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E-Poster

Clinical Practice

Not Another Social Skills Group: Neurodiverse-Affirming Group Therapy Practices

This poster will present literature and lived experience of clinical care for neurodiverse clients using neurodiverse-affirming practices. Best practices for inclusive groups will be presented as well as two group case studies: 1) AuDHD Group: exclusively for neurodiverse clients and; 2) Open Group: an integrated neurotypical and neurodiverse group.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this session, attendees should be able to:
  1. Identify key barriers neurodiverse individuals face in traditional group psychotherapy and describe how ableist practices impact therapeutic effectiveness.
  2. Analyze the principles of neuro-affirming group therapy and evaluate best practices for creating inclusive, neuro-affirming group interventions through use of two group case studies.
  3. Apply neuro-affirming strategies by designing or adapting group therapy interventions that support neurodiverse clients while fostering authentic self-expression (i.e., not masking when safe) and social connection.