Welcome! I’m Stephanie and I am the owner of The AuDH Social Worker. I created my practice to be an affirming, welcoming, and safe space for Autistic, ADH, PDA, and/or AuDH individuals to access neuro-affirming therapy, coaching, and evaluations.

You might be wondering why I use ADH instead of ADHD… it is because language matters. As much as possible, I avoid using the language of “Autism Spectrum Disorder” or “Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder” due to the word ‘disorder’ being pathologizing and indicating a need to fix or cure. I also avoid using functioning labels, such as high or low functioning. Functioning is a clinical word that equates human values with productivity and high or low ‘functioning’ does not acknowledge that ‘functioning’ can vary from day to day or environment to environment.

I am a social justice-orientated social worker committed to honoring and validating lived experiences and ongoing self-reflection, education, and advocacy to ensure The AuDH Social Worker practice remains culturally sensitive, affirming, and responsive to the diverse needs of the individuals and communities I serve.

I value diversity in all forms, respecting all the identities of my clients. I practice from an anti-racist and decolonization lens and recognize there is much for me to learn and understand and am always doing the work to grow as a person and a clinician.

It is important to me to live my values of compassion, kindness, equality, justice, inclusion, and authenticity in both my personal and professional life. As a clinical social worker, I believe in transparency and with that transparency I share my social identities as follows.

I am a white, queer, fat, cis female who uses she/her pronouns living on the occupied land of the Peoria, Bodwewadmi (Potawatomi), Myaamia, Ochethi Sakowin, Hoocak (Ho-Chunk), and Kilikaapoi (Kickapoo) tribes. I am a late-diagnosed AuDH individual and am parenting a neurodivergent child with my spouse. I am dynamically disabled due to migraines, endometriosis, and adrenal insufficiency.