Therapy for burnout and feeling stuck in Portland, Oregon
Online Expressive Arts Therapy for ADHD & Autistic Adults in Oregon
Creative, body-based therapy for masking burnout, identity confusion, and the exhaustion of always having to cope alone.
Years of masking and over-functioning can leave you depleted—and unsure who you are underneath it all.
I work with autistic and ADHD women (and other adults who resonate with this experience) who are exhausted from trying to function in ways that don’t match how their brains and nervous systems actually work.
This is therapy that works differently.
Not just talking—but using creative, body-based processes to help you access what’s been hard to reach, so you can feel more like yourself and less like you’re constantly managing or overriding your experience.
Sound Familiar?
You seem “fine” socially—but feel drained or dysregulated after.
Family or group settings bring up old roles, sensory overload, or the pressure to mask.
After a day of being around people, your nervous system needs significant recovery.
Late at night, something feels off—but you don’t know where to begin.
You’re starting to wonder whether burnout, masking, or late-identified autism or ADHD explains more than you realized.
You’re functioning—but it’s costing you more than it should.
If Talk Therapy Didn’t Work For You...
You’re not alone.
Many autistic and ADHD adults can explain their experiences clearly—sometimes in a lot of detail—and still feel like nothing actually shifts.
You may understand your patterns, your history, and even your emotions… but still feel disconnected from yourself in a way that words haven’t resolved.
That’s often because words alone don’t fully access how your nervous system processes experience.
Expressive arts therapy offers a different way in—one that engages more than just thinking and talking.
How Expressive Arts Therapy Works
Many neurodivergent adults are highly self-aware—but still feel stuck in loops of analysis, overthinking, or internal pressure.
Expressive arts therapy creates a different entry point.
Instead of relying only on conversation, we use image, metaphor, movement, and sensory-based exploration to help you engage with your experience more directly.
You don’t need to be “artistic.”
This isn’t about making something good or meaningful in a traditional sense.
It’s about giving your nervous system another way to communicate—so what has been hard to name or understand can start to become clearer and more recognizable.
For many clients, this reduces the need to constantly analyze—and creates more space for actual recognition and change.
What this work helps shift
What often begins to shift in this work isn’t dramatic or sudden—it’s subtle, but deeply meaningful.
Many clients begin to notice parts of their internal experience that previously felt vague or hard to name.
It becomes easier to recognize what’s actually happening inside—without immediately trying to fix or override it.
At the same time, something begins to soften.
There is often less internal fighting.
Less of the constant sense of pushing against yourself just to get through the day.
And gradually, a different kind of experience starts to emerge:
More connection to yourself.
And less of the sense that you are in conflict with your own mind, body, or reactions.
This work may be a good fit if…
You’re exhausted from managing yourself all the time
You’ve tried talking things through but still feel stuck
You’re curious about a more experiential, creative approach
This may not be the right fit if…
You’re looking for in-person sessions
You want only conversation-based therapy
You need structured, protocol-driven treatment
About Lisa Headings
I work with autistic and ADHD adults—especially those who are late-diagnosed or beginning to question whether they may be neurodivergent—who feel disconnected from themselves despite years of trying to understand.
Many of my clients are thoughtful, insightful, and highly self-aware.
They’ve spent years analyzing their experiences, adapting to expectations, and trying to “figure themselves out.”
And yet… something still doesn’t quite click.
My work focuses on helping you move from understanding yourself in theory → to actually experiencing yourself more clearly and directly.
I use expressive arts therapy to support this process—so we’re not relying on words alone, but engaging your full experience.
This is not about performing, explaining yourself perfectly, or getting it “right.”
It’s about creating space to relate to yourself in a way that feels more accurate—and less like a constant effort.
Therapy topics we might explore…
We may explore things like:
Autistic burnout and chronic exhaustion
Masking, people-pleasing, and identity confusion
Overthinking, rumination, and mental overload
Emotional processing beyond words
Sensory sensitivity and nervous system needs
Late diagnosis and re-understanding your life
Boundaries, relationships, and energy limits
Reconnecting with creativity, joy, and self-trust
FAQs
Do I need to be artistic?
Not at all. This work is about expression, not performance.
Do you take insurance?
I’m private pay, but can provide a superbill for possible reimbursement.
What happens in the first session?
We go at your pace. You don’t need to have everything figured out—we start where you are.
Ready to explore whether this fits?
If something in this resonates—especially that sense of understanding yourself in theory but still feeling disconnected in practice—you’re welcome to reach out.
This isn’t about committing to anything right away.
It’s simply a space to see whether this kind of work feels like a fit for you.
Specialized Areas of Support
Many clients I work with are Autistic or ADHD women navigating masking, burnout, and late autism discovery. You can learn more about these experiences here: