Neuroaffirming Therapy in Coquitlam and Across BC for ADHD, Autistic, AuDHD, and Gifted Neurodivergents

Kayda Health offers neuroaffirming therapy for ADHD, autism, AuDHD, giftedness and learning differences, in person in Coquitlam and online across BC. We work primarily with adults, as well as couples, parents, teens, pre-teens and some younger children. Some clients come with a formal diagnosis. Others are self-identified, recognize neurodivergent traits in themselves, or are still trying to understand what fits. You do not need a diagnosis to start.

Our approach focuses on understanding how your brain, nervous system, sensory needs, motivation, communication style and environment affect daily life. We look at what helps you function well, what repeatedly overwhelms you, and what kinds of support, boundaries, accommodations or environmental changes make life more workable.

What common concerns do we often hear from neurodivergent clients?

“I can handle really complicated things, but sometimes I get completely stuck on something that should be simple.”
“I just feel overstimulated. If there’s too much noise, clutter, movement or too many people talking, I can’t think properly.”
“I can keep going for a long time, and then suddenly I hit a wall and even small things feel like too much.”
“If something isn’t interesting, urgent, challenging or rewarding enough, I have a really hard time getting my brain to engage.”
“I can replay criticism, rejection or an awkward conversation for hours or days.”
“Sometimes I need to talk something through out loud before I even know what I think.”
“I look like I’m managing, but I’m masking, overpreparing or putting in way more effort than people realize.”
“I often don’t notice what I need until I’m already overwhelmed.”
“Routine helps me, but too much structure can also make me feel trapped.”
“I can be really capable in some areas and need a lot more support in others.”
"I don't know why I can perform so well at work, but when it comes to home I can't stay on top of anything."
"I genuinely think I love (dogs/ cats/ animals) more than any human - I never disappoint them, they never think I am weird, I don't have to watch what I say. Is that normal?"
"I don't know why none of my systems are working anymore."

Other neurodivergent concerns people may identify with

Some neurodivergent people use terms such as RSD, PDA or HSP to describe parts of their experience. Others identify as gifted or twice exceptional (2e), or have learning differences. These are not all the same thing, but they can overlap and affect how someone learns, processes information, responds to demands, manages sensory input or understands themselves.

Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD) is commonly used to describe intense distress around criticism, rejection, disappointment or the possibility of letting someone down. It is not a formal diagnosis, but the experience described by the term can overlap with rejection sensitivity and emotional dysregulation experienced by some people with ADHD.
PDA traditionally stands for Pathological Demand Avoidance. Some neurodivergent people prefer Persistent Drive for Autonomy. It is used to describe a strong stress response to demands or a loss of autonomy. PDA is not a formal diagnosis, and researchers continue to debate how best to define and understand it. Research in adults has found relationships between extreme demand avoidance, autistic traits and anxiety (White et al., 2023).
Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) generally refers to sensory processing sensitivity, meaning greater sensitivity to sensory or emotional input. It is better understood as a temperament or sensitivity trait than as a neurodevelopmental diagnosis and is not another term for ADHD or autism.
Giftedness can come with a particular kind of mismatch. Gifted people may think quickly, make complex connections, notice patterns other people miss or need more intellectual challenge to stay engaged. Some gifted people are also ADHD, autistic or have learning differences, sometimes described as twice exceptional or 2e. In those cases, high ability can sometimes obscure support needs, while areas of difficulty can also hide strengths.
Learning differences such as dysgraphia, dyslexia, or dyscalculia can affect much more than reading or math. They can shape working memory, sequencing, language processing, written output and the amount of effort required to complete certain kinds of tasks.

Although for some people being able to attach a label can help make sense of lived-experiences, you do not need to fit neatly into any of these labels for counselling. Therapy focuses on the patterns - what makes something harder, what comes naturally, what support helps, and what kind of environment makes it easier to function - without getting lost in labelling.

Who on our team works with neurodivergent clients?

Vanessa Thomson, RCC · Online across BC
Vanessa works with neurodivergent adults around burnout, anxiety, perfectionism, self-esteem and relationship stress. She also works with couples, parents, pre-teens and teens, and is often a good fit for clients who have spent years compensating or pushing through until it stops working.

Thea Megas, RCC-ACS · Coquitlam and online
Thea works primarily with adults, including professionals, business owners and women dealing with ADHD, burnout, anxiety and panic. She offers EMDR when trauma or past experiences are part of the picture.

Krupa Samji, RCC · Coquitlam and online
Krupa works with teens and adults, including neurodivergent clients dealing with relationships, life transitions, burnout, grief and identity.

Crina Popa, RCC · Coquitlam and online
Crina works with adults and couples around trauma, emotional regulation, family conflict and relationship patterns, including when neurodivergence affects communication or regulation.

Nafiseh Ghodoosi, RCC · Coquitlam and online · English and Farsi
Nafiseh works with children age 5+, pre-teens, teens and adults. Her work includes anxiety, ADHD, emotional regulation, family relationships and couples work.

Jessica Arsenault · Coquitlam and online

Jess works with ADHD and neurodivergent adults, educators and couples, including ethically non-monogamous relationships. She is completing her RCC registration and will open to new clients in the coming months. [Email us to be notified]

What neuroaffirming therapy can look like

Neuroaffirming therapy starts with curiosity about how your brain and nervous system work. Rather than asking only, “How do we stop this behaviour?” we are more likely to ask what is making something difficult, what need may be underneath it, and whether the environment, expectations or support need to change too.

