Amy Helms, LCSW

YOU’RE NOT BROKEN. YOU DON’T NEED TO BE “FIXED.” YOU NEED… *To understand yourself. Your diagnosis (formal or self-diagnosed) isn’t a life sentence, it’s a life explained. Together, we’ll piece it all together so that you know YOU, the real you. *To stop auditioning for a role you never agreed to play. You’ve been rehearsing yourself in every room for so long, you forgot it was a performance. You know that thing when the interaction ends and the real work begins? When you re-play it, overthink it, find the moment you “got it wrong” and grade yourself? That’s not reflection. That’s scoring yourself on a test no one else knew you were taking. This isn’t weakness, it’s survival; AND, you’re allowed to stop! *To accommodate your nervous system and unique way of being in a world that wasn’t made for your neurotype. You’ve adapted to every room you’ve ever walked into. At some point, the room should also adapt to you. Together, we’ll map your sensory profile, review, practice, and experiment with adjustments and strategies that work with you, not against you. *To understand how perimenopause and menopause affect you and your mental health. Menopause didn’t create your struggles, it just took away the coping mechanisms that had been covering for you since you were nine years old. You’ve spent your whole life being the reliable one, the organized one, the one who never dropped the ball. Then, menopause hit and none of it worked anymore. Nobody tells you that “losing your mind” during menopause might actually be a gift of your brain showing you who it always was. Menopause didn’t break your coping strategies. It revealed what was underneath them all along. *I’m a therapist. I’m also post-menopausal and late diagnosed autistic and ADHD. So, when I tell you that you don’t need fixing, I’m not just saying it from a textbook, I’m saying it from the other side of the desk too. My approach is individualized and integrative, because no two people show up the exact same way. Maybe you’ve heard the saying, “if you’ve met one autistic person, you’ve met one autistic person.” It’s just as true for ADHD, and even more true for AuDHD, where the two don’t just add together, they interact and reshape each other. That’s why I don’t work from a script. I work from what’s actually true for YOU. ***Please note that I do not accept insurance. This is intentional and I believe, neuro-affirming, in light of the cultural stigmatization of these diagnoses in the USA; however, if you choose to utilize your out-of-network benefits for personal reimbursement, I am happy to provide you with a monthly super-bill that you can submit to your insurance provider. In order to ensure that my services are accessible despite services being self-pay, all clients determine their rate through a sliding scale, based on the honor system and through income levels and personal financial circumstances, ranging anywhere from $75-$200/session. You choose your rate. I do not verify income, however, rates are revisited on a yearly basis. The sliding scale guideline will be emailed to you when you request an appointment for a free 15-minute consultation to determine if we are a good fit for one another, or you can visit my Linktree on Instagram for a pdf detailing the guidelines. HSA and FSA are also accepted, along with Mastercard, Visa, Debit, etc. Finally, all sessions are between 60-75 minutes (as opposed to the standard 50-55 minute session when insurance dictates care) in an effort to remain accessible and neuro-affirming.***