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Amara Brook has appeared on the podcast To Hell and Back by Charlie Swenson. Charlie is a podcaster who discusses autism, neurodiversity, and DBT.
In this four-part series, Amara discusses the concept of neurodiversity, including autism or ADHD, learning disabilities, giftedness, intellectual disability, and acquired neuro divergence within life experiences. She is joined by clinical social worker Rachel Kraus.
If you want to watch or listen to the podcasts you can, or you can read the transcripts below.
Autism Neurodiversity and DBT
Episode 111
Full transcript coming soon!
Summary:
This podcast is not just a cookbook but guidelines for therapists to adapt DBT to their clients' specific needs. Highlighting that there are stereotypes about autism and different realities, such as differences in social communication, cognitive processing, and sensory needs.
The podcast introduces Dr. Amara Brook, a clinical psychologist and PhD psychologist with a focus in autism and related topics. She has worked with autistic individuals and has experience in CBT and private practice. Dr. Brook is trained as a DBT therapist and has done psychological testing and therapy, including DBT-oriented work.
In the podcast, Charlie and Amara discuss how to bring DBT to someone with autism and make it work. They mention that there are some overlaps, but not a total overlap. Rachel also joins them in a conversation about how to bring DBT to someone with autism and make it work.
Keywords: dbt, autistic, clients, neuro, autism, adapting, differences, divergent, adhd, populations, terms, brain, therapists, treatment, amara, day, diary, ways, training, barriers
Do we use DBT to target autism?
Episode 112
Summary:
Amara discusses the idea of neurodivergency, which is much broader than just autistic or ADHD. She points out that not all people have different brains, and this is important to consider. DBT is adapted for various cultural populations, such as borderline personality disorder, bipolar individuals, and those with ADHD. This adaptation is part of a movement to adapt DBT to different neurodivergent populations and cultural populations.
Keywords: dbt, autistic, clients, neuro, autism, adapting, differences, divergent, adhd, populations, terms, brain, therapists, treatment, amara, day, diary, ways, training, barriers
Full transcript coming soon!
Top Ten Tips for Adapting DBT to Autistic Clients
Episode 113
Full transcript coming soon!
Summary:
Amara and Rachael introduce a top 10 list that discusses skills for adapting DBT for autistic clients. The list starts with being humble and validating when in doubt, as autistic clients may have been traumatically invalidated throughout their lives. Therapists should assume good intentions and work with the client to figure out what skills and dialectic of acceptance and change might be helpful to them.
The traditional approach to treating autistic people has often been change-oriented therapies, as autism has been historically seen as a collection of deficits that need to be changed to fit more into the non-autistic or allistic world. However, there are many ways to adapt DBT for autistic individuals, and understanding their unique needs and preferences can help therapists tailor their approach to better suit their clients.
Keywords: clients, dbt, autism, autistic, people, therapist, adapt, person, rachel, neuro, validating, invalidated, podcast, learn, work, questions, amara, folks, part, lcsw
Adapting DBT Skills When Working with Autistic Individuals
Episode 115
Full transcript coming soon!
Summary:
The goal of DBT is not to change autism, but to help people with autism achieve their goals in life and regulate their emotions.
This is the fourth episode in the series. Amara and Rachel discuss topics such as invisibility, which is the idea that a person with autism is invisible due to stigmatization or past mistreatment. This masking is a significant issue, and the hosts discuss how to deal with this problem, such as screening people for autism, checking on them, and waking up to the fact that someone has autistic features.
The podcast also touches on the importance of understanding the invisibility of autism in the context of DBT, as it can lead to stigmatization and invalidation.
Keywords: autistic, dbt, people, autism, dbt skills, adhd, skills, client, questionnaires, rachel, differences, vague, sensory, brain, person, teach, talking, amara, literal, adapting