The work is paced around you, your life, and your goals. Some clients want practical problem-solving and strategies. Others need more time for verbal processing, regulation, self-understanding or figuring out what they actually need before deciding what to change. Sometimes the work is about building a skill. Sometimes it is about changing the environment. Sometimes it is about communicating a need more clearly, setting a boundary, asking for an accommodation, reducing unnecessary masking, or letting go of an expectation that never fit very well in the first place.

We also work from a strengths-based perspective. That does not mean ignoring what is hard or trying to put a positive spin on genuine struggle. It means we do not build therapy around deficits alone. We want to understand what drains you, what comes naturally, what environments help you function well, what matters to you, what you are already doing effectively, and where support or accommodation would make life easier.

That strengths-based focus matters. Research on adults with ADHD has identified commonly reported strengths including creativity, interest-based attention, energy, resilience, flexibility and prosocial qualities (Rafael et al., 2026). Other research has found that greater knowledge and use of personal strengths is associated with better wellbeing and quality of life (Hargitai et al., 2025).

Neuroaffirming therapy is not one specific modality. Depending on the client, our clinicians may draw from adapted Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), mindfulness, self-compassion, DBT skills, EMDR, trauma-informed therapy and practical executive-function support. The important part is how those approaches are used. CBT can be useful for planning, task initiation, anxiety and self-criticism, but we do not assume every difficulty is a thinking error or behaviour that needs correcting. ACT can help with values, psychological flexibility and changing your relationship with difficult thoughts. Mindfulness and self-compassion can help clients notice overwhelm earlier and respond to themselves with less shame. EMDR and other trauma-informed approaches may be helpful when bullying, stigma, rejection or years of being misunderstood continue to shape present-day threat responses.

The aim is to build self-understanding, acceptance, empowerment and choice, rather than simply helping someone appear less neurodivergent.

What we may work on in therapy

Neurodivergent clients come to therapy for many different reasons. Some are dealing with sensory overload or burnout. Others want help with executive functioning, anxiety, masking, relationships, self-esteem, boundaries or understanding what support actually works for them.

The work may include practical strategies for attention, planning and follow-through, but it can also involve recognizing overload earlier, communicating more directly, reducing unnecessary masking, building self-advocacy, strengthening boundaries, developing more self-compassion, and finding ways to structure work, relationships and daily life that fit better.

For couples and families, we may look at differences in communication, processing, memory, emotional regulation and sensory needs. For parents, this can include understanding what may be happening underneath a child’s behaviour and finding ways to support regulation without making compliance the only measure of success.

For some clients, therapy also becomes a place to rethink old assumptions about themselves. Things that once felt like laziness, oversensitivity, being “too much,” or simply not trying hard enough may start to make more sense in the context of how their brain works and what they have had to adapt to over time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need an ADHD or autism diagnosis to start therapy?
No. Many people come to therapy before seeking an assessment, after recognizing similar traits in themselves or a family member, or simply because the way they have been functioning is no longer working well. We can work with what you are experiencing without requiring a diagnosis.

Can a counsellor diagnose ADHD or autism?
Registered Clinical Counsellors do not provide formal ADHD or autism diagnoses. In BC, assessments are typically completed by a physician, psychiatrist or registered psychologist. We can help you think through whether an assessment may be useful and support you before, during or after that process.

What is neuroaffirming therapy?
Neuroaffirming therapy takes neurodivergence into account when understanding attention, sensory needs, communication, regulation, motivation, relationships and mental health. The work is collaborative and strengths-based, with attention to what supports the person rather than simply trying to make them appear more neurotypical.

Can therapy help with executive functioning?
Yes. Therapy may include practical support with task initiation, planning, transitions, time, working memory and follow-through, alongside understanding the emotional and environmental factors that can make those things harder.

Can therapy help with neurodivergent burnout?
Yes. We may look at sensory load, masking, overcommitting, perfectionism, lack of recovery time, unrealistic expectations and environments that require too much ongoing compensation. The work often involves both reducing strain and building more sustainable ways of functioning.

Can couples therapy help if one or both partners are neurodivergent?
Yes. Therapy can help couples understand differences in attention, processing, communication, emotional regulation, sensory needs and follow-through, and build clearer agreements that work for both people.

Do you work with children and teens?
Yes. We work primarily with adults, but several clinicians also see teens, pre-teens and younger children. Parent involvement may be part of the work depending on the client’s age and needs.

Do you offer virtual therapy?
Yes. Virtual counselling is available across British Columbia. Several clinicians also offer in-person appointments at our Coquitlam office.

Is counselling covered by insurance?
Many extended health plans cover Registered Clinical Counsellors, although coverage varies by plan. Kayda Health also direct bills many insurers.

Booking

Booking a free 20-minute consult is the easiest way to see whether a clinician is a fit. If you'd rather we suggest someone, fill out our matching form.

References

Cross, J. R., & Cross, T. L. (2015). Clinical and mental health issues in counseling the gifted individual. Journal of Counseling & Development, 93(2), 163–172. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-6676.2015.00192.x
Hargitai, L. D., Laan, E. L. M., Schippers, L. M., Livingston, L. A., Fairchild, G., Shah, P., & Hoogman, M. (2025). The role of psychological strengths in positive life outcomes in adults with ADHD. Psychological Medicine, 55, e278. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291725101232
Rafael, R. B., Jia, H., Rouel, M., Wootton, B. M., & Mitchison, D. (2026). Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)-related strengths in adults: A scoping review. Journal of Attention Disorders, 30(10), 1207–1232. https://doi.org/10.1177/10870547261425737
White, R., Livingston, L. A., Taylor, E. C., Close, S. A. D., Shah, P., & Callan, M. J. (2023). Understanding the contributions of trait autism and anxiety to extreme demand avoidance in the adult general population. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 53(7), 2680–2688. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-022-05469-3