Event Image

(NEW) The Hidden Trauma of High Masking Autistic Adults in Therapy

Registration Fee:
$189
Date:
Friday,
October 17, 2025

Registration & Breakfast:
Log Into Zoom:
Registration:
8:15 AM (ET)
Training:
8:45 AM - 4:15 PM (ET)
Place:
Virtual Training on Zoom
CEUs:
6
Type of CEUs*:
Diversity
Register Now

Workshop Description:

Traditional trauma-informed care often overlooks the lived experience of Autistic individuals, especially those who are high-masking and late-diagnosed. This workshop brings visibility to the layered, chronic, and often misunderstood trauma of Autistic adults who have spent their lives camouflaging to survive. Clinicians will explore the sensory, relational, systemic, and developmental factors that uniquely shape trauma in this population.

We will examine six distinct trauma types common in Autistic clients, confront the lack of ND-affirming therapeutic models, and explore the clinical consequences of misattuned care. Participants will walk away equipped with affirming strategies that align with existing trauma-informed models, offering safety, dignity, and validation to Autistic clients who have rarely experienced it.

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify six unique forms of trauma frequently experienced by high-masking Autistic individuals:

- Sensory-based trauma

- Communication trauma

- Family system trauma (undiagnosed Autistic family)

- Relational trauma and exploitation

- Provider-induced/systemic trauma

- Invalidation and chronic misattunement

2. Describe how undiagnosed Autism within families contributes to complex intergenerational trauma.

3. Evaluate the limitations of existing trauma-informed frameworks when applied without a Neurodiversity-affirming lens.

4. Review and interpret research findings that show significantly higher trauma rates in Autistic adults compared to neurotypical populations.

5. Integrate trauma-informed interventions, including parts work, somatic regulation, and creative narrative, with sensory accommodations and ND-informed adaptations.

6. Implement affirming, practical changes to create a safer and more attuned clinical environment for late diagnosed Autistic clients.

Agenda:

Time
Topics
8:45 AM - 10:15 AM

- Big changes in Autism, and how they present in your clinical office in 2025

- Brief review of terminology, diagnostic challenges, and misconceptions

- Review gaps in research and evaluate evidence-based practice and how it differs from “practiced based evidence.”

- What is masking and why does it develop?

- The toll of performing neurotypicality

- Introduction to trauma profiles that “look fine” on the surface

- Case vignette + small group discussion

10:15 AM - 10:30 AM
BREAK
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM

- Deep dive into each of the six trauma types

- Client examples, quotes, and reflection

- Emotional neglect, shame cycles, and “the easy child” and “difficult child” narratives

- Autism passed down but unspoken

- Explore themes of generational trauma and undiagnosed Autism and how it has created the “Lost Generation” of Autistic adults

- How intergenerational trauma shows up in therapy

- Explore how some common resources we use may be steering clinicians and clients in a dangerous direction

- Clinician reflection and questions

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
LUNCH
1:00 - 2:30 PM

- Data: Higher trauma and abuse rates in Autistic adults

- The harm of misdiagnosis, behavioral models, and invalidating care

- Explore having no clear guidelines: the problem with assessment and treatment gaps

- How this intersects with what we think we know about common misdiagnoses including Narcissism, Borderline, Bipolar, Anxiety and Depression.

- How misdiagnosis affects treatment, the quality of care, and medication

- Group activity: rewriting a case formulation using an affirming lens

2:30 PM - 2:45 PM
BREAK
2:45 PM - 4:15 PM

- Mapping sensory safety onto the window of tolerance

- Adapting parts work for clients who do not experience feelings in neurotypical ways

- Storytelling, metaphor, and narrative interventions for literal thinkers

- Creative self-regulation techniques that don’t require eye contact or stillness

- The power of special interests in therapy and as a way to resource clients

- Media clips, discussion, and group questions

- What to do differently today to adjust your lens

- Common pitfalls: therapist invalidation, unacknowledged power dynamics, over-pathologizing

- Final Q&A and self-reflection activity

Agenda:

Time
Topics
8:45 AM - 10:15 AM

- Big changes in Autism, and how they present in your clinical office in 2025

- Brief review of terminology, diagnostic challenges, and misconceptions

- Review gaps in research and evaluate evidence-based practice and how it differs from “practiced based evidence.”

