BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Cascadia Training for Professional Development - ECPv6.15.18//NONSGML v1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://cascadia-training.com
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Cascadia Training for Professional Development
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-Robots-Tag:noindex
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:America/Los_Angeles
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0800
TZOFFSETTO:-0700
TZNAME:PDT
DTSTART:20250309T100000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0700
TZOFFSETTO:-0800
TZNAME:PST
DTSTART:20251102T090000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0800
TZOFFSETTO:-0700
TZNAME:PDT
DTSTART:20260308T100000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0700
TZOFFSETTO:-0800
TZNAME:PST
DTSTART:20261101T090000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0800
TZOFFSETTO:-0700
TZNAME:PDT
DTSTART:20270314T100000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0700
TZOFFSETTO:-0800
TZNAME:PST
DTSTART:20271107T090000
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260826T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260930T131500
DTSTAMP:20260403T160437
CREATED:20251204T220741Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251204T220741Z
UID:43884-1787738400-1790774100@cascadia-training.com
SUMMARY:Becoming a Neurodivergent-Affirming Clinician: Understanding ADHD and Autism through a Strengths-Based\, Neurodivergent-Affirming Lens
DESCRIPTION:Law & Ethics\, Health Equity\,\nand Cultural Competence CEs!\nBecoming a Neurodivergent-Affirming Clinician: Understanding ADHD and Autism through a Strengths-Based\, Neurodivergent-Affirming Lens\nPresented by: B Lourenco\, MA\, LMHC\nWhen:  This course will be held for six consecutive Wednesdays: August 26th through September 30th\, 2026\, from 10:00 am – 1:15 pm Pacific / 1:00 pm – 4:15 pm Eastern\n\nWednesday\, August 26th\, 2026 | 10:00 am – 1:15 pm Pacific / 1:00 pm – 4:15 pm Eastern\nWednesday\, September 2nd\, 2026 | 10:00 am – 1:15 pm Pacific / 1:00 pm – 4:15 pm Eastern\nWednesday\, September 8th\, 2026 | 10:00 am – 1:15 pm Pacific / 1:00 pm – 4:15 pm Eastern\nWednesday\, September 16th\, 2026 | 10:00 am – 1:15 pm Pacific / 1:00 pm – 4:15 pm Eastern\nWednesday\, September 23rd\, 2026 | 10:00 am – 1:15 pm Pacific / 1:00 pm – 4:15 pm Eastern\nWednesday\, September 30th\, 2026 | 10:00 am – 1:15 pm Pacific / 1:00 pm – 4:15 pm Eastern\n\nWhere: Live on Zoom. You will receive your Zoom link/invitation the week of the event.\n18 CEs (12 CEs can be used for Cultural Competence or Health Equity CEs\, and 6 can be used for Law & Ethics CEs) | $599.00 *** (see below for payment options)\nAs technology progresses and education on mental health becomes increasingly more available\, the population has become more self-aware. The world is changing quickly\, and with it\, more and more people realize that their brain works differently than others. Due to the influence of social media and the shift to focusing on lived experience as a legitimate means of diagnosis\, we are seeing a sudden increase in clients that identify as Autistic and/or an ADHDer. We find that clients are speaking up and finding validation of what they have always known: their brains operate differently than the brains of their peers\, colleagues\, friends\, and families. As a result\, we are seeing a sudden increase in the young adult and middle-aged population who identify as being Neurodivergent in a Neurotypical world. \nThis workshop series is designed to help clinicians build greater awareness and familiarity with ADHD and Autistic experiences. Participants will come away from this course with a deeper understanding of ADHD and Autism from the Neurodiversity-Affirming Paradigm that focuses on strengths and differences\, not diagnoses\, disorders\, and deficits. \nEspecially following the Covid pandemic and its sometimes long-term impact on the brain and the immune system’s inflammatory processes\, many clients report having different and often challenging sensory processing experiences. We are seeing more adults presenting in our offices with reports that they now have issues not only with taste and smell but with a range of visual\, hearing\, tactile\, balance\, and internal bodily sensations they never have before experienced\, as well as difficulties with attention and memory. This begs the question: have these brain differences always been there but now have been sensitized or magnified by exposure to Covid and months-long isolation? \nMany adults are now recognizing they are not alone and are demanding they not be dismissed or invalidated any longer\, often having experienced the continued frustration of providers questioning their own lived experiences and\, as a result\, having been either undiagnosed or underdiagnosed due to outdated and debunked diagnostic criteria still used by mainstream psychiatrists and physicians. These individuals are finding validation for what they have suspected all along: their brains work differently than those of their peers\, families\, and friends. \nWith new research available and an increasingly empowered clientele\, we see more than ever the need to remain current in our understanding of–and support for–those who have brain differences. Committed to blending cutting-edge scientific evidence with the lived experiences of our clients\, Cascadia Training\, is delighted to offer a new workshop