
New Pathways to
Neurodiversity Affirming Therapy
A Clinical Training Program
With Lila Low-Beinart MA, LPC
Owner of Divergent Paths Counseling
A transformative learning experience that goes beyond professional development, challenging the pathology paradigm to foster deeper compassion and more effective support for neurodivergent clients.
Next online cohort begins Jan 30th, 2026
Up to 24 CEs available for licensed clinicians in all states, approved by NBCC and NASW-WA
Working with neurodivergent clients can present unique challenges - even for seasoned practitioners.
Traditional therapy training often fails to address the unique needs of neurodivergent individuals.
Given that 15-20% of the population is neurodivergent - a figure comparable to substance use disorders in the U.S. - training on neurodiversity-affirming care should be as essential as substance use disorder treatment.
But right now, most clinicians are left to navigate these complexities without the guidance they need.
Whether you’re just beginning to learn about neurodiversity or you’re looking to refine and deepen your knowledge, this comprehensive training will equip you with the essential skills to provide truly neurodiversity-affirming therapy.
You’ll move beyond outdated, pathologizing models, embrace a strengths-based framework, and develop the clinical tools needed to cultivate a safe, compassionate, and effective therapeutic environment.
In this training we will...
Are you prepared to support neurodivergent clients?
That's where this training comes in

This training offers more than just knowledge—it provides a transformative perspective that will reshape your approach to therapy.
You’ll gain the confidence and clinical tools to support neurodivergent clients effectively and ethically.
Because without the right training, we risk missing key aspects of our clients’ experiences—or worse, unintentionally causing harm.
Let’s change that.
Join us in shaping the future of therapy—one that truly affirms and empowers neurodivergent individuals.
Enroll Now!
Optional Consult Group
$300
6 members maximum
For training participants only
Learn more about the consult group here
Payment, Refunds, and Cancellation Policy
Complaints & Dispute Resolution Policy
If this course is unaffordable to you, please email
trainings@divergentpathscounseling.com to discuss sliding scale options.
What Makes This Course Unique?
This is the first long-form neurodiversity-affirming training of its kind - designed not just to inform, but to transform.
You’ll leave with concrete, immediately usable clinical skills for working with autistic, ADHD, gifted and otherwise neurodivergent clients - grounded in a deeply integrated trauma lens.
Each module is 3 hours because you won’t just sit through lectures; you’ll actively participate, connect, and grow through experiential practices like authentic relating.
And beyond professional development, expect something rarer: personal transformation that changes how you see your clients, your work, and yourself.
DATES AND TIMES
Jan 30th-May 8th, 2026
9:30am–12:30pm MT
Every other Friday
INCLUDED IN THE COURSE
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Eight sessions of live presentation & discussion*
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Optional consult group for integration of clinical work
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Up to 24 CEs - That's half of what you need to renew your license!
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Certificate of Completion
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Recommended reading and multimedia resources
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WhatsApp group for asynchronous connection
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Listing in our Neurodiversity-Affirming Therapist Directory
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Access to materials for 6 months after course ends
*Recordings will be available. Up to 2 live sessions can be missed before CE credit will be reduced.
Prior Participant Ratings
Ratings shown are averages from participant scores (1–10) for each module.

This course is for you if...
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You're a mental health practitioner (counselor, social worker, psychologist, etc.) or studying to be one.
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You want to begin working with neurodivergent clients and use neurodiversity affirming therapy right from the start.
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You already work with neurodivergent clients, and want to deepen your capacity to support them.
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You're neurodivergent and want a solid foundation to kickstart your practice, leveraging your unique lived experience.
This course is not a good fit if...
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You're not willing to challenge your own paradigms around ability and "functioning".
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You're not open to transforming yourself as both a person and practitioner.
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You don't have reliable methods to support yourself as your worldview changes.
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You struggle to take in lots of information via live presentations
About Lila Low-Beinart
Lila Low-Beinart MA, LPC, MHC-LP, is an autistic, gifted, and Highly Sensitive (HSP) psychotherapist, neurodiversity affirming pioneer, and teacher, who brings over thirteen years of teaching experience to this training. She is known for evoking profound emotional and cognitive shifts in her trainees that facilitate meaningful learning and transformation. Her capacity for deep presence, empathy, and insight, honed through over a decade of meditation practice, significantly enriches both her teaching and clinical work.
Her teaching experience spans diverse fields—from pharmaceutical to authentic relating and therapeutic domains—underpinned by four teacher trainings and ongoing professional development at Harvard University's Transforming Health Care Education program, focused on the neuroscience of learning and effective instructional design. This rich background equips her with exceptional skills in group facilitation, communication, and creating engaging and impactful learning environments.
In her clinical work, Lila specializes in neurodiversity-affirming care, integrating contemplative, parts-based, and somatic approaches that validate and celebrate neurodivergent ways of being. Her practice is deeply informed by her lived experience, as well as the insights of her clients and neurodivergent colleagues and friends.
Drawing on a previous career as a pharmaceutical chemist, where she authored multiple peer-reviewed studies and taught internationally, Lila also brings a robust analytical perspective to her work.