- What is masking and why does it develop?

- The toll of performing neurotypicality

- Introduction to trauma profiles that “look fine” on the surface

- Case vignette + small group discussion

10:15 AM - 10:30 AM
BREAK
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM

- Deep dive into each of the six trauma types

- Client examples, quotes, and reflection

- Emotional neglect, shame cycles, and “the easy child” and “difficult child” narratives

- Autism passed down but unspoken

- Explore themes of generational trauma and undiagnosed Autism and how it has created the “Lost Generation” of Autistic adults

- How intergenerational trauma shows up in therapy

- Explore how some common resources we use may be steering clinicians and clients in a dangerous direction

- Clinician reflection and questions

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
LUNCH
1:00 - 2:30 PM

- Data: Higher trauma and abuse rates in Autistic adults

- The harm of misdiagnosis, behavioral models, and invalidating care

- Explore having no clear guidelines: the problem with assessment and treatment gaps

- How this intersects with what we think we know about common misdiagnoses including Narcissism, Borderline, Bipolar, Anxiety and Depression.

- How misdiagnosis affects treatment, the quality of care, and medication

- Group activity: rewriting a case formulation using an affirming lens

2:30 PM - 2:45 PM
BREAK
2:45 PM - 4:15 PM

- Mapping sensory safety onto the window of tolerance

- Adapting parts work for clients who do not experience feelings in neurotypical ways

- Storytelling, metaphor, and narrative interventions for literal thinkers

- Creative self-regulation techniques that don’t require eye contact or stillness

- The power of special interests in therapy and as a way to resource clients

- Media clips, discussion, and group questions

- What to do differently today to adjust your lens

- Common pitfalls: therapist invalidation, unacknowledged power dynamics, over-pathologizing

- Final Q&A and self-reflection activity

Agenda:

Time
Topics
8:45 AM - 10:15 AM
10:15 AM - 10:30 AM
BREAK
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM

Agenda:

Time
Topics
8:45 AM - 10:15 AM
10:15 AM - 10:30 AM
BREAK
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
10:30 AM - 1:00 PM

Agenda:

Time
Topics
12:45 PM - 2:15 PM
2:15 PM - 2:30 PM
BREAK
2:30 PM - 4:00 PM

Agenda:

Time
Topics
12:45 PM - 2:15 PM
2:15 PM - 2:30 PM
BREAK
2:30 PM - 4:00 PM
Event Image

(NEW) The Hidden Trauma of High Masking Autistic Adults in Therapy

Registration Fee:
$189
Date:
Friday,
October 17, 2025
Registration & Breakfast:
8:15 AM (ET)
Training:
8:45 AM - 4:15 PM (ET)
Place:
Virtual Training on Zoom
CEUs:
6
Type of CEUs*:
Diversity
Register Now
Presenter

Workshop Description:

Traditional trauma-informed care often overlooks the lived experience of Autistic individuals, especially those who are high-masking and late-diagnosed. This workshop brings visibility to the layered, chronic, and often misunderstood trauma of Autistic adults who have spent their lives camouflaging to survive. Clinicians will explore the sensory, relational, systemic, and developmental factors that uniquely shape trauma in this population.

We will examine six distinct trauma types common in Autistic clients, confront the lack of ND-affirming therapeutic models, and explore the clinical consequences of misattuned care. Participants will walk away equipped with affirming strategies that align with existing trauma-informed models, offering safety, dignity, and validation to Autistic clients who have rarely experienced it.

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify six unique forms of trauma frequently experienced by high-masking Autistic individuals:

- Sensory-based trauma

- Communication trauma

- Family system trauma (undiagnosed Autistic family)

- Relational trauma and exploitation

- Provider-induced/systemic trauma

- Invalidation and chronic misattunement

2. Describe how undiagnosed Autism within families contributes to complex intergenerational trauma.

3. Evaluate the limitations of existing trauma-informed frameworks when applied without a Neurodiversity-affirming lens.

4. Review and interpret research findings that show significantly higher trauma rates in Autistic adults compared to neurotypical populations.

5. Integrate trauma-informed interventions, including parts work, somatic regulation, and creative narrative, with sensory accommodations and ND-informed adaptations.

6. Implement affirming, practical changes to create a safer and more attuned clinical environment for late diagnosed Autistic clients.

