Autism therapists in Ocala, Florida FL
Find experienced Autism therapists in Ocala who provide Autism testing, evaluations, and therapy. Our directory features detailed therapist profiles so you can compare qualifications, specialties, and treatment approaches to find the provider that’s right for you.
Autism
Heather Champion
Counselor/Therapist, LMHC, Florida Supreme Court Certified Family Court Mediator
As an undergrad I had an opportunity to take a class with and work in the lab of Dr. Ted Carr. He was one of the leading researchers in the 80's and 90's int he field of Autism and Aspergers syndrome. One of my biggest regrets is not getting the letter of recommendation he offered me. In any event, I have been well trained in the foundations of ABA therapy and how to apply it to diverse populations.
13 Years Experience
In-Person Near Ocala, FL
Online in Ocala, FL Florida
Autism
Christina Duncan
Licensed Clinical Social Worker, LCSW
Growing up with a brother with autism, I bring both professional training and lived experience to my work, with a deep understanding of the individuality, strengths, and challenges that can come with being neurodivergent. I support clients with emotional regulation, social navigation, identity development, and managing stress or overwhelm, while honoring each person’s unique communication style and needs. I also work with families and siblings, helping build understanding, connection, and supportive dynamics at home. My approach is flexible, respectful, and tailored to help each person feel seen, valued, and empowered.
5 Years Experience
Online in Ocala, FL Florida (Online Only)
Autism
Peter Linden
Licensed Clinical Social Worker, LCSW, Certified Gestalt Therapist
Autism has long been understood through a medical model that frames difference as deficit and seeks to explain autistic ways of being through impairments, dysfunction, and pathology. In doing so, it often overlooks the richness, complexity, and humanity of autistic experience, while minimizing the profound impact that families, schools, workplaces, communities, and broader societal expectations have on autistic people's lives.
For many autistic adults, the deepest suffering does not arise from autism itself, but from years of being misunderstood, excluded, bullied, corrected, pathologized, or pressured to become someone they are not. Repeated experiences of rejection, sensory overwhelm, social confusion, loneliness, shame, and unmet support needs can leave lasting emotional, relational, and existential wounds. Over time, many autistic people learn to question their instincts, suppress authentic forms of expression, mask their differences, and disconnect from themselves in pursuit of acceptance and belonging.
Terms such as "Autism" and "Asperger's" have never been the focus of my work. While diagnostic labels may serve administrative, educational, or medical purposes, they tell us very little about what it is actually like to live as an autistic person. They cannot capture the experience of feeling different, longing to belong, navigating overwhelming environments, searching for meaningful connection, enduring rejection, protecting oneself through masking, or struggling to find a place in a world that often feels confusing and inhospitable. Nor can they adequately describe the creativity, depth, passion, sensitivity, wonder, and unique ways of making contact that many autistic people bring to their lives and relationships. My interest is not in the label itself, but in understanding your lived experience and supporting the conditions necessary for you to emerge more fully into the world as yourself.
As a Gestalt psychotherapist, I do not view autism as something broken that needs to be fixed, cured, or normalized. Rather, I understand autism as a distinct way of experiencing, organizing, and making contact with the world. Together, we explore your thoughts, emotions, bodily sensations, sensory experiences, relational patterns, strengths, struggles, needs, and aspirations as they emerge in the present moment. We remain curious about how your life has been shaped by both support and suffering, acceptance and rejection, belonging and isolation.
Through deepening awareness, many autistic adults develop a more compassionate relationship with themselves, greater trust in their experience, and increased freedom to live authentically rather than perform for others. The goal is not to become less autistic. It is to cultivate the awareness, self-support, and relational ground necessary to live more fully as yourself in a world that has too often asked otherwise.
3 Years Experience
Online in Ocala, FL Florida
Autism
Emily Stone
Marriage and Family Therapist, MA, MDiv, PhD, LMFT-S
Autism: Navigating the Neuro-Affirming Path
For Individuals and Neuro-Distinct Couples
In a world designed for neurotypical sensory and social processing, living on the spectrum often feels like an endless exercise in translation. My practice provides a space where Autism is not viewed as a deficit to be cured, but a unique neuro-type to be understood and accommodated. Whether you are navigating your own late-diagnosed discovery or are part of a couple where one partner is neurodivergent, we work to build a life that honors your nervous system.
For the Individual: From Masking to Authenticity
Chronic "masking"—the effort to appear neurotypical—is one of the primary drivers of burnout. Together, we work to identify your unique sensory and cognitive profile so you can move from surviving to thriving.
Managing Overwhelm: We identify the specific environmental and social triggers that lead to sensory overwhelms before they escalate.
Melt Downs & Shut Downs: We develop compassionate strategies for the moments when the nervous system becomes overloaded. Whether it’s an externalized melt down or an internalized shut down, we focus on safety and recovery rather than shame.
Energy Accounting: Learning how to budget your "social and cognitive spoons" to prevent the deep exhaustion of autistic burnout.
For the Couple: Bridging the Neuro-Distinct Gap
When one partner is neurotypical and the other is autistic, the "relational system" can often fall into cycles of misunderstanding. I help couples move past the "double empathy problem" and build a shared language.
Decoding the Shut Down: Helping the neurotypical partner understand that a shut down is not a withdrawal of love, but a physiological need for regulation.
Communication Systems: Moving away from "hinting" and toward direct, explicit communication that reduces anxiety for both partners.
Shared Regulation: Creating a "sensory-safe" home environment where both partners' needs are respected without one person's comfort coming at the cost of the other's.
A Systems-Rooted Approach
Leveraging my background in Systems Theory and Attachment, I look at how the external world—workplaces, family expectations, and social constructs—impacts your neurodivergent experience. You aren't "broken"; you are a different kind of "wired," and you deserve a relationship and a life that reflects that.
21 Years Experience
Online in Ocala, FL Florida (Online Only)
Autism
Dorothy Brown
Psychologist, Ph.D.
I have seen people on the spectrum for 30 years. I've run a group for parents of people on the spectrum. Each person on the spectrum has different needs. Some people want to be more social and some do not. I respect what ever their goals are and work toward positive change that brings their life more fullfilling.
36 Years Experience
Online in Ocala, FL Florida
Autism therapists in Ocala, Florida Statistics
Autism therapists in Ocala, Florida average 15 years of experience and charge around $203 per session. 100% offer online sessions. The top treatment approaches are Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) (68%), Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) (45%), and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) (36%).
Average years in practice
15 Years Experience
Average cost per session
$203
Accept insurance
38%
Offer sliding scale
32%
Gender ID
| 57% |
Female |
|
| 26% |
Male |
|
| 9% |
Non-Binary |
|
| 8% |
Gender Fluid |
|
Session Type
| 64% |
In Person and Online |
|
| 36% |
Online Only |
|
Top Treatment Approaches
| 68% | Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) |
| 45% | Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) |
| 36% | Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) |
| 35% | Behavioral Therapy |
| 33% | Family Systems Therapy |
| 32% | Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) |
| 32% | Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) |
Ages Served
| 97% | Adult |
| 80% | Young Adult |
| 55% | Teen |
| 52% | Senior |
| 38% | Children |
Client Focus
| 56% | Women |
| 52% | LGBTQ+ |
| 39% | Men |
| 38% | Persons with Disabilities |
| 32% | Black / African American |