Kate McNulty, LCSW
Kate McNulty, LCSW is an autistic clinician in private practice. Kate’s professional experience includes 20 years in community mental health and as an ER Social Worker, followed by 20 years in private practice and clinical supervision. Kate is certified as an AASECT Sex Therapist and Supervisor through the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists, and as a Gottman Relationship Therapist and Trainer by the Gottman Institute of Seattle, a research institute that has spent 40+ years studying couple and family relationships with true scientific rigor. Kate’s two books on relationships were published in 2020 and 2021 and a third is in the works.
Upcoming Live Kate McNulty, LCSW Webinars
Autistic-Affirming Couples Therapy
Friday, April 26, 2024
9am-11am PT / 11am-1pm CT / 12-2pm ET
What Therapists Need to Know about Covid-19
Friday, May 24, 2024
9-11am PT / 11am-1pm CT / 12-2pm ET
How to Support Autistic Adults in Developing Friendships
Friday, May 31, 2024
9-11am PT / 11am-1pm CT / 12-2pm ET
How to Support Autistic Adults with Dating
Friday, June 28, 2024
9-11am PT / 11am-1pm CT / 12-2pm ET
Kate McNulty, LCSW Courses Available for Homestudy
Assessment of Adult ADHD for Master's Level Therapists
Mental health professionals who are non-psychologists may hesitate to identify ADHD in clients due to their inability to conduct psychometric testing. However, using self-report tests and taking a careful history, Masters-degree therapists can diagnose and support adult ADHD clients.
As cited in JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association, ADHD diagnoses among adults are growing four times faster than those of children in the U.S. ADHD symptoms persist into adulthood for as many as 60 percent of patients diagnosed while adolescents. Adults with ADHD often face challenges with organizing and prioritizing tasks, managing their time and making decisions. Accurate diagnosis and effective treatment can ameliorate these problems and allow those experiencing ADHD to optimize their lives. Vocational, medical and social improvement all begin with correct diagnosis and Master’s level therapists are qualified to do these assessments. In this training you will learn to use assessment tools and gather the relevant the elements of a client history.
Adult Autism Assessment for Master's Level Therapists
According to the CDC (2022), more than 5 million adults in the United States lives with undiagnosed Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Assessment and diagnosis of adult ASD falls within the scope of practice for Master’s level therapists. With proper training, mental health professionals can help Autistic adults recognize their strengths and challenges. Well-informed, thoughtful diagnosis can be achieved through a series of thorough interviews, including taking a family history; reviewing sensory issues, social difficulties and language development; assessment of cognitive functioning; and using self-report questionnaires.
This session will discuss the various diagnosis tools clinicians can use along with the various co-occurring and differential diagnoses associated with ASD in adults. Participants will learn what to look for when making an ASD diagnosis and participants in collaborative case studies to apply discussed topics.. Additionally, this session will discuss the ethical challenges in reporting of diagnosis and the proper reporting methods to state registries.
Autism and Gender Variance: Clinical Considerations
Literature and clinical practice reflect growing evidence of the overlap between autism and gender variance. Autistic people experience non-conforming identities such as trans, non-binary and other forms of gender flexibility in greater numbers than the general population. This trend suggests that clinicians have an ethical obligation to recognize and identify these vulnerable clients, who present in therapy with a variety of indistinct symptoms. These clients may seek services without fully recognizing their own inner experience and may not have language for expressing their needs.
This class will include current terminology and concepts in use among autistic and gender-variant people. Participants will examine social biases and clinical misconceptions. We will review techniques for exploring sensitive topics with tact and ease. This training will help prepare you to deliver informed services to this client base through case presentation examples of gender-questioning clients; the array of gender expressions you may encounter in your practice; autistic identity and how it relates to gender; and pertinent resources for this type of client.
Autistic Trauma and Recovery
Autistic people are more vulnerable to traumatic experiences than the general population. Due to heightened sensitivities and lack of social support, their trajectory of healing from trauma is prolonged and interferes with optimal functioning. Clinicians who treat trauma can refine their skills to work more effectively with this population. Through heightened observation and attunement, therapists can provide clients with skills and habits that serve their neurotype and bring greater relief.
This presentation will provide insight into the diagnostics factors in autism that increase the risk of exposure to trauma. Through interactive discussion, participants will learn methods to build rapport in the therapeutic relationship with autistic clients and discuss methods to gather client feedback to inform empathic responsiveness. This session will conclude with interactive case study discussions and a question answer segment.
Helping Autistic Clients Surviving Sexual Trauma
Autistic individuals, especially those with more severe disabilities, are more likely to be exposed to unwanted sexual content, violence, and victimization (Brown et al., 2017). They also experience higher rates of bullying by peers and maltreatment by caregivers. This predisposes them to acquiesce to predatory behavior and to lack self-protective skills.
Therapists who work with sexual victimization are likely to encounter this problem with autistic survivors and will benefit from specialized knowledge of effective approaches for supporting individuals with developmental disabilities. Identifying factors contributing to the vulnerability of autistic clients is necessary for mental health providers to provide optimal care. During this session participants will discuss methods to modify services for greater accessibility for autistic clients. Participants will then participant in collaborative case studies to assist in identifying the factors contributing to vulnerability and applying the various methods for making services more accessible for the autistic population.