How to Support Autistic Adults in Developing Friendships
Presented by Kate McNulty, LCSW
Friday, May 31, 2024
9-11am PT / 11am-1pm CT / 12-2pm ET
Event held online via Zoom, link to access provided upon registration.
Autistic individuals typically seek out friendship and connection, yet frequently report experiences of rejection and social isolation. This difficulty with establishing a network of social support only compounds the severity of symptoms in common co-occurring disorders such as anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Social skills training programs for autistics have failed to produce robust outcomes. Instead, autistic adults are developing their own pathways to identify and select fulfilling friendships through shared interests and passions.
This program will provide discussion on strategies for assisting autistic clients with forming and building friendships. Participants will learn techniques for building empathy when working with autistic clients and methods for assisting autistic clients identify interests and how this can be used to create and build stronger friendships.
Zoom link will be available on course page in “My Courses” upon event registration.
This program, when attended in its entirety, offers 2.0 CEs for Psychologists, 2.0 IL CEUS for Counselors and Social Workers, or 2.0 BBS California CEUs for LPCCs, LPSWs, and LMFTs.
Autistic individuals typically seek out friendship and connection, yet frequently report experiences of rejection and social isolation. This difficulty with establishing a network of social support only compounds the severity of symptoms in common co-occurring disorders such as anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Social skills training programs for autistics have failed to produce robust outcomes. Instead, autistic adults are developing their own pathways to identify and select fulfilling friendships through shared interests and passions.
This program will provide discussion on strategies for assisting autistic clients with forming and building friendships. Participants will learn techniques for building empathy when working with autistic clients and methods for assisting autistic clients identify interests and how this can be used to create and build stronger friendships.
After attending this intermediate-level program, participants will be able to:
- Name 2 techniques for expressing empathy with autistic clients who are lonely.
- Discuss 2 methods for identification of client interests that would lead to friendship strategies.
This program meets APA’s continuing education STANDARD 1.3: Program content focuses on topics related to psychological practice, education, or research other than application of psychological assessment and/or intervention methods that are supported by contemporary scholarship grounded in established research procedures.
This program meets APA’s continuing education GOAL 3: Program will allow psychologists to maintain, develop, and increase competencies in order to improve services to the public and enhance contributions to the profession.
General Admission: $30
The Chicago School Faculty/Staff/Alumni: $20*
The Chicago School Students: $15*
(Please email [email protected] for coupon code)
Refund Policy: 100% of tuition is refundable up to 48 hours before the program. Within 48 hours of the program, and at any point in Homestudy format, tuition is nonrefundable.
Kate McNulty, LCSW
Kate McNulty has worked with issues of trauma and sexual victimization since 1980 and has been in private practice since 1999. She is an AASECT certified Sex Therapist and a Gottman certified Relationship Therapist and Trainer.
Black, M., Kuźmiński, R., Wang, J., Ang, J., Lee, C., Hafidzuddin, S., & McGarry, S. (2022). Experiences of Friendships for Individuals on the Autism Spectrum: A scoping review. Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40489-022-00332-8
Silver, K., & Parsons, S. (2022). Perspectives of autistic adults on the strategies that help or hinder successful conversations. Autism & Developmental Language Impairments, 7, 239694152211011.
https://doi.org/10.1177/23969415221101113
Keifer, C. M., Mikami, A. Y., Morris, J. P., Libsack, E. J., & Lerner, M. D. (2020). Prediction of social behavior in autism spectrum disorders: Explicit versus implicit social cognition. Autism, 24(7), 1758–1772. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361320922058
Target Audience: Masters and Doctoral level mental health therapists working with autistic adults.
Psychologists. This program, when attended in its entirety, is available for 2.0 continuing education credits. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology maintains responsibility for this program and its content. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology is committed to accessibility and non-discrimination in its continuing education activities. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology is also committed to conducting all activities in conformity with the American Psychological Association’s Ethical Principles for Psychologists. Participants are asked to be aware of the need for privacy and confidentiality throughout the program. If program content becomes stressful, participants are encouraged to process these feelings during discussion periods.
Counselors/Clinical Counselors. This program, when attended in its entirety, is available for 2.0 hours of continuing education. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology is licensed by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) to provide continuing education programming for counselors and clinical counselors. License Number: 197.000159
Social Workers. This program, when attended in its entirety, is available for 2.0 hours of continuing education. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology is licensed by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) to provide continuing education programming for social workers. License Number: 159.001036
MFTs, LPCCs, and LCSWs. Course meets the qualifications for 2.0 hours of continuing education credit for MFTs, LPCCs, and/or LCSWs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences. If you are licensed outside of California please check with your local licensing agency to to determine if they will accept these CEUs. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology is approved by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) to offer continuing education programming for MFTs, LPCCs, LEPs, and/or LCSWs. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology is an accredited or approved postsecondary institution that meets the requirements set forth in Sections 4980.54(f)(1), 4989.34, 4996.22(d)(1), or 4999.76(d) of the Code.
Non-Psychologists. Most licensing boards accept Continuing Education Credits sponsored by the American Psychological Association but non-psychologists are recommended to consult with their specific state-licensing board to ensure that APA-sponsored CE is acceptable.
*Participants must attend 100% of the program in order to obtain a Certificate of Attendance.
If participants have special needs, we will attempt to accommodate them. Please address questions, concerns and any complaints to [email protected]. There is no commercial support for this program nor are there any relationships between the CE Sponsor, presenting organization, presenter, program content, research, grants, or other funding that could reasonably be construed as conflicts of interest.