Understanding Schemas and Schema Therapy Considerations with Autistic and ADHD Individuals

Monday March 31st 9-5pm Online

This training delivered by Autistic and ADHD Schema Therapist and Senior Lecturer Liam Spicer is designed to equip mental health professionals with the knowledge and skills to adapt Schema Therapy to meet the unique needs of Autistic and ADHD individuals. With increasing recognition of Autistic and ADHD individuals as belonging to a valid minority group, this training highlights the critical importance of addressing the higher prevalence of co-occurring mental health conditions, such as PTSD, anxiety, depression, substance use, and eating disorders, in Autistic and ADHD individuals.

Participants will explore the developmental experiences, social influences, and continued adversities that shape the lives of Autistic and ADHD individuals and examine the implications for mental health and schema development across the lifespan. The training will also challenge traditional narratives around Autism and ADHD within psychotherapy, advocating for a strengths-based and inclusive approach to care. 

Learning Outcomes:

1. Understanding Neurodivergence: Gain a comprehensive understanding of Autism and ADHD through an affirming lens, including how societal narratives have influenced therapeutic practice and mental health outcomes.
2. Mental Health Prevalence: Analyze the higher prevalence of mental health challenges among Autistic and ADHD individuals, including PTSD, anxiety, depression, substance use, and eating disorders.
3. Attachment and Development: Examine the role of attachment, unmet needs, and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in schema development and maintenance among neurodivergent individuals.
4. Therapeutic Adjustments: Learn to identify and implement adaptations to current therapeutic techniques in Schema Therapy, to better support Autistic and ADHD clients.
5. Schema Dynamics: Explore the impact of developmental experiences and continued adversity on schema formation and reinforcement, with a focus on unmet emotional needs using Lockwood’s new core needs model.
6. Strengths-Based Practices: Integrate strengths-based and person-centered approaches that emphasize strengths while addressing mental health concerns.
7. Societal Context: Critically evaluate the role of social influences, systemic adversity, and societal change in preventing the development and reinforcement of maladaptive schemas.
8. Current Literature: Stay informed with an overview of the latest research on Autism, ADHD, and their intersection with mental health and schema therapy.
9. Advocacy for Change: Reflect on the broader societal and systemic changes required to support neurodivergent individuals across the lifespan, fostering an inclusive and supportive environment.
10. Ethical Practice: Promote culturally and ethically sensitive practices when working with Autistic and ADHD individuals, ensuring their voices and preferences shape the therapeutic process.

Through interactive discussions, case studies, and evidence-based strategies, this training will provide participants with the tools and confidence to create meaningful, effective, and inclusive therapeutic change with Autistic and ADHD clients.

Liam Spicer is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology, Psychologist, EMDR Consultant and Accredited Schema Therapist based in Lutruwita. Liam is an Autistic ADHDer himself, and is passionate about training, research, and collaboration with other neurodivergent individuals in the Neurodiversity Affirming Space. Liam is actively involved in both training and research in the areas of trauma, grief, neurodivergence, EMDR, and Schema Therapy, delivering workshops across Australia and online to various mental health professionals.

Liam has presented at both International and National conferences including  the International Society for Schema Therapy Conference in Europe, the EMDR Asia Conference, two years consecutively at the EMDR Australia Conference, and the Australasian ADHD Professionals Network Conference.

Liam has been a contributor to the Routledge International Handbook of Child and Adolescent Grief and has published in top academic journals such as Frontiers in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Research. Liam’s current PHD at Curtin University, Perth is focused on the use of Schema Therapy for Prolonged Grief, where he has published in the ISST bulletin on this topic.

Liam’s current PhD is focused on the use of Schema Therapy for Prolonged grief, and he has published journal articles and book chapters on grief in addition to presenting at national and international conferences. His interest in this area is derived from both professional and personal lived experience of loss.