Neuro-Grief and Unseen Loss

CPD

Faculty

Danielle Sheppard, LPCC Related seminars and products

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Danielle Sheppard, LPCC, is a licensed professional clinical counselor with over 17 years of clinical experience supporting individuals, couples, and families. She holds a master’s degree in clinical counseling from San Francisco State University, with specialized training in neuroaffirming care. Danielle is an autism specialist, certified grief educator, and provider of LGBTQ-affirming therapy, utilizing Internal Family Systems (IFS) as her primary therapeutic framework.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Danielle Sheppard has employment relationships with RULA, Open Doors Therapy, Living Careers, LLC., West Los Angeles College, and Pepperdine University. She receives a speaking honorarium from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Danielle Sheppard has no relevant non-financial relationships.

Additional Info

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Objectives

1. Identify invisible grief and neuro-grief experiences in Autistic clients across developmental stages and identity transitions.
2. Describe adaptations of traditional grief frameworks to accommodate neurodivergent processing and communication styles.
3. Select neuroaffirming strategies and therapeutic tools (e.g., narrative therapy, IFS, ACT, DBT-informed supports) to help Autistic clients navigate loss, change, and self-discovery.

Outline

Understanding Neurogrief in Autistic Clients (particularly late diagnosed)

• Conceptualizing neurogrief – define neurogrief as the emotional and psychological response to recognizing lifelong neurodivergence, and its effect on identity, belonging, and sense of self (aka: grief of identity), following unmasking or late diagnosis.
• Invisible grief from social exclusion, missed milestones, and chronic misunderstanding
• Integrating Autism-Informed Lenses – Frame neurogrief within neurodiversity-affirming and trauma-informed models, highlighting the intersection of self-understanding, acceptance, and societal conditioning.
• Therapeutic Modalities and Interventions – Explore use of narrative therapy, internal family systems (IFS) and somatic grounding strategies in supporting clients through identity reconstruction.
• Risks and Limitations – Note that empirical research on neurogrief remains limited; therapeutic approaches may inadvertently reinforce deficit-based language or trigger re-traumatization if not adapted for autistic sensory and cognitive processing needs.

Recognizing and Differentiating Types of Loss

• Developmental and transitional grief (school, puberty, relationships)
• Loss of identity (aka: grief of identity), and imagined futures after self-discovery or diagnosis
• Ambiguous and disenfranchised grief in neurodivergent experiences
• Systemic invalidation and its impact on mourning

Core Therapeutic Considerations in Addressing Neurogrief

• Adaptations of grief models for neurodivergent processing styles
• Identity Reconstruction and Self-Integration — Guide clients through acknowledging pre- and post-diagnosis identities, exploring internalized ableism, and cultivating an integrated sense of self that honors neurodivergent identity.
• Facilitating Emotional Regulation and Processing — Utilize autism-affirming emotion regulation approaches such as interoceptive awareness training, mindfulness adaptations, and sensory-informed grounding techniques.
• Strengthening Connection and Community — Encourage engagement with neurodiverse peer groups and IFS therapy for integration of parts with self and meaning-making.
• Risks and Limitations — Recognize that standard therapeutic interventions may inadvertently center neurotypical frameworks; practitioners must avoid pathologizing client experiences and remain critically aware of the limited empirical data on neurogrief processes in autistic adults.

Target Audience

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