🆕 BRAND-NEW TOPICS! 🆕
3-Day Zoom Symposium!
Cultural Competence, Law & Ethics, and Health Equity CEs
The Neurodiversity Symposium
Presented by: B Lourenco, MA, LMHC
When: 3-Day Zoom Symposium from Thursday, October 16th – Friday, October 18th, 2025 | Times for each day and session vary (see below)
Register for the full symposium (and save $145!) by day, or by session (MORE INFO)
- Thursday, October 16th, 2025, 2025: 9:00 am – 4:30 pm Pacific Time / 12:00 pm – 7:30 pm Eastern
- Friday, October 17, 2025: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm Pacific Time / 12:00 pm – 8:00 pm Eastern
- Saturday, October 18th, 2025: 9:30 am – 4:30 pm Pacific Time / 12:30 pm – 7:30 pm Eastern
Where: Live on Zoom. You will receive your Zoom link/invitation the week of the symposium.
Continuing Education Credit Hours: Each session varies – each day offers 6 CEs, and the entire symposium is 18 CE credit hours. All CEs count toward cultural competence, law & ethics, or health equity requirements | $575.00 for the full symposium, $199 per day, or $80 – $160 per session (depends on number of hours) *** (see below for payment options)
So, you’ve been spending time learning about Neurodiversity and Neurodivergent-Affirming care. You’ve explored what Autism and ADHD look like through the lens of the Neurodivergent-Affirming Paradigm, staying up late to deep dive on the internet to learn more about specific topics that keep coming up in your work. You’ve taken courses and read books, you’ve joined groups and listservs, but you still have questions about certain Neurodivergent topics. This event has been crafted with you in mind.
With three full days dedicated to closely examining specific Autistic and ADHD topics and experiences, these courses are designed to give you the space to learn with other deeply curious thinkers. These courses are meant for folks who have a strong foundational understanding of the Neurodiversity movement and paradigm and may not be suitable for intro-level learners. Intro-level learners are encouraged to register for “Being Neurodivergent in a Neurotypical World” on September 12th here or December 5th here.
Learn from folks with a range of backgrounds and experiences and a variety of courses from 1.5 hours to 4 hours long. Feel free to pick and choose your topics or register for all three days; whatever meets your learning needs.
All sessions will be held live via Zoom on Pacific Time.
DAY ONE – Thursday, October 16, 2025 (9:00 AM – 4:30 PM)
Day One, Session One (9:00 AM – 12:00 PM): What is PDA and How Is It Impacting My Practice?
3 Health Equity, Cultural Competence, or Law & Ethics CEs
Although not currently recognized in the United States, PDA is a neurodivergent profile that many people experience. Pervasive Demand Avoidance (PDA) is commonly misunderstood, and this class will help clinicians identify this profile and how to support PDA in an affirming way.
OBJECTIVES:
- Explore Pervasive Drive for Autonomy (or, from the medical model, Pathological Demand Avoidance) from an ND-affirming lens
- Learn the social implications of PDA through both the medical and ND-affirming models
- Define two ways to help support people with PDA profiles.
Day One, Session Two (1:00 PM – 2:30 PM): Neurodivergence Over the Lifetime
1.5 Health Equity, Cultural Competence, or Law & Ethics CEs
Due to a number of factors, how one experiences ADHD and Autism can change over one’s lifetime. This class will examine some of the factors associated with these changes and how they may impact ND individuals.
OBJECTIVES:
- Learn about the ways the ADHD and Autistic experience may shift over the lifetime
- Explore the role of hormones on the ADHD and Autistic Experience
Day One, Session Three (3:00 PM – 4:30 PM): Neurodivergence and Family Systems
1.5 Health Equity, Cultural Competence, or Law & Ethics CEs
There is plenty of evidence that Autism and ADHD are genetic and run in families. This course will explore how that affects family systems and legacies.
OBJECTIVES:
- Define how parenting styles impact neurodivergent children
- Explain how long-term family culture is defined by neurodivergence
DAY TWO – Friday, October 17, 2025 (9:00 AM – 5:00 PM)
Day Two, Session One (9:00 AM – 11:00 AM): The Social Model of Disability
2 Health Equity, Cultural Competence, or Law & Ethics CEs
The Social Model of Disability is a concept that moves the onus of disability from the individual to the greater society. This class will explore ways that this change in mindset impacts the lived experience of ADHD and Autism.
OBJECTIVES:
- Learn how the Social Model of Disability can be an anti-oppressive framework for therapy
- Identify layers of oppression and how other “isms” impact ADHD and Autism
Day Two, Session Two (12:00 PM – 2:00 PM): The Intersection of Neurodivergence and Other Identities
2 Health Equity, Cultural Competence, or Law & Ethics CEs
Autism and ADHD are two of many possible oppressed identities. This panel will hear from folks who experience Neurodivergence in addition to other marginalized identities.
OBJECTIVES:
- Explore how Neurodivergence is just one form of oppression
- Identify ways that ADHD and Autism is impacted by other types of marginalization
Day Two, Session Three (3:00 PM – 5:00 PM): Is Neurodivergent Burnout Inevitable?
2 Health Equity, Cultural Competence, or Law & Ethics CEs
Living as a Neurodivergent person in today’s capitalist society means that it is harder than ever to avoid burnout. This class will investigate how to recognize burnout and support clients in affirming, non-oppressive ways.
OBJECTIVES:
- Learn how ND burnout can present in phases
- Address the normalization of burnout and the needed supports to offset it
DAY THREE – Saturday, October 18, 2025 (9:30 AM – 4:30 PM)
Day Three, Session One (9:30 AM – 11:30 AM): Neurodivergence and Other Mental Health Concerns
2 Health Equity, Cultural Competence, or Law & Ethics CEs
With the overlap of certain mental health diagnoses being more common with ADHDers and Autistics, it can get confusing to understand just what the distinctions are. When we add in the prevalence of trauma, some of our cases get complicated quickly. This course will help clinicians make sense of complex scenarios through the use of case studies.
OBJECTIVES:
- Identify how Autism and/or ADHD may impact other mental health concerns
- Explore the prevalence and impact of trauma on ND populations
Day Three, Session Two (12:30 PM – 4:30 PM): Modifying Therapy Modalities for Neurodivergent Populations
4 Health Equity, Cultural Competence, or Law & Ethics CEs
As clinicians learn more about supporting Autistic and ADHD clients, questions continue to arise about how to modify current therapy modalities to serve these populations. This class will feature Neurodivergent clinicians who have dedicated their time and energy learning how to make common therapeutic interventions more supportive for ND clients.
Planned modalities we will cover include those for Substance Use Disorder (SUD), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and Eating Disorder treatment.
You can register for the full symposium (and save $145!), by day, or by individual session.
***Payment Options:
Cascadia Training values quality continuing education that is accessible, inclusive, and without barriers to all. We never want the cost of our workshops to be a barrier to attending one of our workshops, particularly our multi-session workshops.
We offer several options to make our workshops cost-inclusive: payment plans, a limited number of full and partial scholarships, discounts for students, and discounts for early professionals. Please email us at [email protected] for more information.
For payment plans, you can select paying 50% today and 50% due on October 31st.