Neuroaffirming Therapy for the Brain You Actually Have
Evidence-Based Therapy Delivered In A Way That Works With Your Nervous System — Not Against It.
“Neuroaffirming” isn’t a marketing term at Side Quest Psychotherapy — it’s a clinical framework that changes how we plan treatment, deliver interventions, and measure progress. It means we start from the assumption that your nervous system is not broken. It means we adapt evidence-based approaches to fit how autistic and ADHD brains actually process, regulate, and respond — not the other way around.
It also means we take seriously the ways that misdiagnosis, late diagnosis, masking, and marginalization shape your relationship to mental health care. Many of our clients have had years of treatment that didn’t work, not because they failed therapy, but because therapy failed to account for who they actually are.
We’re here to do that differently.
THERAPY SPECIALTIES
What We Treat
Eating Disorder Recovery
Weight-inclusive, anti-diet treatment for anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, OSFED, and orthorexia. Body Trust®-informed care that centers your relationship with food and your body — not the number on a scale. We work collaboratively with your dietitian and medical providers as part of a coordinated care team.
ARFID & Feeding Differences
Responsive, neuroaffirming feeding support for children, teens, and adults with ARFID and selective eating. We do not force food or use coercive exposure — we build safety first, then expand from there. We work alongside dietitians and medical providers to support nourishment without pressure.
OCD & Anxiety-Related Conditions
I-CBT and ERP for OCD — including harm OCD, ROCD, contamination, scrupulosity, and other presentations — delivered in a neurodivergent-informed way. We account for how autistic and ADHD brains experience obsessive patterns differently, and adapt treatment accordingly rather than expecting you to adapt to a rigid protocol.
Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors
Non-shaming, autonomy-centered treatment for hair pulling, skin picking, nail biting, and related BFRBs using ComB and HRT. We approach BFRBs through a sensory lens — understanding the function and nervous system role of each behavior before working to shift it. We work collaboratively alongside occupational therapists when sensory needs are central to the picture.
PANS & PANDAS
Therapy for children and adolescents experiencing neuroimmune-mediated neuropsychiatric symptoms including sudden-onset OCD, ARFID, and PDA-like demand avoidance. PANS/PANDAS is complex and rarely treated well in isolation — we work collaboratively alongside medical providers to support the full clinical picture.
We are a private-pay, out-of-network practice. Session fees range from $135–$500 depending on session type and length, using an equity-based tiered model — you choose the rate that fits your current capacity. Superbills available for out-of-network reimbursement.
View therapy fees →
WHO WE WORK WITH
You belong here if…
Our clients often share a few things in common: they’ve tried therapy before and it didn’t quite fit. They’re navigating multiple intersecting conditions. They’ve been told they’re “too much” or “not sick enough.” They’re tired of explaining themselves from scratch. We get it, and we build from where you are.
Autistic adults & late-diagnosed folks
Including those who discovered their neurotype in adulthood and are making sense of a lifetime through a new lens.
ADHDers & AuDHD individuals
Especially those whose anxiety, OCD, or eating patterns look different because of how their ADHD interacts with everything else.
PDAers & demand-avoidant profiles
Therapy paced and structured to work with, not against, a PDA nervous system. No forced homework, no rigid protocols.
Queer, trans, & intersex clients
An explicitly affirming practice where your biological sex, gender identity, or sexual orientation are not a clinical issue to be resolved. Who you are is not up for debate.
Complex, co-occurring & medically entangled presentations
Eating disorder + OCD. ARFID + autism + PANS. BFRBs + ADHD + CPTSD. PMDD intersecting with chronic illness. We specialize in the overlap, not just the individual diagnoses.
Those burned by prior treatment
If you have had harmful or invalidating experiences in therapy or eating disorder treatment, we take that history seriously from the first session.
Ready to Start — or Just Exploring?
You don’t have to have it figured out before reaching out. Whether you’re deep in it, cautiously curious, or somewhere in between — you’re welcome here. We’ll figure out together whether this is the right fit.