Psychologist/Psychiatrist for Asperger Adult in D

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While I am married to a Texan, we don't live there, so I can't offer a recommendation.

To find a psychologist to assess me (I'm officially ASD-1 and unofficially Aspie) I used https://www.findapsychologist.org and still had to search the web a bit to find someone in my area to do an assessment. If you are unfamiliar with that web site you might want to give it a look.

Good hunting, and best wishes.

Thank you so much. I had used another site, https://www.psychologytoday.com/, to search but this is one we haven't tried yet. Looks good, we'll see who turns up for us.
Again, thank you for offering a practical suggestion.

Come to think of it.....in some of these journals like Psychology Today, there are therapists specializing in Aspergers listed.

Believe it or not, maybe try a speech-pathology journal. Many Aspergians, as kids, go to a speech-language pathologist to learn "social skills." I have a Bachelors in Speech Pathology, but didn't pursue the Masters.

I live in DFW and I love my psychologist. Her specialization isn't in ASD but she has several patients like me who are on the spectrum. She is very understanding but doesn't pull punches when I need to be told something important. Also, she gives very practical solutions to things. She gives me homework which she expects me to do etc. She's definitely the first I ever found to do this.

I found her through JFS. I'm not sure which office you would fall under for JFS, Dallas or Ft worth. She works through the Ft Worth one. I have an appointment with her Monday and I'll see if she is taking on new patients.

Thanks so much, Spunge42.
What is 'JFS', please? I'm unfamiliar.
My son would be better served by a therapist in Dallas or Irving-ish. I'm afraid Ft. Worth might be too hard for his shedule since he works in Dallas. I realize now I should have narrowed the area down some.
Nonetheless, it's wonderful to hear from an Aspie adult about how pleased you are with your therapist. I wonder if yours might be willing to recommend a colleague closer to the area my son could get to fairly efficiently?
Again, thanks so much for your help!!

(PS - I glanced at your profile...and saw one of your interests is in anime...my son is a huge anime aficionado, so now I wonder if this may be kind of typical for those on the spectrum, lol)

I will ask her about a colleague and we've been doing telemed sessions the last 6 months bc of covid. If she's accepting new patients I'll see if she'd be willing to continue the telemed long-term for someone if they're a good fit. I have problems driving sometimes bc of severe migraines so she said it'd be an option for me when I'm unable to drive even after covid.

JFS is Jewish family Services but they help people that aren't Jewish too. You have to apply through them. Its nice because you don't have to deal with insurance. They do a sliding scale I believe. It was relatively easy, took me about a day to deal with. They make it as painless as possible. Lol.

And yes I live for anime! Lol. Me and a friend are thinking of making anime inspired quilts and selling at the convention next year.

I don’t know too much about anime

I didn’t know that “Speed Racer” was anime until recently.

speed racer is awesome! One of my first animes watched as a kid with my big brother.

I honestly got into it and martial arts movies bc of my bro and the subtitles. I could turn the volume off and just read the words when I needed quiet. Didn't know till a few yrs ago you could put closed captions on English speaking stuff till recently but by that point I was already hooked on anime, Korean dramas, and marital arts movies.

If you want any recommendations I'd be happy to give some.

Amfh: if your son needs someone to geek out about anime with, I'm always up for it.

I have been treated for depression really extensively and as someone with chronic illness the therapy that really helped me and that I think is best for people who have something "wrong" that isn't going to be fixed is Aceptance Cognitive Therapy or ACT. It was not suggested to me for a long time and its very different because it works not on changing your behavior but on accepting who you are which in turn reduces anxiety and depression about things outside your control. I think especially since your son has had a longstanding psych who doesn't really believe he is AS this therapy might help him. As might having him join a forum like this to understand that hos difficulties are normal for us and ways that lots of us are able to succeed in life despite these difficulties.

