Connection, Communication, and Intimacy in Neurodiverse Couples Counseling

CPD

Faculty

Kory Andreas, LCSW-C Related seminars and products

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Kory Andreas, LCSW-C is a clinical social worker and Autism specialist with a deep passion for understanding and supporting neurodivergent individuals. As an "identity-based practitioner", her late-diagnosed neurodivergence is a cornerstone of both her therapy practice and her role as a neurodiversity educator. Kory works in private practice to provide Autism assessments and therapeutic services to neurodivergent individuals and couples. Renowned for her humorous and insightful approach, Kory is a sought-after speaker, delivering neurodiversity awareness and affirming strategies to mental health practitioners, treatment facilities, and the corporate world.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Kory Andreas maintains a private practice. She receives a speaking honorarium from Psychotherapy Networker and PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Kory Andreas has no relevant non-financial relationships.

Additional Info

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Objectives

1. Recognize how Neurodivergent individuals uniquely experience connection, intimacy, and communication in relationships, including the impact of sensory needs, anxiety, and special interests. 
2. Identify inclusive frameworks and practical tools that enhance communication, intimacy, and mutual regulation in mixed-neurotype couples. 
3. Evaluate why traditional couples therapy often fails Neurodiverse couples and apply alternative, neurodiversity-affirming strategies that address their specific relational needs. 

Outline

Rethinking Autism, Gender, and Clinical Language

• Distinctions between medical and social models of Autism and relevance in therapeutic contexts
• Exclusion of high-masking clients in traditional diagnostic criteria, especially women, AFAB, and gender-diverse individuals
• Inclusive terminology and evolving language of identity in affirming therapy
• Risk/Limitations: Limitations of current diagnostic tools and risks of reinforcing masking

Intersectionality in Autism and Gender Identity

• Research on co-occurrence of Autism and gender-diverse identities
• Clinical pitfalls: misdiagnosis, invalidation, masking reinforcement
• Gender-based relational themes: oversharing, mental rehearsals, object-based connection
• Affirming strategies for integrating gender identity and Autism in care

Neurodivergent Relationship Structures and Intimacy

• Nontraditional relational frameworks: queerplatonic partnerships, ethical non-monogamy, modified cohabitation
• Sensory-based needs in intimacy: scripting, sensory accommodations, pacing
• Autistic expressions of desire: asexuality, allosexuality, responsive desire
• Client examples illustrating themes in neurodiverse relationships

Clinical Tools for Communication, Consent, and Connection

• Scripting techniques, post-intimacy processing, communication scaffolding
• Sensory tools: sensory scales, body-based self-awareness, aftercare plans
• Substance use as sensory management with caution and nuance
• Trauma-informed, affirming approaches to consent and connection
• Risk/Limitations: Lack of inclusive research on Autistic sexuality; need for individualized care

Target Audience

• Counsellors 
• Educators
• Marriage and Family Therapists
• Occupational Therapists
• Physical Therapists
• Physicians
• Psychologists
• Social Workers
• Speech-Language Pathologists