Unlock Deeper Learning: Join the Consult Group
This consult group is where the rubber meet the road. Where you get deep, personalized support in integrating and applying the concepts you learn in this training to your clients, in real-time. Where you get to work on all the qualities of being a neurodiversity-affirming therapist that go beyond the interventions. The one's that really elevate you from a good neurodiversity-affirming therapist to great.
Only open to 6 training participants, this group provides more than just case consultation. Through powerful authentic relating practices, you'll build a supportive peer community for ongoing consultation and referral, while directly addressing unconscious bias through genuine self-awareness and connection.
Developing this profound inner awareness is crucial for providing effective and attuned support to all neurodivergent clients, and is particularly vital when working with those who are autistic or highly sensitive.
This is your chance for personalized discussion, in-depth case consultation, and a significant deepening of your clinical skills. Enroll now before it's full!
Details:
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Dates: 5 sessions - Feb 6th, March 6th, Apr 3rd, May 1st, and May 15th
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Time: 10:30am MT, for 1 or 1.25 hours, depending on group size
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Price: $60 per meeting for a total of $300
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Group size: 3-6 members
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Priority enrollment in Lila's ongoing post-training consult group
Here is Everything You'll Learn Inside
New Pathways to
Neurodiversity Affirming Care...



Module One
Shifting From a Pathology to Neurodiversity Paradigm
This foundational module sets the stage by exploring the systemic roots of trauma experienced by neurodivergent individuals. We delve into how interconnected systems of oppression and marginalization culminate in ableism. Understanding these systems is crucial for therapists to recognize the external sources of their clients' distress and avoid pathologizing neurodivergent traits.
In this Module, we will explore:
🔹 Introduction & Overview of the Course
🔹 Tracing Ableism to its Roots
🔹 The Medicalization of Bodies and the Illusion of "Normal"
🔹 The Pathology and Neurodiversity Paradigms
🔹 Types of Neurodivergence & Inclusive Language
🔹 How to increase Self-Awareness to Reduce Bias
Module Two
Recognizing & Understanding ADHD & Giftedness
This module explores the lived experience of ADHD and gifted individuals. We will move beyond common misconceptions and simplifications to examine where "dysfunction" is located, the importance of strength-based differential diagnosis, and your current level of ND-affirming competency. Ultimately, you will gain tools to move beyond simply observing behavior, cultivating a deeper empathy for your neurodivergent clients and loved ones through understanding their inner world.

In this Module, we will explore:
🔹 Grasping the importance of recognizing neurodivergence
🔹 Giftedness & ADHD from the inside out: lived experience
🔹 Understanding 7 types of giftedness & their significance
🔹 The ADHD wheel: traits, strengths, & challenges
🔹 Deconstruct the idea of "dysfunction" and its origins