Spunge42

Ah, I thought JFS might be "Jewish Family Services" - thanks for the clarification. And if they really do offer their services to gentiles, that is beyond generous (but doesn't surprise me in the least). Yes, I do hope your therapist would be willing to virtually meet with my son, OR know of another colleague closer to Dallas - telemedicine really is pretty much the only way to go these days, though a carefully arranged in-person meeting could work, too. My son is still working in an "essential" industry, and is quite adamant about safety precautions (and a germ freak, no surprise). I look forward to hearing from you next Monday or when convenient for YOU. One other question: Is she able to prescribe meds if needed? Or work with a colleague who can? He takes only the one right now which helps with anxiety and he will likely need a refill soonish.
I'll surely tell him about your offer to geek out on anime sometime, but he'll most likely roll his eyes (we'll be on the phone, but I'm pretty sure he will) and think I'm trying to "fix him up with someone", lol.

petraA

Thank YOU for chiming in with your experience! Is this the ACT therapy you mean?
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/ther ... nt-therapy
In the little reading I've done so far since your mention of it, I think this may well work for many.
And, he has joined AS forums in the past - when we last spoke earlier this week, I told him I planned to join one myself to pose the question about his search for a new therapist/psych. He said he had been quite active in at least one in years past, and might have even been a member of THIS one (I can't recall the one(s) he named.
He's been searching for self-help answers for a looooong time.
Anyway, thanks for the new suggestion - much appreciated.

Yes, thats the one!

I don’t think she prescribes meds but will work with your other docs if need be. She is really thorough about treating the whole person and not just one aspect which I've found in the past to be the problem I had with other therapist. I have past trauma and migraines that present like a stroke and she's really good about helping me navigate through acceptance of what I can't change and how to calm down when I'm panicking from feeling like I have no control over my body.

And I checked today, they definitely offer help to all in need if you live in the area not just those of that are Jewish.

And tell your son, I definitely don't want a relationship! If there were Jewish nuns I would have already joined a convent. I dont like to be touched. Only people I'm ok with giving me a hug are my immediate family if I need to snuggle something I curl up with my official snuggle buddy Appa, he's a great pyreenes/ german shepherd mix. He's a 112lbs of fluff.

Will definitely let you know what she says on Monday. If she's taking on new patients I'll PM you her contact info.

A thought...

I live in an area where adult people with Autism are woefully underserved.

But DFW is a huge area, with a decent size pediatric population.

I might be worth calling places that work with teenagers on the spectrum. They age out at ages 18-21. Their service providers have to set them up somewhere to transfer services. I can't believe the providers go "Sucks to be you! You've aged out. Here's a random general referral number. Good bye and good luck."

At least it would be more of a starting point than random web searches.

Spunge42

Thank you again! I look forward to hearing from you Monday (if convenient for you).
And, yeah, I get the "don't want to be touched by anyone other than immediate family" - shoot, my son barely tolerates hugs from me, his mom, but he does allow it occasionally bless him. He isn't looking for a romantic relationship, either, but a new friend? I'd love that for him - he will call the shot, though - you are so sweet to offer the "geek session"!

OMG, your dog....we are all dog (and cat, well all animals really) people. Son's childhood dog was a 100 lb Golden who we lost at age 12 or 13. Son will soon be getting his own pet now that he lives in a house with a little backyard and not an apartment.

Tawaki
That's a really good suggestion - to call folks who try to find services for clients who have aged out - thank you! And, let's face it...folks on the spectrum ARE underserved just about everywhere, and apparently adults seem to have even fewer options.

petraA
Thanks for confirming!

Have you looked for autism groups in your area? I know in many large cities there are autism support groups, social groups, societies, autism family groups, etc etc.
I would guess that asking among these groups might help locate a professional that your son could work with.
Barring that, what about his current therapist, or others in the same practice? Could they perhaps recommend some other professional they know of from that area?
Check with the psychology departments of local teaching hospitals and colleges to see if they can name a professional with experience with autism.
He might also consider joining a group for alcoholics or substance abuse or at least contacting these groups for possible referrals to a professional who has helped others in those groups.
Contacting the local hospitals or his doctor for referrals may also be useful.
Sending best wishes. I think finding true love is comparable to finding the right therapist. You have to kiss a lot of toads before you find the prince/princess.

What a lovely positive thread. Here's wanting those leads to come up with something useful for your son, he sounds an excellent chap whose work is making the world a safer place.

The recent pandemic has given a push to telehealth, and raises the possibility thanks to all the on-line platforms (skype, zoom, even the humble telephone) to be able to find good professional help based not just on location but also specialism. An example, my beloved DK (http://dkreen.co.uk/) works with clients nationally and internationally, many of whom approach because of his specialisms even though they live in different cities or even countries. While he has never explicitly put the autism spectrum in his areas of expertise, he seems to have a knack at identifying people who are on the spectrum but never knew, quite often people in the position of your son where strong parts of the profile and the supports from family and landing in particular specialised areas of employment have meant dodging the worst of what being on the spectrum can bring.