Autism and neurodivergence
Counseling for autistic and neurodivergent people
You should not have to mask to get help. Dr. Darleen adapts counseling to the way your brain works, so therapy can address anxiety, depression, trauma, or burnout without asking you to be someone else.
Request a consultationPrivate telehealth counseling for residents of Georgia, Florida, and Virginia.
Does this sound familiar?
Autism is a difference in how a person communicates, connects, and experiences the senses (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2022). About 1 in 31 eight-year-olds in the United States has been identified as autistic (Shaw et al., 2025). Many autistic people also live with:
- Anxiety, which affects about 1 in 5 autistic people (Lai et al., 2019)
- Depression, exhaustion, or burnout from years of masking
- Sensory overload, shutdowns, or meltdowns
- Trauma, including from being misunderstood or mistreated
- ADHD, learning differences, or intellectual disability
Different, not deficient
Misunderstandings between autistic and non-autistic people run in both directions. Researchers call this the double empathy problem (Milton, 2012). Good therapy meets you in your communication style instead of correcting it.
Your focus, honesty, and depth of interest are strengths. Therapy should use them, not erase them.
How Dr. Darleen helps
Dr. Darleen was a special education teacher and special education director, where she created a program for young children with autism and developmental disorders. She brings that experience into counseling:
- Clear, concrete communication, with visual supports when they help
- Sensory-aware sessions that respect your comfort and pace
- Your interests as the way in, not a distraction
- Treatment for anxiety, depression, and trauma adapted to how you learn
- School coordination with IEP and 504 teams for students, when families want it
What sessions look like
Meet from home, wherever you are in Georgia, Florida, and Virginia.
A full counseling hour, without the commute.
Usually weekly, on a schedule we set together.
We go at a pace your mind and body can handle.
A real reason for hope
Neurodivergent people deserve counseling built for them. With the right supports, many find less anxiety, less burnout, and more freedom to live as themselves.
Dr. Darleen works with autistic adults, teens, and children, and with the families who love them.
Meet Dr. Darleen
Dr. Darleen Claire Wodzenski, MS ESE, MA CMHC, PhD, LPC, NCC, ACS, is the Clinical Director of Orchard Human Services, Inc. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Georgia, Florida, and Virginia, a Nationally Certified Counselor, and an Approved Clinical Supervisor who trains other counselors. Before becoming a counselor, she taught piano and dance, taught general and special education, served as a special education director, and worked as a graduate tutor and faculty member.
Her work combines special education, clinical mental health counseling, and a strength-based view of human development. She sees what you can already do as the foundation for what comes next.
Private self-pay counseling
You pay the full session rate directly. Paying privately means no insurance record of your diagnosis or treatment. Sessions are by secure telehealth, so you can meet from home anywhere in Georgia, Florida, and Virginia.
Why private pay?
No claim is filed, so no insurance record of your diagnosis or treatment.
You and Dr. Darleen decide the focus and pace of care, not an insurer.
No insurer caps on how many sessions you can have.
Fees change only on January 1, with advance notice. You will receive a Good Faith Estimate of expected costs before your first appointment.
Take the first step
Planning to use insurance? Please use our Appointments page instead.
Questions first? Email DrDarleen@orchardhumanservices.org.
This page is for general information and is not a diagnosis or treatment. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 or call 911. See our crisis resources.
Not ready to book yet?
Start with the free guide
The Brilliance Within: Discovering Your Human Super Power™ is Dr. Darleen’s strength-based guide to healing for individuals and families. It covers trauma, dissociation, BPD, attachment, autism, and the tools that help people grow.
Get the free guideCommon questions
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Does Dr. Darleen prescribe medication?
What if I am in crisis?
References
American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787
Lai, M.-C., Kassee, C., Besney, R., Bonato, S., Hull, L., Mandy, W., Szatmari, P., & Ameis, S. H. (2019). Prevalence of co-occurring mental health diagnoses in the autism population: A systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet Psychiatry, 6(10), 819–829. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(19)30289-5
Milton, D. E. M. (2012). On the ontological status of autism: The “double empathy problem.” Disability & Society, 27(6), 883–887. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2012.710008
Shaw, K. A., Williams, S., Patrick, M. E., Valencia-Prado, M., Durkin, M. S., Howerton, E. M., Ladd-Acosta, C. M., Pas, E. T., Bakian, A. V., Bartholomew, P., Nieves-Muñoz, N., Sidwell, K., Alford, A., Bilder, D. A., DiRienzo, M., Fitzgerald, R. T., Furnier, S. M., Hudson, A. E., Pokoski, O. M., . . . Maenner, M. J. (2025). Prevalence and early identification of autism spectrum disorder among children aged 4 and 8 years: Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 16 sites, United States, 2022. MMWR Surveillance Summaries, 74(2), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.ss7402a1
Orchard Human Services, Inc. is an IRS-approved 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. 4813 Ridge Road, Suite 111-83, Douglasville, GA 30134.