Agenda:

Time
Topics
8:45 AM - 10:15 AM

- Big changes in Autism, and how they present in your clinical office in 2025

- Brief review of terminology, diagnostic challenges, and misconceptions

- Review gaps in research and evaluate evidence-based practice and how it differs from “practiced based evidence.”

- What is masking and why does it develop?

- The toll of performing neurotypicality

- Introduction to trauma profiles that “look fine” on the surface

- Case vignette + small group discussion

10:15 AM - 10:30 AM
BREAK
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM

- Deep dive into each of the six trauma types

- Client examples, quotes, and reflection

- Emotional neglect, shame cycles, and “the easy child” and “difficult child” narratives

- Autism passed down but unspoken

- Explore themes of generational trauma and undiagnosed Autism and how it has created the “Lost Generation” of Autistic adults

- How intergenerational trauma shows up in therapy

- Explore how some common resources we use may be steering clinicians and clients in a dangerous direction

- Clinician reflection and questions

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
LUNCH
1:00 - 2:30 PM

- Data: Higher trauma and abuse rates in Autistic adults

- The harm of misdiagnosis, behavioral models, and invalidating care

- Explore having no clear guidelines: the problem with assessment and treatment gaps

- How this intersects with what we think we know about common misdiagnoses including Narcissism, Borderline, Bipolar, Anxiety and Depression.

- How misdiagnosis affects treatment, the quality of care, and medication

- Group activity: rewriting a case formulation using an affirming lens

2:30 PM - 2:45 PM
BREAK
2:45 PM - 4:15 PM

- Mapping sensory safety onto the window of tolerance

- Adapting parts work for clients who do not experience feelings in neurotypical ways

- Storytelling, metaphor, and narrative interventions for literal thinkers

- Creative self-regulation techniques that don’t require eye contact or stillness

- The power of special interests in therapy and as a way to resource clients

- Media clips, discussion, and group questions

- What to do differently today to adjust your lens

- Common pitfalls: therapist invalidation, unacknowledged power dynamics, over-pathologizing

- Final Q&A and self-reflection activity

Agenda:

Time
Topics
8:45 AM - 10:15 AM

- Big changes in Autism, and how they present in your clinical office in 2025

- Brief review of terminology, diagnostic challenges, and misconceptions

- Review gaps in research and evaluate evidence-based practice and how it differs from “practiced based evidence.”

- What is masking and why does it develop?

- The toll of performing neurotypicality

- Introduction to trauma profiles that “look fine” on the surface

- Case vignette + small group discussion

10:15 AM - 10:30 AM
BREAK
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM

- Deep dive into each of the six trauma types

- Client examples, quotes, and reflection

- Emotional neglect, shame cycles, and “the easy child” and “difficult child” narratives

- Autism passed down but unspoken

- Explore themes of generational trauma and undiagnosed Autism and how it has created the “Lost Generation” of Autistic adults

- How intergenerational trauma shows up in therapy

- Explore how some common resources we use may be steering clinicians and clients in a dangerous direction

- Clinician reflection and questions

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
LUNCH
1:00 - 2:30 PM

- Data: Higher trauma and abuse rates in Autistic adults

- The harm of misdiagnosis, behavioral models, and invalidating care

- Explore having no clear guidelines: the problem with assessment and treatment gaps

- How this intersects with what we think we know about common misdiagnoses including Narcissism, Borderline, Bipolar, Anxiety and Depression.

- How misdiagnosis affects treatment, the quality of care, and medication

- Group activity: rewriting a case formulation using an affirming lens

2:30 PM - 2:45 PM
BREAK
2:45 PM - 4:15 PM

- Mapping sensory safety onto the window of tolerance

- Adapting parts work for clients who do not experience feelings in neurotypical ways

- Storytelling, metaphor, and narrative interventions for literal thinkers

- Creative self-regulation techniques that don’t require eye contact or stillness

- The power of special interests in therapy and as a way to resource clients

- Media clips, discussion, and group questions

- What to do differently today to adjust your lens

- Common pitfalls: therapist invalidation, unacknowledged power dynamics, over-pathologizing

- Final Q&A and self-reflection activity

Agenda:

Time
Topics
8:45 AM - 10:15 AM
10:15 AM - 10:30 AM
BREAK
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM

Agenda:

