Neurodiversity and psychotherapy—Connections and ways forward

Abstract

This critical review examines the connections between the neurodiversity paradigm and psychotherapy for autistic individuals. Clinical data indicates that autistic people face a deep and multifaceted mental health crisis, which neurodiversity-affirming psychotherapy is ideally posed to address. Nonetheless, there are substantial challenges for tailoring psychotherapeutic schemes to autistic clients. The importance of phenomenological psychology in overcoming these challenges is highlighted, and a related proposal is briefly developed.