When Lived Experience Becomes Clinical Expertise: Perspectives of Autistic Mental Health Therapists

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

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Hogan, J., Anderson-Gutierrez, J., Holmgren, I., Neff, M. A., Laksman, C., & Mills, D. (2025). When Lived Experience Becomes Clinical Expertise: Perspectives of Autistic Mental Health Therapists. Autism in Adulthood, Article 25739581251406897. https://doi.org/10.1177/25739581251406897

Publication date: 29 Dec 2025 Added to AutiHub: 20 Sep 2026 Type: Article Article language: English
Publisher source (DOI) OpenAlex source

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Authors

Publication authors
6
Publication authors identified as autistic
4 / 6 (66.7%)
  1. Jessica Hogan *
  2. Joseph Anderson-Gutierrez *
  3. Illeanna Holmgren *
  1. Megan Anna Neff
  2. Camille Laksman
  3. Danielle Mills *

Abstract

Introduction: Autistic psychotherapists hold a unique and underexplored position within the mental health field. While research on autistic clients is growing, there remains a significant gap in understanding the experiences of autistic clinicians. This study adds to the emerging literature on neurodiversity-affirming care by centering the voices of licensed autistic psychotherapists. Methods: Using a qualitative approach informed by interpretative phenomenological analysis, this study explored the professional identities, challenges, and contributions of eight licensed autistic therapists in the United States. We recruited participants through targeted outreach in online communities and took part in in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Results: Analysis revealed six superordinate themes: (1) Integration of autistic identity into therapeutic practice, (2) challenges in navigating professional environments, (3) adapting therapy for autistic clients, (4) autistic therapist well-being, (5) unique contributions of autistic therapists, and (6) advocacy and systemic change. Participants highlighted the value of authenticity in their clinical work, the therapeutic benefits of shared identity with autistic clients, and the importance of peer support within autistic communities. They also described systemic challenges, including stigma, limited accommodations, and workplace environments built around neurotypical norms. Discussion: Findings underscore the need for more inclusive training, supervision, and workplace practices to support and retain autistic clinicians. Participants challenged deficit-based assumptions about autism and demonstrated how autistic therapists bring essential insight, innovation, and empathy to their work. This study contributes to the growing field of neurodiversity scholarship and offers practical implications for building more affirming, equitable mental health systems.

Bibliography cited by this reference

Cited references are imported from external metadata sources when they are available. The list may be partial.

Cited bibliography overview

These indicators describe the bibliography cited by this publication. An author name is counted each time it appears in one cited reference, so the same person can be counted more than once. Names not yet linked to an author already present in AutiHub are treated as unknown, not as non-autistic. Last computed: 28 Oct 2026 01:01.

Cited references
43
With a DOI
40
Without a DOI, from raw bibliography text
3
14 / 43 (32.6%) cited references include at least one author identified as autistic.
References with data to complete
1 / 43 (2.3%)
References with detected author names
42 / 43 (97.7%)
Without detected author names
1
Without a structured title
1
Without a stable identifier
3
References with raw author names still to review
1
References with external metadata lookup issues
0
These indicators apply to cited references displayed on this page, after technical duplicates have been merged. A reference without a DOI can still support author statistics when a title and author names are available.
Author names detected in the cited bibliography
174
From DOI or external metadata
174
From validated raw bibliography text
0
Raw names already validated
0
Raw names still to review
1
112 / 174 (64.4%) names are linked to an author already present in AutiHub. 62 / 174 (35.6%) names are not yet linked.
Names linked to a person identified as autistic
26 / 174 (14.9%)
Calculated across all author names detected in the cited bibliography. Among names linked to an author already present in AutiHub: 26 / 112 (23.2%). Distinct people identified as autistic: 26 / 152 (17.1%).
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