Experiences of Psychological Therapy as an Autistic Person

This publication is included in the Autistic Autism Scholarship Project. two authors of this publication are identified as autistic in the project.

About the autistic author marker

Mason, D., Stark, E., Musich, F. M., & Spain, D. (2022). Experiences of Psychological Therapy as an Autistic Person. In Psychological Therapies for Adults with Autism (pp. 6-17). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/med-psych/9780197548462.003.0002

Publication date: 1 Jan 2022 Added to AutiHub: 16 Sep 2026 Type: Book chapter Article language: English

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Authors

Publication authors
4
Publication authors identified as autistic
2 / 4 (50.0%)

Abstract

There is increasing empirical evidence to suggest that psychological therapies can be effective for targeting mental health symptoms experienced by autistic adults. However, relatively little is known about what autistic adults think about the structure and content of psychological therapies and which elements of the therapeutic process are more or less accessible, meaningful, and subjectively important for facilitating hope, change, and resilience. The focus in this chapter is on the personal experiences of autistic adults who have had individual or group therapy. As in all clinical work, therapists are encouraged to adopt an open, curious, and reflective stance and to engage in active conversations with autistic clients about how to adapt the therapeutic context so as to maximize intervention accessibility and effectiveness.

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