If you were identified as autistic or AuDHD in adulthood, or you have started to suspect it, this is therapy built for you. I help late-diagnosed, high-masking adults understand why they have always felt different and do the deeper identity and emotional work that comes next. Available across Colorado by telehealth.
You have probably spent years being told you are doing fine. On paper you are. Underneath, holding it together takes everything you have. This page is about that gap, and about the kind of therapy that takes it seriously.
What late-diagnosed neurodivergence looks like in adults
It often looks like competence. You meet the deadline, you read the room, you say the right thing, and then you go home with nothing left. Masking, the constant work of monitoring and adjusting yourself to seem typical, is exhausting in a way that is hard to explain to people who do not do it.
Many late-diagnosed adults describe the same things. A lifelong sense of being one step removed. Burnout that rest does not fix. Sensory overwhelm written off as being too sensitive. Deep feelings about small social moments. Relief and grief arriving together when the pieces finally fit. None of that means something is wrong with you. It means you have been working without the right map.
A late identification is, for most people, the first explanation that has ever actually fit.
Autism, AuDHD, and high masking, explained without jargon
Autism is a difference in how the brain processes social information, sensory input, and routine, not a deficit to be corrected. AuDHD is the common pairing of autism and ADHD in the same person, where the two pull in opposite directions, one toward structure and sameness, the other toward novelty and movement. That internal tug-of-war is real, and it is tiring.
High masking is the learned habit of hiding those differences to fit in. It is why so many capable adults are missed for decades. The mask works, right up until it costs more than it returns.
Why so many of us are missed until adulthood
The old picture of autism was built around young boys and visible traits. Adults who learned early to camouflage, who achieved, who kept the struggle private, did not match that picture, so no one looked. If you are articulate, conscientious, and quietly overwhelmed, you are exactly the kind of person the system was most likely to overlook.
A late identification is not a label for its own sake. For most people it is the first explanation that has ever actually fit, and the start of treating yourself with more accuracy and less blame.
What therapy with me looks like
This is depth work, not a set of productivity hacks. The goal is not to mask better or perform normal more efficiently. It is to understand the patterns underneath, where they came from, and what you actually want now that you can see them.
A few things you can expect from working with me.
- I help you see the patterns you are too close to see yourself. Much of the work is naming what has been running in the background, then deciding together what to keep and what to set down.
- I tell you what I actually notice, with warmth. You will get honesty resting on a real working relationship, not vague reassurance.
- You will not fall through the cracks. I come prepared, I follow up, and I remember the details that matter to you.
The methods are evidence-based and chosen to fit, acceptance and commitment therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, and parts and inner child work. I spent fifteen years in business before this work, so I am comfortable with high-functioning, high-responsibility clients who look fine from the outside.
Telehealth across Colorado
I see clients across Colorado by secure video, including the Denver metro communities of Westminster, Arvada, Littleton, Golden, Lakewood, and Broomfield. Telehealth makes consistent, affirming care reachable wherever you are in Colorado, which matters when leaving the house is itself one of the hard parts.
Common questions
What is AuDHD? AuDHD describes a person who is both autistic and has ADHD. The two show up together often, and the mix creates its own pattern, a pull toward routine and predictability alongside a pull toward stimulation and change.
What does AuDHD stand for, and what does it mean? It is a community term, not a formal diagnosis, that combines autism and ADHD. It means living with both sets of traits at once, which is why generic advice for one alone often misses the mark.
How common is AuDHD? Research suggests a large share of autistic people also meet criteria for ADHD, and the reverse is common too. It is far more frequent than the older idea that the two rarely co-occur.
What is rejection sensitive dysphoria, and is it real? Rejection sensitive dysphoria, or RSD, is an intense emotional response to perceived rejection, criticism, or falling short. It is most often described alongside ADHD. It is a real and widely reported experience, even though it is not a standalone diagnosis, and it responds to therapy.