Module Three
Recognizing & Understanding Autism
This module dives into the inner world of autism, with a focus on the sensory and social experiences that shape the autistic experience. We will challenge common misconceptions and learn to recognize autistic masking and camouflaging behaviors, with the goal of cultivating a deeper empathy for the autistic people in your life. This session will specifically cover neurodiversity perspectives on autism and explore the therapeutic implications of different types of empathy, including affective empathy, as we examine the function of stimming.
In this Module, we will explore:
🔹 Explore lived experience of autism from the inside out
🔹 The Autism wheel: traits, strengths, and challenges
🔹 The Double Empathy Problem & other ND perspectives
🔹 Recognizing masking (and its impact on mental health)
🔹 Understand the function of stimming & why it’s important
Module Four
Key Qualities & Practices of a Neurodiversity-Affirming Therapist
This module focuses on the essential qualities and practices of a neurodiversity-affirming therapist. We explore how traditional therapy can inadvertently harm neurodivergent clients and discuss alternative approaches that prioritize power-sharing, cultural humility, and responsiveness. We will begin to translate these principles into practical clinical skills, focusing on the initial stages of client interaction and assessment.
In this Module, we will explore:
🔹 Understanding & implementing cultural humility
🔹 Cultivating curiosity about client's sensory experience
🔹 Setting up your therapy space
🔹 Effective first steps with new clients
🔹 Broaching, conflict, & repair


Module Five
Tailoring Therapeutic Approaches for Neurodivergent Clients
This module delves into the process of selecting and tailoring therapeutic approaches for neurodivergent clients. We discuss the importance of client-centered work, attachment-based therapy, and how to adapt therapeutic modalities. We'll address masking, connecting clients with resource, and supporting identity development. We'll also examine evidence-based care, balancing scientific research with clinical expertise and client values.
In this Module, we will explore:
🔹 Deconstructing evidence-based care
🔹 How to choose what modality(s) will be most helpful
🔹 Client-centered and attachment-informed therapy
🔹 Integrating your therapeutic modalities of choice
🔹 How to help clients unmask
🔹 Neurodivergent identity development
Module Six
Building a Trauma-Informed Neurodiversity-Affirming Practice
This module examines the intersection of neurodiversity and trauma, focusing on the unique trauma experiences of neurodivergent individuals. We discuss the impact of sensory overload, misattunement, social exclusion, and ableist trauma. The module also covers how to recognize signs of trauma in neurodivergent clients and the impact of trauma on attachment and relationships.
In this Module, we will explore:
🔹 The intersection of neurodivergence & trauma
🔹 Distinguishing between trauma & neurodivergent traits
🔹 Neurodivergent-specific types of trauma
🔹 The impact of trauma on attachment and relationships


Module Seven
Applying Trauma Models to Neurodivergent Clients
This module explores various trauma models and their application to neurodivergent trauma. We discuss the polyvagal theory, the structural dissociation theory, and somatic understandings of trauma, providing practical examples and techniques for working with traumatized neurodivergent clients. Special topics include alexithymia and meltdowns/shutdowns.
In this Module, we will explore:
🔹 Applying trauma models to neurodivergent clients
🔹 Reframing resistance to reduce therapist burnout
🔹 Working with the 3 different types of alexithymia
🔹 Supporting clients with meltdowns & shutdowns
Module Eight
Fostering Authentic Neurodivergent Relationships
This module explores the landscape of neurodivergent communication and relationships, blending clinical insight with affirming practice. We'll explore how ableism and trauma can shape social experiences, and empower clients to build and nurture authentic connections. The therapeutic relationship is emphasized as a foundational space for safety and affirming support.
In this Module, we will explore:
🔹 Affirming relationship psychoeducation for clients
🔹 Creating therapeutic relationship that nurture and heal
🔹 Empowering clients to cultivate authentic connections
🔹 Developing skills in assertiveness & boundary-setting
🔹 Rejection sensitivity dysphoria, demand avoidance, PDA
🔹 Summarizing key learnings & conclude this learning path

Please note: content subject to change
After completing this course you will be able to:
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Integrate foundational principles of neurodiversity-affirming care into your practice
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Recognize unidentified neurodivergent clients in your practice
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Empower neurodivergent clients to build deeper more fulfilling relationships
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Guide clients experiencing alexithymia towards accessing emotions
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Navigate meltdowns and shutdowns skillfully and compassionately
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Identify masking and facilitate authentic unmasking
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Understand and support clients with executive function differences
Enroll in the Course
If you have any questions prior to enrollment, please reach out to trainings@divergentpathscounseling.com, and we will respond within 1-2 business days.
