Productive and meaningful therapy often hinges on a clear understanding of the worldview of the client. Deepened, more empathic understanding of clients would be enhanced by knowledge of how such individual worldviews arise and evolve. Such information about the construction of individual meaning systems is now available, based upon rigorous longitudinal research. The goal of this presentation is to summarize this emerging knowledge in a way that makes clear its clinical relevance.

The real “autism epidemic” is not that one in 36 children are identified with autism (CDC, 2023), but rather that autistic individuals are often unable to access mental healthcare, including Cognitive Behavior Treatment (CBT). Autistic individuals across the lifespan experience higher rates of anxiety, OCD, depression, and other mental health conditions compared to the general population (Braconnier et al., 2022; Maddox et al., 2017). While many clinicians want to use CBT to address mental health needs, such as anxiety and OCD in autistic clients, they incorrectly believe that CBT's use with autistic individuals is inherently different (vs. a modified/tailored approach), and that treating this population is out of their competency. Research suggests that CBT is efficacious in reducing psychiatric symptoms in those with autism (Benevides et al., 2020, Braconnier et al., in press; Wang et al., 2021, Wood et al., 2020), and the reality is that most CBT practitioners will encounter autistic clients—diagnosed or not— within a therapy setting at some point in their career. This talk will bridge gaps for CBT practitioners who want to increase their knowledge and confidence in working with autistic clients. Attendees will learn about relevant autism information-processing differences that may impact symptom presentation and treatment, along with some practical strategies and modifications for both behavioral and cognitive interventions of CBT for this population.