Implementing Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) in Working with Clients with Autism
Date: April 24, 2025
Didactics prepared by: Alana McVey – PhD in Clinical Psychology, Licensed Clinical Psychologist at the Center for Behavioral Medicine, Oregon, USA.
🔹 We successfully held an ECHO supervision meeting dedicated to implementing DBT in working with clients with autism 🔹
How to support people with autism, especially adolescents who have difficulties with self-regulation, sensory sensitivity or misophonia? How to adapt psychotherapeutic methods to their needs, while maintaining respect for neurodiversity?
📌 In our supervision session with Dr. Alana McVay — a clinical psychologist with 12 years of research and practice experience — we had the opportunity to delve deeply into the adaptations of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) for autistic people.
✔️ We reviewed the key principles of the neuroaffirmative approach and the social model of disability, which shifts the focus from “fixing” to supporting
✔️ We discussed adaptations of individual and group therapy, including the use of visual agendas, written communication, simplified forms of diaries, and flexible coaching
✔️ We paid attention to misophonia — when sounds cause strong emotional reactions — and clinical strategies for working with this phenomenon
✔️ We received a unique clinical case presentation of a teenager with autism from psychologist and speech therapist @Anastasia Fedoriv
✔️ We discussed the risks of self-harm and increased emotional vulnerability in adolescents and the importance of safe, adaptive therapeutic interaction
This session was an important step towards building a supportive environment for neurodiverse clients. Thank you to all participants for your activity and questions!
