What does it mean to center autistic joy amidst oppression?

How can we support ourselves and clients in moving through burnout so we can reclaim autistic joy? 

How do we therapists unlearn ableism and other isms that impinge on autistic joy?

In therapeutic work, listening is central — and how we listen matters. In a world shaped by structural oppression and pathologizing narratives toward autistic individuals, deep listening can be a radical and reparative offering. But as attachment figures, we deserve to be listened to, and to listen to ourselves as well, in order to listen well. 

This experiential workshop invites therapists to explore and engage in using listening as an intentional anti-oppressive practice (based on Hand in Hand Parenting’s Listening Partnership model) to interrupt the impact of structural oppression on our nervous systems, to unlearn (internalized) ableism and create space for autistic joy to emerge, survive and thrive in both personal and professional contexts.

Learning Objectives

1. Explore how structural oppression and ableist paradigms impact therapists’ and clients’ connection to autistic joy.
2. Learn the Listening Partnership model (a humanistic, anti-oppressive peer support tool from ‘Hand in Hand Parenting’) - both as a tool for nervous system regulation and for anti-oppressive self-inquiry, for therapists and clients alike.
3. Experience the Listening Partnership model with self or fellow therapists.

4. Reflect on how a resource like the Listening Partnership can be integrated into your own practice to center and celebrate autistic joy.