Who needs counselling or psychotherapy?

With heightened self-awareness and the awareness of the people around them, adolescents and some adults with ASDs might feel different from their peers. They might not be confided to about their diagnosis, or not understand about their diagnosis. As a result, it is not uncommon for them to attribute their difference to mere “being dumb” or “geeky”. Their self-confidence often suffers, as a result.

Some less lucky ones might be subjected to years of being bullied and teased at school. Very often, due to their limited communication skills, inadequate problem solving and emotional coping skills, they cannot effectively share their feelings or learn an effective way to cope with these situations. To cope with the situations, some withdraw themselves from all peer interactions, some become hostile and sometimes aggressive in order to defend themselves from further bullying and some develop stress symptoms or even clinical depression.

In addition to the challenges of the environment, individuals with ASD might still present residual deficits in social skills, emotion-regulation skills, communication skills and organization skills.Their tendency to engage in obsessive and repetitive routines might limit their opportunities in the environment and sometimes causes distress to themselves and people around them. Their literalness and mostly “black-or-white” thinking style might not be effective in coping with the increasingly complicated social environment and life challenges.

What is counselling and psychotherapy?
The counselling and psychotherapy provided by Autism Partnership aims at addressing both emotional and skill issues, which are urgently needed for these youngsters. The approaches of Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy and Contemporary Behavioral Therapy are adapted to suit the unique needs for this group of people. Some common focuses of the sessions include:

• Social-communication skills training: conversation skills, understanding social etiquettes in different social settings, reading facial expressions, reading social cues, perspective taking, etc.
• Stress management skills
• Organization skills training
• Social problem solving skills training
• Anger management skills
• Managing repetitive behaviours
• Job interview skills and work behaviours (if the individual is an adult)
• Improving introspection skills
• Understanding about the diagnosis of ASD
• Learning about their own strengths and weaknesses

Sessions are very structured. Both one-on-one and small group formats are available, depending on the needs of the individual. Sessions are carried out in the office of Autism Partnership, but depending on the needs of the individual, it can also happen in the community, the school placement or work placement. The intensity of the sessions is also individualized. Typically, the sessions are scheduled once a week.

In order for the intervention to be successful, a collaboration approach is important. Training and support will be provided to parents or caregivers alongside with therapy to the individuals. Teachers will be met regularly to discuss the student’s progress and to formulate plans that involve changes in the student’s school and social environment.

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