series designed to help clinicians build greater awareness and familiarity with ADHD and Autistic experiences. \nUpon completion of this series\, participants will have a deeper understanding of ADHD and Autism from the Neurodiversity Affirming Paradigm that focuses on strengths and differences\, not disorders\, diagnoses\, and deficits! \nWoven throughout the series are the law and ethics of working with neurodivergent clients\, including the danger of misdiagnoses\, and the harm of using biased\, outdated\, debunked diagnostic criteria leading to the under-diagnosis of ADHD and Autism spectrum experiences. In addition\, participants will learn about and identify pathologizing\, stigmatizing\, and harmful treatment protocols and clinical interventions still utilized by providers in educational\, physical\, and mental health professions. \nThis series uses a system developed explicitly by B Lourenco\, an expert on ADHD and Autism. The course focuses to a large degree on the internal\, lived experience of neurodiversity. Each of the six weekly sessions will include a didactic portion\, an experiential section\, and direct case consultation time. All modules will include lecture\, video\, and experiential segments. \nCertificate Program Weekly Modules: \nWeek One:  Sensory Systems  – Getting in touch with the sensory system is the most critical step in supporting neurodivergent clients. Sensory information can regulate emotional and physical experiences. In addition\, we will focus on using sensory profiles\, menus\, and diets to support day-to-day quality of life. \nWeek Two: Communication and Relationships – Understanding how those with Autism and ADHD communicate creates room for therapeutic connection. With this understanding\, we will dive into tools for managing meltdowns and shutdowns in an affirming way. \nWeek Three:  Attending and Executive Function – This module will explain why those with Autism and ADHD face challenges attending to their environment by addressing social expectations on perceptions of “functioning.” You will also learn how to use the client’s natural rhythms to support positive functionality. \nWeek Four:  Social Systems and Disability – Understanding how society directly impacts the lives of people with disabilities. We will focus on how clinicians can incorporate advocacy into their practice and tools to unlearn neurotypical values by connecting clients to personal values. \nWeek Five: Differentials and Comorbidities – This module will teach participants how to rule out or “dial in” on other mental health concerns or diagnoses. We will present comorbidities that exist with your neurodivergent clients and how to effectively support them in a non-stigmatizing way. The role of trauma and grief in the lived experience of clients who identify as neurodivergent will be discussed\, as well as the impact of these events on the developing brain. We will process how to best support the grief and disenfranchised losses felt by our autistic and ADHD clients and their families. \nWeek Six: The Use of Joy As a Tool Against Oppression. Creating celebrations of being neurodivergent and finding joy in everyday life as we partner with our neurodivergent clients. The Neurodivergent-affirming certificate program series will conclude with various celebrations we can share with our clients and the shift to viewing “joy itself as a tool against oppression.” As clinicians\, it is important for us to first comprehend–and then share– the ways that society benefits from neurodiversity in general and ADHD and Autism\, in particular. We will conclude by learning ways to help our clients celebrate their neurodiversity and see themselves through an affirming\, strengths-based lens. \nOther topics that will be covered in this practice- and life-altering certificate program series include\, but are not limited to: \n\nAlexithymia and Dysthymia\nARFID\nMisophonia\nGender and sexuality in the ADHD and Autistic communities\nThe role of menstruation on ADHD and Autistic brains\nInterdependence vs codependence and/or independence\nMyths and stigmas about neurodivergent people\nExperiences of abuse in neurodivergent people\nPervasive Desire for Autonomy (PDA)\n\n***Payment Options:\nCascadia 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. \nWe 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 hello@cascadiatraining.org for more information. \nFor payment plans\, you can select paying 50% today and 50% due on September 30\, 2026. \nREGISTER HERE\n  \n 
URL:https://cascadia-training.com/course/becoming-a-neurodivergent-affirming-clinician-august-2026/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Cultural Competence,Ethics,Health Equity,Neurodiversity
ORGANIZER;CN="B Lourenco%2C MA%2C LMHC (she/her)":MAILTO:blourencotherapy@gmail.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260917T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260917T163000
DTSTAMP:20260403T160437
CREATED:20251118T221544Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251220T000908Z
UID:43871-1789635600-1789662600@cascadia-training.com
SUMMARY:Being Neurodivergent in a Neurotypical World
