Therapy for Late-Discovered or Late-Diagnosed Autism in Oregon

For High-Masking Autistic & ADHD Women Navigating Unmasking

Provider Identification & Licensure

Lisa Headings, Registered Associate Therapist – Oregon

I provide private-pay telehealth therapy for adults physically located in Oregon. I am a Registered Associate Therapist practicing under clinical supervision as required by the Oregon Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists.

My work focuses on supporting autistic and ADHD women navigating identity, masking, and the emotional impact of discovering autism later in life.

Primary Fit Anchor

I provide therapy for adult autistic and ADHD women in Oregon who are discovering autism later in life and working to understand how that discovery affects identity, relationships, and daily life.

Many clients reach out when they are newly diagnosed, self-identifying, or beginning to ask the question: “Could I be autistic?” after years of adapting to expectations that never fully fit their nervous system.

Strong Fit Contexts

This work may resonate if you are:

  • Newly diagnosed autistic or exploring whether you might be autistic

  • ADHD or AuDHD and noticing lifelong patterns of masking or chronic adaptation

  • Processing the emotional impact of discovering autism in adulthood

  • Experiencing autistic burnout after years of pushing through expectations

  • Re-evaluating identity, relationships, or life choices through a neurodivergent lens

  • Trying to understand who you are beneath years of masking or social performance

Many of the women I work with spent years feeling “different,” misunderstood, or behind—often without language for why.

Common Experiences Before Discovering Autism

Many clients who reach out have spent years sensing that something about their experience of the world was different, even if they didn’t have language for it yet.

Some common experiences include:

  • Feeling socially capable on the outside but exhausted from constant masking

  • Being described as “sensitive,” “intense,” or “overthinking things”

  • Frequently replaying conversations or worrying you misunderstood social cues

  • Feeling overwhelmed by sensory environments while others seem unaffected

  • Moving between periods of high achievement or overfunctioning and deep burnout

  • Feeling like you’re performing a version of yourself rather than living as your natural self

  • Realizing that many lifelong patterns may make more sense through a neurodivergent lens

For some women, discovering autism later in life brings a mix of relief, grief, validation, and confusion. Therapy can provide space to process those experiences and explore what identity and self-understanding might look like moving forward.

Not the Right Fit

This practice may not be the best fit if:

  • You are currently experiencing active suicidality, psychosis, or substance dependence requiring a higher level of care

  • You are seeking insurance-based therapy

  • You are looking specifically for formal autism or ADHD diagnostic assessment

  • You want skills-only coaching or executive functioning training without therapy

  • You are seeking highly structured, manualized treatment only

  • This practice may also not be the best fit if you strongly prefer traditional talk-only therapy and are not open to occasional creative or experiential processes in sessions.

I also do not provide crisis response outside of scheduled sessions.

Therapeutic Approach & Style

My approach is relational, neurodiversity-affirming, and expressive-arts informed.

Many autistic and ADHD women have spent years adapting themselves to environments that were not designed for their nervous systems. Therapy can provide space to slow down, explore identity, and understand how masking has shaped your life.

Creative and experiential practices are a core part of how I work, often helping clients access experiences and emotions that can be difficult to reach through conversation alone. These might include visual art, writing, imagery, or other expressive processes that help explore experiences that can be difficult to access through conversation alone. 

Many autistic adults process experience through sensory, visual, and non-verbal channels that traditional conversation-only therapy may not fully access. Expressive arts approaches can create alternative ways to notice emotions, patterns, and internal experiences that may be difficult to describe in words alone.

You do not need to be artistic or creative to participate. The focus is not on making “good” art, but on using creative processes to notice internal experiences, emotions, and patterns in new ways.

Sessions may include:

  • Exploring identity and the meaning of late autism discovery

  • Understanding the long-term impact of masking

  • Developing awareness of nervous-system cues and sensory needs

  • Processing grief, relief, anger, or confusion related to late identification

  • Using creative processes to reflect on experiences that are hard to put into words

Our work moves at a pace that prioritizes safety, consent, curiosity, and reducing shame—not performance or pressure.

Credentials & Experience

My work is informed by:

  • Clinical training and supervision as a Registered Associate Therapist in Oregon

  • Ongoing training in neurodiversity-affirming therapy

  • Clinical experience supporting late-diagnosed autistic and ADHD adults

  • Lived experience that informs my understanding of neurodivergent identity and masking

Practical Details & Constraints

  • Location: Telehealth therapy for adults located in Oregon

  • Clients: Adults 18+

  • Payment: Private pay

  • Session Format: 50-minute online sessions

  • Typical Frequency: Weekly sessions to begin

Because this is a small private practice, availability may be limited.

Strong Match Indicators

Clients often reach out when they:

  • Recently discovered autism or strongly suspect they may be autistic

  • Feel exhausted from years of masking or social adaptation

  • Are experiencing autistic burnout after long periods of pushing themselves

  • Feel both relief and grief after realizing their experiences may be explained by autism

  • Want a therapist who understands high-masking autistic presentation in women

  • Have been experiencing chronic burnout that doesn’t resolve with rest

Plain-Language Summary

I provide telehealth therapy for autistic and ADHD women in Oregon who are discovering autism later in life. Many clients come to explore identity, unmasking, burnout, and the emotional impact of realizing they may be autistic after years of adapting to expectations that didn’t fit their nervous system.

Next Steps

If this feels relevant to your experience, you might also find these pages helpful:

• High-Masking Autism
• Autism Burnout
• ADHD Masking & Identity

You can also:

Learn more about my 1:1 Therapy Services
Learn more about me
Start with the Mini Burnout Reset
Or schedule a free consultation when you're ready.

If this resonates with your experience of discovering autism later in life, therapy can offer space to explore identity, understand masking, and reconnect with the way your nervous system actually works.