As a neurodiverse woman with autistic traits, you may often feel misunderstood.
It can be hard to make friends and navigate the complexities of a romantic relationship because social situations often make you feel anxious, and it can be hard to read social cues. People might misinterpret things you say or do, and judge you negatively. You might try hard to fit in but are socially rejected at times. This may lead you to feel alone and isolated.
Maybe you have been diagnosed with anxiety, depression, or OCD, but you never felt like that fully explained your difficulties. Perhaps, you have experienced meltdowns throughout your life. This might have led you to receive a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, but you felt like that didn't quite fit either.
Maybe you're diagnosed with autism or Asperger's, or are wondering if you are on the autism spectrum. Or perhaps you only received a diagnosis of autism as an adult, because you were able to mimic social cues and interactions growing up or were able to function well in school or were homeschooled. But, you have felt like you have struggled your whole life, it is very hard for you to keep friends. You may have been bullied or taken advantage of by others, and this affects your self-confidence.
The Women’s Group at Open Doors Therapy Can Help You!
Ultimately, you want to find support to help you navigate the world around you. You are ready to learn new social skills and information that can help you be successful in relationships, at home, and at work. Although group settings may cause you anxiety, we are confident that we will be able to make you feel comfortable and supported. Our therapists are ready to provide you with useful tools to help you feel more comfortable in your life as a woman with high-functioning autism.
A former participant shared:
...the group helped provide structure that gently guided myself and other group members in real-time practice and learning of constructive patterns of communication, perspective, and support. I found myself implementing it immediately to improve professional and personal relationships in my life. This and other applied learning felt like finally getting a glimpse of and using some “How-To” manual with which many other people are already familiar.
Details about the Women’s Social Skills Group:
During this social skills group, we will focus on the unique concerns you have regarding your life on the autism spectrum. First, we want to make sure this group will be a good fit for you and your unique needs and your schedule. We will set up a free phone consultation with you and the group facilitator to answer any of your questions and determine if the group is a good fit. If you decide to join this group, we ask that our participants commit to attending the women's group at our Palo Alto counseling clinic once a week for 1 hour and 30 minutes for 20 weeks. The cost of this group is $150 per session.
Join a Group
During the Women's Group Sessions, You Will Learn and Practice Social Skills.
One of the main concerns that women with autism have is learning how to fit in with other people in social settings. We understand that social interactions may cause you to feel very anxious. Therefore, we will help you develop skills you can use to cope with stress and anxiety, improve your social and communication skills, and gain more self-confidence.
Learn Useful Social Skills
We know that you face unique challenges making new friends, keeping your current friends, and navigating romantic relationships. Therefore, we want to give you a concrete set of social skills that you can apply in your life. Ultimately, our goal is to help you feel more comfortable and confident in social situations.
Some of the social skills we will explore in the group sessions include:
- Understanding social cues and social norms,
- Improving non-verbal communication,
- Listening skills and turn-taking in conversations,
- Expressing empathy and validation to build rapport
- Starting and maintaining conversations
- Managing the desire to "info-dump"
- Conflict resolution to improve interpersonal relationships
Learn New Strategies to Cope with Stress and Anxiety
Women with autism frequently report that they feel very anxious or stressed. This can cause them to meltdown and feel out of control. Therefore, during our social skills groups, we teach you tools you can use to cope with stress, anxiety, and sensory overload. These skills can be applied to your day-to-day life and when you face life changes that may disrupt your normal routine.
Some of the coping strategies we work on include:
- Dealing with stress and social anxiety,
- Learning about emotions and how to cope with negative feelings,
- Managing unwanted sensory stimulation
Become More Self-Aware in our Women's Social Skills Group
Ultimately, our hope is that the women’s group will give you increased quality of life. Therefore, we want you to gain more self-confidence, learn how to advocate for yourself, and be more self-aware. We know that by learning these skills you will find more joy in your day to day life as an autistic woman.
We will discuss the following goals and concerns during the course of the group:
- Identifying your strengths, challenges, and values,
- Setting personal, educational, or professional goals,
- Identifying your needs and learning the resources available to you as an autistic adult,
- Learning skills to help you better manage any challenges you may face
Benefits of Group Therapy for Women with Autism
There are MANY benefits to group therapy for neurodiverse women! Our participants greatly enjoy getting to engage with other women on the autism spectrum. Some of the benefits group participants report are:
- Having a safe and non-judgmental place to discuss your struggles
- Learning from others
- Having a group where you belong and can find support
- Learning and practicing new skills
- Feeling less anxious, depressed, overwhelmed, and unhappy
- Reducing any shame regarding your differences
- Feeling accountable to the group, which can help motivate you to practice the skills in your daily life
Best of the Blog: Posts for Neurodiverse Women in Silicon Valley
- Honoring Women with Autism
- Women with Autism are Often Misdiagnosed or Underdiagnosed
- Reasons Why Women with Autism are Misdiagnosed or Underdiagnosed
- Are you wondering if you may be a woman with autism traits?
- Current Research on Girls and Women with Autism
Join the Women’s Social Skills Group for Adult Neurodiverse Women in Palo Alto, California
Join a Group
This group is specifically for adult women with high-functioning autism, Asperger's, or autism traits in the South Bay Area. If you are looking for support and a place where you can learn more about your autism diagnosis and self-improvement, then our Women’s Group may be a wonderful fit for you. Our autism therapists will work with you and seven other group members to learn and practice new social skills that will be useful in overcoming the challenges you face. Ultimately, helping you lead a more fulfilling and successful life. To begin autism group therapy in Palo Alto, follow these simple steps:
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Reach out to Open Doors Therapy and schedule a free 30-minute phone consultation,
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Attend a 1-hour intake meeting with an autism specialist to make sure the Women's Group will meet your needs,
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Join our social skills group and meet other women with autism while learning new skills!
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Other Autism Services at Open Doors Therapy
Our Palo Alto/Bay Area counseling clinic specializes in helping individuals with autistic traits and their families. This includes individuals who identify as having Asperger's, high functioning autism, undiagnosed autism traits, etc. Specifically, our autism therapy services include individual therapy, parent counseling, and group therapy. We also offer support and educational groups for college students with autistic traits, young adults with autism, neurodiverse adults, women who identify as neurodiverse, and gifted youth & caregivers, a mother's group, and an online parent support group. We are now offering online group therapy in the state of California. Additionally, I have been blogging to expand the available knowledge and resources for autistic adults. Please contact our office to learn more about our groups and therapy options and how we can help you or your loved one!