Neuroaffirming Care Training for Milwaukee-Area Agencies
Your team is already serving autistic and ADHD clients. Many of them undiagnosed. Some of them showing up in your notes as non-compliant, unmotivated, disorganized, resistant, or not engaging with services.
Neuroaffirming care is the shift from asking how do we get this person to comply to asking what is this person's brain actually doing, and what would help.
Intrinsic Change trains Milwaukee-area agencies in neurodiversity-affirming practice — built around your client population, your setting, and the situations your staff are actually stuck on.
The Importance of Neurodivergent Affirming Care
Why this training, and why now?
Neurodivergent people are over-represented in nearly every population your agency serves. In behavioral health caseloads, in recovery programs, in housing services, in the child welfare system, in the justice system. And they are routinely served by teams trained in models that were built to change their behavior rather than understand it.
The cost of getting this wrong is measurable: clients who disengage, no-show, get discharged for "non-compliance," or comply on the surface while masking so hard they burn out. Teams see it as a client problem. It's usually a fit problem.
The cost of getting it right is that people stay in services.
What your team will leave with
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Increased awareness of how neurodivergence shows up and why it is important in our agency culture and the services we provide.
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Understanding traits that impact the lives of folks with ADHD and autism such as masking, stimming, shutdown, meltdown, RSD, executive dysfunction, and demand avoidance.
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Develop clinical skills and responsiveness to the needs of neurodivergent folks to create more effective, inclusive and safe interactions with those we serve.
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Support the neurodivergent colleagues. Roughly 20% of the workforce is neurodivergent, this number is likely higher in the mental health field.
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Create language, practices, and environment of trust for neurodivergent clients and team members.
Where we're coming from
We train from a neurodivergent-led perspective, not an outside-observer one. Our trainers are skilled trainers and clinicians who have lived experience with ADHD, AuDHD and other neurodivergent identities. We draw on our professional and lived experience to support learning, growth and agency culture change.
That means our training is affirming in its content and in its delivery: varied learning activities, no forced participation, no eye-contact policing, breaks that are actually breaks, materials in advance for people who need to pre-read.
About us
We train from a neurodivergent-led perspective, not an outside-observer one. Our lead trainer Jesse Jonesberg is a neurodivergent Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Certified Peer Support (CPS), and brings more than 20 years experience as a trainer and educator. All of our trainers have lived experience with neurodifferences and rich professional experiences in the mental heath and human services field.
That means our training is affirming in its content and in its delivery: varied learning activities, no forced participation, no eye-contact policing, breaks that are actually breaks, materials in advance for people who need to pre-read.
Details about neuroaffirming trainings
Formats
Trainings are specifically tailored to your agency needs and can include:
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2 hr introduction - basic concepts, language and awareness
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Half-day - awareness, self-reflection, and skill building
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Full-day - in depth case discussion, skills practice and integration
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Multi-session - continued support with integration of skills and knowledge into practice, policy, and environment.
Training delivery
Our trainers are highly interactive and teach through professional and lived experience. We offer a variety of learning formats:
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In person trainings at your agency
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Virtual trainings offered via zoom
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Hybrid training options available
Continuing Education
We are able to offer continuing education certificates (CEU) for participants when requested for social workers, counselors, peer supports, and other licenses.
Let's talk about your team
A free, no-pressure conversation. Tell us where your staff are stuck, and we'll tell you honestly whether we're the right fit.