Autistic Psychologists?

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Are any of you aspies on here psychologists or psych majors, or do you know any aspies who are? I ask because I got my bachelor's in psych, and am currently applying for grad schools for clinical counseling. My end goal is to get a Ph.D or Psy.D. I sometimes feel quite isolated in my chosen profession though. I'm currently in a social work position at work, and while my office knows about and respects my autism, I often feel out of place in an environment that requires so much subtle social interaction.

I've had people around me telling me ever since I decided to become a psychologist at 17 that it was an odd choice of profession for someone with my condition. My mom has told me repeatedly that she worries I won't be happy or the social requirements will be too difficult for me, and even my social skills group leader asked me if there has ever been an autistic psychologist, sounding to me like she was asking if I was sure I could make it.

I believe in my own ability to succeed, and have my autistic tenacity and single-minded focus to thank for driving my determination to reach my goal, but I won't lie and say it's not lonely sometimes. Every google search I do only brings up psychologists who deal with autistic clients, not psychologists who have autism, and I sometimes feel like we don't exist. On a planet of over seven billion people though, I know I can't possibly be the only aspie who's ever sought a career in psychology or related human services fields.

I have HFA and have a deep interest in autism and psychology. Not from an academic viewpoint, but from a poetic, philosophical and existential perspective.

Hi there,

You don't become psychologist without having some kind of affinity with the subject

Anyway here's a link to a fairly new Dutch website (also in English) where autistic healthcare workers are welcome. I know that we already had contact with at least one psychologist and a couple psychiatrists as well.

#artsenmetautisme#dot#nl#slash#en

Cheers from Holland from a fellow aspie-physical therapist-psy student

ps: we also have a closed FB group, PM me your FB I'll add you to it.

viewtopic.php?t=336579

I haven't watched the video linked, but the description of it is:

Christian Stewart-Ferrer is a clinical psychologist in private practice ("Tidens Psykologer") in Odense, Denmark - and a lecturer at the University of Southern Denmark.
He has worked extensively with people with Autism Spectrum Conditions for a number of years, and is himself diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome.

Thanks guys, that's really cool! I watched half of the video you linked iliketrees, and it was very good. I'm going to watch the other half tomorrow, as it's currently 2:33 AM where I am. It definitely made me feel a lot better though

I'm in my final year of my psychology undergrad and, while I don't personally know anyone,my support worker has mentioned other students she's supported have also been in psychology.

To be an effective therapist you would need to be able to build a therapeutic relationship with your clients and I don't think having that skill and autism necessarily have to be mutually exclusive. Plenty of NTs would make terrible therapists after all

Currently , I would actively seek a physcologist if I knew they were autistic.

Don't be discouraged! You might not be a typical therapist, but you will be a NEEDED therapist. I can't tell you how much I hear from adult autistics that they need therapists who understand them. We are in a really weird time right now. Adults on the spectrum are recognizing their challenges and reaching out for help. But the field of psychology simply isn't prepared for us. In a typical theraputic relationship, the practitioner will know nothing of autism, and will frequently fail to understand their patient.

I'm addressing this by starting a coaching business, working with autistic adults and teens. (I have a background as a special educator and health practitioner, so it's not an out-of-the-blue career choice.) But I'm happy to hear of more trained therapists who would understand our needs coming into service.

Good for you, StarTrekker!

I bet you can really succeed as a specialist.
Finally, a psychologist that autistic people can relate to!
Definitely much needed.

As for relating to people,
just basing my opinion on what I know (my own experience),
my good friends tend to be on or suspect they are on the autism spectrum
and people on the same wavelength as me whom I associate with are at least otherwise eccentric ...
artists, Star Trek fans , etc.

You'll get naysayers and critics,
everyone does who follows their dream.
I say, more power to you!

...

I am not a psychologist but I do have a bachelor's in psychology. It took me five years to get a four year degree. I did encounter some difficulties along the way and realized that I probably wouldn't be continuing my education beyond that. That said, if you think you can do it, go for it! I think it would be great for there to be more Autistic psychologists. I know I would strongly prefer to see an Autistic mental health professional, as they would probably understand me better than most others.

I am very interested in psychology, and even considered majoring in the subject in college. I chose English instead because it was always my best subject. However, I always had an interest in medical and psychological topics as well. I considered going into counseling. I think I would be good at helping others who feel they are different. I always felt that school counselors misunderstood my issues or tried to limit me based on how I did on some test. I was determined that, if it were me, I would never do that to anyone else. Of course, I'm in my fifties now and I don't have the patience to go through any more schooling.

I'm a firm believer that you have a right to do what you love, but you don't have a right to get paid for doing what you love. I'm sure it's possible for you to get a PhD in psychology, but you should also ask yourself whether there is good reason to believe that you will be financially successful as a psychologist. Do you know why I am pursuing a career as a physicist rather than a game show host? Because I'm a good physicist and a terrible game show host. I think that our skills should be the biggest guide to our career. If you would be a successful psychologist, then go for it, but if not, then perhaps it might be in order to reconsider. In our culture we often regard getting a degree as a symbol of success and even heroism, but as many PhDs of all fields have found out, just having a degree doesn't guarantee career success.

Thanks guys you've definitely boosted my confidence! I know it may not be as easy for me as for my NT classmates, but I've always believed that the things worth doing are usually the things that are also hard.

I believe the same way. It always gives me a sense of accomplishment when I conquer something difficult.

I think it's worth doing. I'm not sure how easy it would be for you to be a therapist to NT's, but there is definitely a need for autistic psychologists helping autistic people. You would probably be able to get a lot of work with autistic adults in the beginning, and it might lead to opportunities like writing books or appearing at conferences - depending on how easy that is for you.

Recently, I spent some time talking to two psychologists, one who is very knowlegdeable about autism, and one who has a very limited and stereotyped knowlegde. The knowledgeable one really helped me, whereas the other one managed to really scare me. Understanding is really crucial.

I see one big problem, and that is that we sometimes have a hard time understanding that others have different experiences from ourselves. I think hanging out on WP and doing the work that you do is really valuable. Just life experience will be valuable, trying different things.

It might take some time to establish yourself. Actually, why don't you contact those autistic psychologists in Australia and Denmark and ask them about their experiences? You can always use snail mail to their offices, and they might be interested in connecting with others - I suspect that 'autistic psychologists' is a pretty small club.