dylan spradlin, MA, MSW, LCSW, LICSW
Neurodivergent-Affirming Therapy for Teens
Virtual support in Washington and Montana for sensitive, intense, anxious, grieving, or big-feeling youth who need care that actually fits.
Maybe your child is more sensitive, reactive, anxious, shut down, explosive, perfectionistic, or overwhelmed than other kids their age.
They hold it together at school and fall apart at home.
It’s possible they melt down over “small” things that clearly are not small to them.
Maybe they are grieving, masking, refusing, avoiding, panicking, raging, withdrawing, or trying very hard to look fine.
Likely, you have tried the usual things: rewards, consequences, encouragement, logic, reassurance, school meetings, parenting advice, or therapy that focused mostly on behavior.
Some of it may have helped a little.
Some of it may have made things worse.
You are not overreacting for wanting support. And your child is not broken.
Their behavior is communicating something. Therapy can help us listen.
When your child is struggling, the whole family feels it.
Maybe this is what “not working anymore” looks like:
Your child has big feelings that seem to take over their whole body.
They are anxious, avoidant, perfectionistic, angry, shut down, or overwhelmed.
They are deeply sensitive to tone, transitions, criticism, sensory input, fairness, rejection, or feeling misunderstood.
They seem “fine” in public but fall apart where they feel safest.
You are tired of advice that tries to make them more compliant instead of more understood.
Therapy that does not ask your child to become smaller.
I provide neurodivergent-affirming therapy for youth who need support that honors how their nervous system actually works.
That means I do not treat sensitivity, intensity, ADHD, autism, AuDHD, PDA traits, grief, anxiety, or big emotions as problems to erase.
We work to understand what is happening underneath the behavior, build emotional and nervous system awareness, support self-trust, and create more room for safety, expression, and repair.
This is not about making your child easier to manage.
It is about helping them feel more connected to themselves and more supported in the relationships that matter.
How I Help
I provide neurodivergent-affirming therapy for youth who need support that honors how their nervous system actually works. I do not treat sensitivity, intensity, ADHD, autism, AuDHD, PDA traits, grief, anxiety, or big emotions as problems to erase.
Youth do not always process best by sitting still and talking directly about their feelings, so sessions may include conversation, play, art, music, movement, storytelling, metaphor, body awareness, nervous system education, or simply following what helps your child stay present. We may use drawing, objects in their room, pets, fidgets, movement breaks, games, imagination, or camera-off moments if that helps.
Because sessions are virtual, your child can be in their own space, or they may go for a walk. Sometimes that helps them feel safer, more comfortable, and more able to show what is actually happening. The goal is not perfect eye contact or “good therapy behavior.” The goal is safety, communication, regulation, expression, and connection.
I also include parent support, because young people do not heal in isolation from the systems and relationships they live inside.
Teen therapy may help with:
Anxiety, fears, worries, or avoidance
Big emotions, meltdowns, anger, or shutdown
ADHD, autism, AuDHD, PDA traits, or sensory sensitivity
Perfectionism, shame, people-pleasing, or fear of disappointing others
Grief, loss, divorce, family change, or major transitions
School stress, masking, social overwhelm, or burnout
Difficulty naming needs, boundaries, or feelings
Ruptures in connection with parents or caregivers
Stressful or traumatic experiences that are still showing up in the body or behavior
Your child is not too much.
They may be overwhelmed.
They may be sensitive.
They may be communicating through behavior because words are not available yet, not safe yet, or not enough yet.
Therapy can help your child feel more understood, more connected to themselves, and more supported by the adults around them.
And it can help you feel less alone in trying to understand what they need.
Parent involvement
Parents and caregivers are part of the work.
Depending on your child’s age, needs, and comfort, this may include parent check-ins, parent sessions, post-session summaries, or support around how to respond at home.
I help parents understand what may be happening underneath the behavior and how to support their child without escalating shame, fear, or disconnection.
This does not mean you have to do everything perfectly.
It means you get support too.
Ready to Begin?
Start with a $25 virtual consultation. If we decide to move forward, the consultation fee will be deducted from the cost of your first session.
We’ll talk about what is happening, what kind of support you are looking for, and whether virtual youth therapy feels like the right fit for your child and family.
FAQS
Common questions about therapy for children
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II primarily work with teens and older preteens when virtual therapy is a good clinical fit.
Because sessions are online, your teen needs to be able to use a tablet, phone, or laptop with some independence, follow links, and reconnect if the connection drops. They do not need to sit still, make perfect eye contact, or “perform therapy correctly.” We will decide together whether virtual therapy feels appropriate for your teen and family.
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Yes. I provide neurodivergent-affirming therapy for ADHD, autistic, AuDHD, PDA-profile, gifted, sensory-sensitive, anxious, intense, and otherwise big-feeling teens.
I do not use approaches that try to make neurodivergent teens appear more “normal” at the cost of their wellbeing. The goal is more self-understanding, regulation, connection, and support that actually fits.
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Teen therapy may help with anxiety, shutdown, school stress, masking, grief, big emotions, perfectionism, sensory overwhelm, identity questions, parent-child conflict, social stress, burnout, or feeling misunderstood.
We look underneath the behavior or symptoms to understand what your teen’s nervous system may be trying to communicate.
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Parents are part of the work, but not in a way that takes over your teen’s space.
Depending on your teen’s age, needs, comfort, and consent, parent involvement may include check-ins, separate parent sessions, support around what is happening at home, or help understanding how to respond with more steadiness and connection.
Confidentiality is still a priority with teen clients, and we can discuss the limits of what this looks like. -
Virtual teen therapy does not have to look like sitting still and staring into a screen.
Your teen can move, draw, fidget, look away, sit on the floor, use objects in their room, show me their pet, take movement breaks, or turn the camera off when needed. Sessions may include talking, creativity, nervous system education, playfulness, reflection, or simply following what helps your teen feel safe enough to show up.
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That depends.
Some teens are hesitant at first because therapy has felt awkward, forced, shaming, or pointless before. We can usually work with that if there is some willingness to try.
If your teen is firmly opposed, therapy may not be the right starting place. Parent support can still help you understand what is happening and how to respond differently at home.
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No. I do not provide therapy in high-conflict custody cases or situations where therapy may become part of ongoing legal or court-related disputes.
My role is to support the emotional wellbeing of the teen within the therapeutic relationship, not to provide custody evaluations, parenting plan recommendations, expert testimony, or litigation support.
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Virtual teen therapy is not a crisis service or a substitute for a higher level of care.
If your teen is actively suicidal, self-harming, at risk of harming others, unable to stay safe, or needing frequent support between sessions to get through the day, your family deserves more immediate and local care than this format can provide.
That does not mean your teen is “too much.” It means the situation needs a wider net, such as a crisis team, emergency evaluation, intensive outpatient program, wraparound services, or an ongoing local therapist.