Ruth Spalding (she/her)

I love working with folks who have been disabled for years or are navigating a "new operations manual" for their body. My approach usually involves working to make life more accessible or accommodating while also embracing yourself with compassion by unlearning internalized ableism or other messages about what bodies "should" be able to do. There's also lots of space for grieving the body that you could've had or used to have.

In my research to provide better care to my autistic clients I discovered I am myself autistic. I also have ADHD. I received a formal diagnosis in 2021. There was a long period of time I thought that I was not allowed to diagnose Autism. That's not true, insurance simply won't reimburse. I have received training in the MIGDAS to assess for Autism in verbally fluent adults.

I love working with fat clients! I'm a fat therapist who approaches body image issues from a fat liberation perspective. We will spend time together using a lot of typical therapy tools like attachment style, self-compassion (it's okay if you think it's not for you right now), as well as an anti-oppression framework. It's hard to unlearn trauma when our culture is constantly retraumatizing. Unlearning fatphobia is something I do with all my clients regardless of size, it's my process.