DESCRIPTION:Law & Ethics\, Cultural Competence\, or Health Equity CEs!\nBeing Neurodivergent in a Neurotypical World\nPresented by: B Lourenco\, MA\, LMHC (she/her)\nWhen: Thursday\, September 17th\, 2026 | 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM Pacific Time\nWhere: Live on Zoom. You will receive your Zoom link/invitation the week of the workshop.\nContinuing Education Credit Hours: 6 Law & Ethics\, Health Equity\, or Cultural Competence CEs | Cost: $199.00\nHave you noticed that more and more of your clients have begun to suspect that they are neurodivergent? During the past year-and-a-half of the Covid pandemic\, many folks have had time to reflect and learn about themselves and others. That time of learning and increased self-reflection has led to what seems like an explosion of self-diagnosed Autistic and ADHD clients. It seems hard to believe that there are suddenly so many more people who are identifying as being neurodivergent.  You may have asked yourself\, “What is going on?” \nThe difference is the shift to using the ethical approach of “centering lived experience” in identifying neurodiversity. Using this term and approach as applied to neurodiversity\, this presenter explains the rise in neurodivergent diagnoses\, especially among those who have initially those self-identified. The presenter suggests that we have only recently begun to LISTEN to voices of those have had “lived experiences” after being diagnosed in the current mental health field\, including countless reports of feeling increased emotional distress and of experiences of marginalization due to being labeled– and subsequently stigmatized– as neurodivergent. \nB Lourenco will provide attendees with a “centering lived experience” model of assessing and supporting clients who suspect that they have been living as a neurodivergent person in a neurotypical world.  This presenter will support your learning how to incorporate a “centering lived experience” model in your own mental health practices.  With this new paradigm\, mental health practitioners and educators can shift their focus away from a deficits-based approach to identifying the strengths and adaptive characteristics of those who are neurodivergent\, especially those identified as autistic or ADHD. \nThis workshop will demonstrate how the current model for identifying neurodivergence—particularly those with Autism and ADHD–is considered both outdated and ableist by experts who choose to use the “centering lived experience” approach to assessing clients.  This course will outline the ways that the current model harms neurodivergent people\, in addition to offering workshop attendees a more client-empowering\, more affirming way to identify and interact with this unique population of people. \nUtilizing the Neurodiversity paradigm\, you’ll leave this workshop with a much better\, more strengths-based understanding of Autism and ADHD\, as well as gaining effective tools for interacting with and supporting these clients (of which you have\, even if you or the client doesn’t know it yet)! \nObjectives: \n\nunderstand the umbrella of neurodivergence\, including innate and acquired neurodivergence\nhave a clearer understanding of Autism and ADHD—as viewed through an ethical\, neurodiversity-affirming lens\nidentify limits of the medical model of neurodivergence\nunderstand ways in which the current medical model is unethical and harmful to neurodivergent people–by its focus on perceived deficits through a neurotypical lens\napply a strengths and differences approach in identifying autism and ADHD\nunderstand and consider using the “centered life experience” model of identifying and supporting neurodivergent clients and populations\ngain new skills to better assist Autistic and ADHD clients\npossess a clearer understanding of the ethical need to approach clients with an anti-oppression lens in mental health care agencies and private practices\nfeel empowered to challenge current systems of harm by supporting clients in their preferred methods of processing sensory input and communicating with others in a neurotypical world\n\nAfter attending this workshop\, attendees will be able to: \n\nDiscuss the ethical violations that come from employing Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) as an intervention with neurodivergent clients/students.\nBecome familiar with the metaphor of Applied Behavioral Analysis as being the why the “conversion therapy” of the neurodivergent community and the ethical ramifications of continuing to use it in schools and clinics.\nUnderstand that the practice of ABA is based upon a “foundation of compliance\, coercion\, and behaviorism.”\nIdentify that current “evidence-based practices” may not be effective with the neurodivergent client.\nComprehend the ethical mandate under cultural competence standards to respect and validate the culture and norms of the neurodivergent population.\nRespect the neurodivergent client as a person worthy of respect and individual civil rights legally protected from discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).\nUnderstand the ethical mandate to assess clients with a culturally competent assessment tool and grasp the ethical violation of using current inadequate or inappropriate assessment tools with neurodivergent clients.\nDiscuss the widespread misdiagnoses of neurodivergent clients/patients when practitioners use a neurotypical standard of behaviors and development to diagnose a neurodivergent client.\n\nREGISTER HERE\n  \n  \n 
URL:https://cascadia-training.com/course/being-neurodivergent-september-2026/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Cultural Competence,Ethics,Health Equity,Neurodiversity
ORGANIZER;CN="B Lourenco%2C MA%2C LMHC (she/her)":MAILTO:blourencotherapy@gmail.com
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR