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Tasha Oswald

Young Adults Group

 

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I’m often lonely.

Sometimes, I feel like no one understands me.

I want to make more friends, but it is hard for me. I’m having a lot of social anxiety.

I want to meet other people who can relate to what it’s like to be a young adult with autism.”

Life after graduating from college is challenging. Navigating your life as an independent millennial with autism seems overwhelming. You’re starting your new career and your next steps in your life. Maybe, you miss the routine you had in school and the structure that an academic setting provided. Sometimes, you feel anxious about all the changes that have happened and the uncertainty of post-college life.

Meet Other Young Adults with Autism Who Can Relate to Your Struggles

young adults sitting on the beach laughing and smiling after attending a social skills group for young adults in Palo Alto, CA at Open Doors Therapy 94306

Being a young adult with autism is challenging. You relate to the world in a different way than your peers. This can lead you to feel like you’re alone. Maybe, you’re struggling with making friends or dating. Or you have a hard time carrying on conversations with others or interacting with people in social settings. Sometimes, you may experience social anxiety. Therefore, you tend to isolate yourself from others so you don’t have to deal with the stress that initiating conversations and small talk may cause you.

Maybe, you’re looking to meet other people your age who can relate to the struggles you are experiencing as an autistic millennial. You’re looking to learn new social skills and tools that you can use in your everyday life to be successful in professional and social settings.

Group Therapy Can Improve Your Quality of Life as a Neurodiverse Young Adult

At Open Doors Therapy in Palo Alto, CA we strongly believe in the power of a group. We understand the struggles you are having as an autistic young adult who is navigating life after college. Therefore, we have established a group for young adults with autism in the heart of Silicon Valley, Palo Alto. This group provides you with the opportunity to meet people who can relate to the challenges you are having and support you while you learn and practice new social skills.

Our Young Adults Group provides you with a safe place to learn what it means to be a millennial with autistic traits. You may identify as having autism, having Asperger’s, gifted and talented, twice-exceptional, or neurodiverse. We know you may be feeling anxious about joining a group. But, we know that by taking this big step you will gain the self-confidence to face life’s challenges and create lasting change.

Do you want to:

Group of young adults socializing at a restaurant after learning social skills at an autism support group in Palo Alto, CA 94306 at Open Doors Therapy

  • Meet other autistic young adults?

  • Learn and practice important social skills?

  • Get strategies to make new friends?

  • Develop the tools necessary to navigate post-college life and be successful in your career?

  • Locate additional autism resources in Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay area

  • Learn coping strategies to deal with sensory overload and challenging social situations?

Learn More About the Young Adults Group

The focus of this group is to address the concerns you face as a young adult with autistic traits. To ensure the success of this group, we first want to make sure that our Young Adults Group is right for you and your unique needs and schedule. Before joining the group we ask that you schedule a free phone consultation with the group facilitator. Our therapist will answer any questions you may have and determine which social skills group will be right for you. If you decide that you want to join this group, we ask that you commit to attending our meeting at our counseling clinic located in Palo Alto, California once a week for 1 hour and 30 minutes. This group meets for 20 weeks. The cost of this group is $150 per session.

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During the Young Adults Group, You Will Learn and Practice Useful Social Skills to Improve Your Life

Venn diagram explaining goals of Palo Alto Autism therapy and social skills groups for autistic young adults. Begin autism group therapy in Palo Alto, CA at Open Doors Therapy 94306

One of the biggest struggles for many young adults with autism is wanting to make new friends, but not having the tools need to do so. Therefore, in our group, we focus on learning and practicing these skills in a non-judgemental supportive setting. We want to set you up for success and help you build confidence. This will help you succeed in many different aspects of your post-college life.

Learn Social Skills with Other Autistic Young Adults

We know that it may be challenging for you to make and keep new friends. This can cause you to feel very anxious as you face new social demands after graduating from college. Therefore, we will give you a concrete set of social skills that you can use in your day-to-day life to improve your relationships with others.

Some of the important skills you will learn include:

  • Gaining strategies and confidence to start conversations

  • Managing your desire to info-dump

  • Improving non-verbal communication

  • Understanding social norms and social cues

  • Increasing Listening skills

  • Expressing empathy and validation to build rapport

Learn Strategies to Cope with Stress, Anxiety, and Sensory Overload

Many young adults with autism struggle with feeling stressed and anxious. We understand that graduating from college is a big transition in your life. You may be feeling lots of anxiety about the uncertainty you’re experiencing as you start a new job. Therefore we place great value on learning some tools to cope with stress and anxiety. Especially when you are struggling with sensory overload.

Some of the important skills we teach to help you manage stress and anxiety include:

  • Understanding emotions and the things that cause you to feel anxious

  • Relaxation techniques and self-care suggestions

  • Managing sensory overload

Build a Foundation for Self-Confidence and Advocacy

Ultimately, the goal of group therapy at Open Doors Therapy is to give you the tools you need to succeed in your life as a neurodiverse young adult. We believe that building self-confidence will help you feel more comfortable advocating for your unique needs. Therefore, we will talk about the goals you have for your life after graduating from college.

We will help you improve your self-confidence by:

    • Informing you of the resources available for young adults with autism in the Bay Area community

    • Creating routine and structure in your life

    • Practicing self-advocacy and navigating uncomfortable situations

    • Setting personal and professional goals

    • Identifying your strengths, values, and challenges

Benefits of Group Therapy for Young Adults with Autism

Group of young adults sitting in chairs in a bright room in a social skills group in palo alto, ca 94306 at open doors therapy

There are so many benefits of joining a social skills group for autistic young adults. But the main benefit of our Young Adults Group is finding your tribe. This group can provide you with a place where you will belong and fit in. Many members of our group go on to have lasting friendships with each other. Our group can provide you with a safe place to discuss your highs and lows with people who care about you and your success. Therefore, you will feel more comfortable and confident using these social skills outside of our group setting.

Other Benefits of the Young Adults with Autism Group:

    • Learning from others

    • Accountability to group members

    • Less anxiety, depression, and feelings of being overwhelmed

    • Support from a highly trained autism therapist

    • Reduced shame and greater advocacy for your differences

Begin Group Therapy for Young Adults with Autism

A confident and happy young adult male after attending the young adults' group for young adults with autism in Palo Alto, CA at Open Doors therapy 94306

This group is specifically for high functioning young adults with autism, Asperger’s, or autistic traits. If you feel like this group would be a good fit for you, we’d love to speak with you. To begin group therapy at our autism therapy clinic in the South Bay Area, please follow these three steps:

  1. Contact Open Doors Therapy and schedule a free phone consultation with the group facilitator

  2. Attend a 1-hour intake meeting with an autism therapist to answer your questions about the Young Adults Group and make sure it is a good fit for you

  3. Join the Young Adults Group and meet other neurodiverse Millennials!

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Other Autism Services at Open Doors Therapy

Our Palo Alto/Bay Area autism therapy clinic specializes in helping neurodiverse individuals and their families. We help individuals who identify as having Asperger’s, high functioning autism, undiagnosed autism traits, etc.  Specifically, our autism counseling services include individual therapy, parent counseling, and group therapy. We offer support and educational groups for working professionals, college students with autistic traits, neurodiverse adults, women who identify as neurodiverse, and gifted youth & caregivers. And, we offer a mother’s group and an online parent support group for caregivers of autistic children. Also, we now offer online group therapy in the state of California. I have been writing blogs to provide autistic individuals and their families with more knowledge about autism and the resources available in our area. So, please contact our counseling clinic to learn more about the many ways we can support you or your loved ones with autism.