I often use a metaphor with my clients: when you have a common cold, you go to your primary care doctor. They know a little bit about a lot of things, and they’re great for that. But if you have a complex heart condition, you don’t let them crack your chest open. You go to a cardiac surgeon—a specialist who has dedicated their entire life to understanding one, specific, intricate system.

For too long, the mental health world has treated neurodivergent brains like a common cold. It has handed out generic advice, one-size-fits-all worksheets, and diagnoses that feel more like dismissals than answers. It has given you a cough drop for a complex heart condition.

I am a specialist. My entire practice is built on a deep, nuanced, and personal understanding of the AuDHD experience. I’m not here to be your generalist. I’m here to be your surgeon.

I’m Going to Guess You’ve Had to Educate Your Own Therapist.

Let me take a shot in the dark. You’re here because you’ve had a therapy experience that felt… off. Maybe you spent an hour trying to explain the profound, full-body exhaustion of masking, only to be told you have “social anxiety.” Maybe you were told your struggles were “just trauma” and the possibility of autism was invalidated because of it. Maybe you were told you had “good coping skills,” yet you still felt like you were in a constant state of burnout.

Maybe you’ve heard the words, “I’m supposed to be like this,” or “I should be doing this.” And when you asked, “According to who?” the only answer was a vague, suffocating shrug toward “society.”

It’s exhausting. It’s the feeling of spending every ounce of your energy just anticipating how other people are reacting, trying to decode social cues that feel like a foreign language, and constantly translating yourself so you can be understood.

You’re not imagining it. And that is bulls*hit.

My Job is to Help You Stop Translating and Start Living.

I started Enlitens because I am fundamentally, rebelliously opposed to the idea that you need to be “fixed.” My core belief is that every brain makes perfect sense for the life it’s lived. My job isn’t to change your brain; it’s to help you create your brain’s “User Manual” so you can finally stop fighting it and start working with it.

This is a space where we embrace the fact that all emotions are okay. You will never find a “Good Vibes Only” poster in my office. You can bring your anger, your frustration, your sadness. They’re all valid, and they all serve a purpose. We don’t pathologize your operating system; we get curious about it. We move away from the “shoulds” and “supposed to’s” and start asking the real questions: What works for you?

How We Build Your User Manual

I’m AuDHD myself. My brain can work faster than my mouth does, and sometimes I have to ask a client, “I’m sorry, I just saw a five-year-old, am I still talking in my ‘Teacher Liz’ voice?” I am committed to being radically authentic and transparent, because that’s the only way to create a space where you can feel safe enough to do the same. Our process is collaborative, conversational, and designed to feel human.

• We Start with Your Story, Not a Checklist: My first question is always broad: “Tell me about what brought you here.” It’s intentionally vague because what comes to your mind first tells me what’s most important to you.

• We Find Your Metaphors: Your life isn’t a clinical textbook. We’ll find the language that clicks. Maybe your executive dysfunction feels like trying to eat a giant, uncut pizza—impossible until you break it down into smaller slices. Maybe your emotional capacity is like a pot of water on the stove; if you don’t pay attention and add more water (self-care), it boils dry.

• We Use Evidence Without Being Robotic: We use powerful, affirming tools as a guide for our conversations, not as a rigid interrogation. We’ll look at the data, but we’ll always filter it through the lens of your real, lived experience.

My core belief is that every brain makes perfect sense for the life it’s lived.

Meet Liz: Your Rebellious, AuDHD Co-Producer

So, who am I? I’m a licensed therapist with years of experience working in the trenches of the mental health system—from providing direct support to high-needs neurodivergent kids to working overnight in the chaotic, often traumatizing world of a hospital ER. I’ve seen firsthand how broken the system is, and it lit a fire in me to build something different.

I’m a “rebellious academic.” I have deep respect for the science and am pursuing my doctorate in educational psychology to bring even more to my clients. But I believe that knowledge is useless if it’s not translated into plain English and practical, real-world tools.

I’m also a person who, for years, was afraid to dye my hair purple because I was worried about what other people would think. The journey to unmasking and living authentically is my own, and it’s ongoing. I am fiercely dedicated to creating a safe, celebratory space for the LGBTQIA+ community, because your identity is not up for debate.

I get it because I live it. And I’m not here to be a passive, nodding observer. I’m here to be in the trenches with you.