs.
what to expect
how we'll begin, together
- 1
Reach out
Call or text (785) 615-1995 or send us a message. Share who the therapy is for, their age and what feels hardest right now, and we’ll help match you with a clinician and location that fit.
- 2
Get to know each other
The first session explores history, strengths, sensory needs and goals. For children, parents often join the first visit. We can adjust lighting, seating and pacing so the room feels manageable.
- 3
Build a plan together
Together we choose a starting focus, whether that’s calming tools, school or work supports, family communication or deeper work on anxiety and burnout. Your input shapes every step.
- 4
Practice and adjust
Strategies get tested in real life, then refined. Over time, many clients notice more self-understanding, fewer crises and more energy for the people and interests they love.
clinicians across the collective
people you might work with
autism therapy near you
four offices, plus telehealth
Autism therapy is offered at all of our offices: 2619 W 6th St, Suites A & C, in west Lawrence; 616 Kentucky St, a quiet house a few blocks from downtown Lawrence; 10100 W 87th St, Suite 204, in Overland Park; and 5020 SW 28th St, Suite 204, in Topeka, where our team includes clinicians who specialize in autism and neurodivergence. Families come from Eudora, Olathe, Lenexa, Shawnee and Auburn alike. Secure telehealth is available across Kansas, Missouri, Washington and Florida, depending on clinician licensure.
Mon–Fri · 8 AM–9 PM · (785) 615-1995
questions
autism therapy, answered
Still wondering about something? Call (785) 615-1995 or send us a note.
Do you diagnose autism?
Formal autism evaluations are usually completed by psychologists or developmental specialists using standardized testing. If you’re looking for one, ask us and we’ll help you think through where to go. You don’t need a diagnosis to start therapy, and many people find it helpful to begin working on what feels hard while they sort out the evaluation question.
Is your autism therapy the same as ABA?
No. Our work is counseling: talk-, play- and relationship-based therapy focused on emotional well-being, regulation and self-understanding. We don’t aim to make anyone look less autistic or comply for compliance’s sake. Families who use other services are welcome, and with your permission we’re glad to coordinate with other providers.
How young can my child start autism therapy?
We work with children starting at age 4. At that age, therapy looks like play, movement and simple skill-building, and parents are closely involved. Early support can help children feel understood, reduce frustration at home and school, and give parents practical tools long before challenges snowball.
I think I might be autistic as an adult. Can therapy help?
Yes. Many adults come to us wondering whether autism explains a lifetime of feeling different, overwhelmed or misunderstood. Therapy can help you explore that question, make sense of your history, reduce masking where it’s safe to, and build routines and relationships that work with your brain instead of against it.
Is autism therapy covered by insurance?
Most insurance is accepted, and we file claims for you. Coverage depends on your specific plan, so we’re happy to help you check your benefits before your first appointment. Self-pay options are also available if you prefer not to use insurance.
Do you work with autism alongside ADHD, anxiety or depression?
Yes. Autism often travels with ADHD, anxiety, depression or trauma. Our neurodivergent-affirming clinicians look at the whole person rather than treating each label separately, and care can include individual therapy, family sessions and psychiatric support when that helps.
take the first step
you don't have to carry it alone.
Tell us a little about what's going on and we'll match you with a clinician who fits, in person or by telehealth. Most insurance accepted.