Time
Topics
8:45 AM - 10:15 AM
10:15 AM - 10:30 AM
BREAK
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM

Agenda:

Time
Topics
12:45 PM - 2:15 PM
2:15 PM - 2:30 PM
BREAK
2:30 PM - 4:00 PM

Agenda:

Time
Topics
12:45 PM - 2:15 PM
2:15 PM - 2:30 PM
BREAK
2:30 PM - 4:00 PM
Event Image

(NEW) The Hidden Trauma of High Masking Autistic Adults in Therapy

Registration Fee:
$189
Date:
Friday,
October 17, 2025
Registration & Breakfast:
8:15 AM (ET)
Training:
8:45 AM - 4:15 PM (ET)
Place:
Virtual Training on Zoom
CEUs:
6
Type of CEUs*:
Diversity
Register Now
Presenter

Workshop Description:

Traditional trauma-informed care often overlooks the lived experience of Autistic individuals, especially those who are high-masking and late-diagnosed. This workshop brings visibility to the layered, chronic, and often misunderstood trauma of Autistic adults who have spent their lives camouflaging to survive. Clinicians will explore the sensory, relational, systemic, and developmental factors that uniquely shape trauma in this population.

We will examine six distinct trauma types common in Autistic clients, confront the lack of ND-affirming therapeutic models, and explore the clinical consequences of misattuned care. Participants will walk away equipped with affirming strategies that align with existing trauma-informed models, offering safety, dignity, and validation to Autistic clients who have rarely experienced it.

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify six unique forms of trauma frequently experienced by high-masking Autistic individuals:

- Sensory-based trauma

- Communication trauma

- Family system trauma (undiagnosed Autistic family)

- Relational trauma and exploitation

- Provider-induced/systemic trauma

- Invalidation and chronic misattunement

2. Describe how undiagnosed Autism within families contributes to complex intergenerational trauma.

3. Evaluate the limitations of existing trauma-informed frameworks when applied without a Neurodiversity-affirming lens.

4. Review and interpret research findings that show significantly higher trauma rates in Autistic adults compared to neurotypical populations.

5. Integrate trauma-informed interventions, including parts work, somatic regulation, and creative narrative, with sensory accommodations and ND-informed adaptations.

6. Implement affirming, practical changes to create a safer and more attuned clinical environment for late diagnosed Autistic clients.

Agenda:

Time
Topics
8:45 AM - 10:15 AM

- Big changes in Autism, and how they present in your clinical office in 2025

- Brief review of terminology, diagnostic challenges, and misconceptions

- Review gaps in research and evaluate evidence-based practice and how it differs from “practiced based evidence.”

- What is masking and why does it develop?

- The toll of performing neurotypicality

- Introduction to trauma profiles that “look fine” on the surface

- Case vignette + small group discussion

10:15 AM - 10:30 AM
BREAK
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM

- Deep dive into each of the six trauma types

- Client examples, quotes, and reflection

- Emotional neglect, shame cycles, and “the easy child” and “difficult child” narratives

- Autism passed down but unspoken

- Explore themes of generational trauma and undiagnosed Autism and how it has created the “Lost Generation” of Autistic adults

- How intergenerational trauma shows up in therapy

- Explore how some common resources we use may be steering clinicians and clients in a dangerous direction

- Clinician reflection and questions

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
LUNCH
1:00 - 2:30 PM

- Data: Higher trauma and abuse rates in Autistic adults

- The harm of misdiagnosis, behavioral models, and invalidating care

- Explore having no clear guidelines: the problem with assessment and treatment gaps

- How this intersects with what we think we know about common misdiagnoses including Narcissism, Borderline, Bipolar, Anxiety and Depression.

- How misdiagnosis affects treatment, the quality of care, and medication

- Group activity: rewriting a case formulation using an affirming lens

2:30 PM - 2:45 PM
BREAK
2:45 PM - 4:15 PM

- Mapping sensory safety onto the window of tolerance

- Adapting parts work for clients who do not experience feelings in neurotypical ways

- Storytelling, metaphor, and narrative interventions for literal thinkers

- Creative self-regulation techniques that don’t require eye contact or stillness

- The power of special interests in therapy and as a way to resource clients

- Media clips, discussion, and group questions

- What to do differently today to adjust your lens

- Common pitfalls: therapist invalidation, unacknowledged power dynamics, over-pathologizing

- Final Q&A and self-reflection activity

Agenda:

Time
Topics
8:45 AM - 10:15 AM

- Big changes in Autism, and how they present in your clinical office in 2025

- Brief review of terminology, diagnostic challenges, and misconceptions

- Review gaps in research and evaluate evidence-based practice and how it differs from “practiced based evidence.”

