BLOGS: FOR THERAPISTS BY THERAPISTS

Explore clinical perspectives written by therapists for therapists. KDH Collective brings together articles on OCD and exposure and response prevention, trauma-informed care, neurodiversity-affirming practice, counseling ethics, and working with LGBTQIA+ clients. Our contributors connect clinical experience with questions that arise in the therapy room, from differential diagnosis and treatment planning to the therapeutic relationship.

Choose an article below or browse by topic and author to find resources relevant to your practice. For structured continuing education, explore our OCD and ERP training, trauma training, and neurodivergence CEU series. Each course page provides its learning objectives, format, schedule, and continuing education details.

Neurodivergence

chart to visualize the blog

7 min read

When Trauma Responses Don’t Look Like Trauma: Recognizing Masked Symptoms in Neurodivergent Clients

Picture of KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: Mar 15, 2026, 5:05:41 PM

Trauma doesn't always look like hypervigilance, flashbacks, or a clear stress response — and in neurodivergent clients, it often doesn't. Masking, sensory overwhelm, shutdowns, rigid routines, or what reads as "just autism" or "just ADHD" can be the trauma response itself, hiding in plain sight. Missing this distinction doesn't just delay...

Broken gears within a neutral head.

4 min read

The Invisible Threshold: Rethinking Therapy for Adult ADHD

Picture of Monet David, MS, LPC, ADHD-CCSP Monet David, MS, LPC, ADHD-CCSP: Mar 2, 2026, 11:36:50 AM

In the modern therapy room, a specific type of clinical impasse is becoming increasingly common. It involves the client who is insightful, motivated, and perhaps even a high-achiever, yet remains trapped in a cycle of unexplained burnout, chronic overwhelm, and executive dysfunction. Despite months of cognitive restructuring, attachment...

Three neutral people, with blank faces, in gray.

7 min read

Autistic Adults: The Clients We Haven't Learned to See

Picture of Whitney Storey, MS, LPC, ASDCS Whitney Storey, MS, LPC, ASDCS: Mar 2, 2026, 11:33:40 AM

Mental health professionals are trained in a way that leads us to spot the "obvious" cases of autism: the children who struggle with eye contact, who have high support needs, or who exhibit the classic externalized behaviors we learned in the media, our textbooks, and the DSM. But what happens when the signs aren't obvious? What happens when our...

A rainbow infinity sign

9 min read

Toward a More Affirming Mental Health Practice

Picture of Whitney Storey, MS, LPC, ASDCS Whitney Storey, MS, LPC, ASDCS: Jun 20, 2025, 11:58:37 AM

As mental health therapists, we are trained to understand and address distress and to help our clients navigate their inner worlds and external challenges. But how often do we truly pause to examine the foundational lenses through which we view “health,” “function,” and “disability”? Adopting a neurodivergent affirming perspective requires us to...

Venn Diagram of ADHD, Autism, and Dissociation

9 min read

ASD SPD ADHD & Dissociation: Contributor Co-Occurrence or Misdiagnosis

Picture of KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: Nov 14, 2024, 3:24:27 PM

Exploring the complexities of mental health, the threads of neurodivergence and dissociation weave together in intricate patterns. For therapists, differentiating symptoms-especially in discussions of PTSD vs autism-is complex and requires careful clinical observation over time. We train our minds to recognize symptom clusters rather than isolated...

Neurodivergent November | KDH Collective | Lafayette, LA

3 min read

Neurodivergent November with KDH Collective

KDH Collective: Nov 13, 2024, 2:07:36 PM

The beauty of being KDH Collective-a group of neurodivergent clinicians and scholars-is that we bring both lived experience and clinical rigor to our work. As neurodivergent professionals, we have a deep commitment to understanding our own neurotypes as well as the neurodivergent neurotypes of our clients. We have been affectionately referring to...

Autism and Addiction and Substance Use image

11 min read

Autism, Addiction, and Disordered Eating (OH MY!)

Picture of Whitney Storey, MS, LPC, ASDCS Whitney Storey, MS, LPC, ASDCS: Jun 14, 2024, 2:39:51 PM

If you are a therapist offering Autism Therapy for adults, it's important to consider disordered eating and addiction. When consulting with mental and physical health clinicians, a disconnect exists between clinical expectations and the reality of comorbidity between Autism, substance use disorders (SUD), and disordered eating (DE). Research...

KDH Collective | Neurodiversity - Affirming Therapy

5 min read

UNDERSTANDING NEURODIVERSITY-AFFIRMING THERAPY

Picture of KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: Sep 20, 2023, 7:50:14 AM

Neurodiversity-affirming therapy is emerging as a new approach to mental health care-one that flips the script on conventional therapy methods. Rather than viewing neurological differences through a lens of deficits or disorders, this approach celebrates and validates the diverse ways people process information, experience emotions, and engage...

Trauma and Neurodivergence Treatment

5 min read

Navigating Neurodivergent Trauma

Picture of KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: Jun 29, 2023, 4:06:49 PM

For therapists, trauma-informed care is a primary focus in both training and treatment. This approach, characterized by sensitivity to trauma and its effects, becomes especially critical when working with neurodivergent clients, particularly in presentations involving ADHD and PTSD and other overlapping conditions. Many individuals who are...

Neurodivergence | Neurodiversity | LPC | LCSW | LMFT

5 min read

Thinking Differently: Demystifying Neurodiversity Affirming Therapy

Picture of KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: Apr 29, 2023, 10:41:28 AM

As therapists, we encounter a vast array of clients, each bringing their own histories, insights, and emotions into the therapeutic space. Our role often requires us to navigate these complexities with empathy and understanding. Yet, one vital aspect that frequently fades into the background in clinical settings is neurodivergence. This term...