- What is masking and why does it develop?

- The toll of performing neurotypicality

- Introduction to trauma profiles that “look fine” on the surface

- Case vignette + small group discussion

10:15 AM - 10:30 AM
BREAK
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM

- Deep dive into each of the six trauma types

- Client examples, quotes, and reflection

- Emotional neglect, shame cycles, and “the easy child” and “difficult child” narratives

- Autism passed down but unspoken

- Explore themes of generational trauma and undiagnosed Autism and how it has created the “Lost Generation” of Autistic adults

- How intergenerational trauma shows up in therapy

- Explore how some common resources we use may be steering clinicians and clients in a dangerous direction

- Clinician reflection and questions

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
LUNCH
1:00 - 2:30 PM

- Data: Higher trauma and abuse rates in Autistic adults

- The harm of misdiagnosis, behavioral models, and invalidating care

- Explore having no clear guidelines: the problem with assessment and treatment gaps

- How this intersects with what we think we know about common misdiagnoses including Narcissism, Borderline, Bipolar, Anxiety and Depression.

- How misdiagnosis affects treatment, the quality of care, and medication

- Group activity: rewriting a case formulation using an affirming lens

2:30 PM - 2:45 PM
BREAK
2:45 PM - 4:15 PM

- Mapping sensory safety onto the window of tolerance

- Adapting parts work for clients who do not experience feelings in neurotypical ways

- Storytelling, metaphor, and narrative interventions for literal thinkers

- Creative self-regulation techniques that don’t require eye contact or stillness

- The power of special interests in therapy and as a way to resource clients

- Media clips, discussion, and group questions

- What to do differently today to adjust your lens

- Common pitfalls: therapist invalidation, unacknowledged power dynamics, over-pathologizing

- Final Q&A and self-reflection activity

Agenda:

Time
Topics
8:45 AM - 10:15 AM
10:15 AM - 10:30 AM
BREAK
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM

Agenda:

Time
Topics
8:45 AM - 10:15 AM
10:15 AM - 10:30 AM
BREAK
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM

Agenda:

Time
Topics
12:45 PM - 2:15 PM
2:15 PM - 2:30 PM
BREAK
2:30 PM - 4:00 PM

Agenda:

Time
Topics
12:45 PM - 2:15 PM
2:15 PM - 2:30 PM
BREAK
2:30 PM - 4:00 PM
Additional Information:
- For more information on the Hilton Garden Inn in Owings Mills, Maryland, click here.

- Registration for each workshop closes one day before the workshop date. If you want to sign up for this course and missed the registration deadline, please don't worry. You can still contact Gerri Baum at gerrib@theferentzinstitute.com or call 410-409-7061 to inquire about joining the class. We will do our best to accommodate you.

- The Ferentz Institute does not offer refunds for paid workshops. If you cancel or miss a workshop for any reason, we will be happy to offer you a credit to use towards any current or future training with the Institute.

- Workshops may be canceled by the Institute due to low registration, presenter emergencies, or inclement weather. Participants will be notified, usually one week in advance. Paid registrants can choose a full refund or apply the payment to another class. Additionally, all participants will receive a $25 discount on a future session as compensation for any inconvenience.

We appreciate your interest in our workshops and look forward to seeing you soon!
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The Ferentz Institute, Inc. is an approved sponsor of the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners for continuing education credits for licensed social workers in Maryland. CEU approval for all trainings is also granted to Psychologists, LCPC’s and MFT’s and approved by the Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists and the Board of Examiners for Psychologists in Maryland. Reciprocity has also been granted for clinicians in Washington, DC, Virginia, West Virginia, Indiana, Georgia, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Texas. All mental health clinicians are encouraged to check with their respective State Boards to learn if reciprocity is offered for our CEUs. The Institute also maintains full responsibility for all programming.

*Please note that, for workshops that offer CEUs in Anti-Oppressive Content, Ethics, and/or Diversity, those credits may only be used for one of those categories, not all.