Adult Autism Specialist Certificate: Proven Strategies to Support Clients with Relationships, Sexuality, Rejection Sensitivity, “Autistic Burnout” & Co-Occurring Conditions

Dr. Wenn is an autistic researcher (PDAer), has 3 autistic offspring and 3 autistic granddaughters. Wenn is also a lecturer, psychologist, advocate, and poet, sharing his experiences for almost 3 decades. Wenn is published internationally, is an Associate Researcher with Curtin University (WA), and Macquarie University, NSW; Tutor Practitioner with Birmingham University (UK), a Board member for Autism in Adulthood, and the Australian Research Council, Ambassador for I CAN (Autistic Youth Advocacy), and has a YouTube channel and home page. In 2008, he won 4th place as Victorian Australian of the Year, in 2017 he presented to the United Nations on matters of Autism and ageing & in 2021 he won the Lesley Hall, disability leadership lifetime achievement award. Wenn is passionate about all things LGBTQIA+ and autism. www.wennlawson.com.

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Wenn Lawson maintains a private practice and receives royalties as a published author. He receives a speaking honorarium from PESI, Inc. He has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. Wenn Lawson is a member of the Australian Autism Research Council (ACRC).  Although a registered certified psychologist with the British Psychological Society since 2012, Wenn is not registered to practice as a psychologist in Australia.

Lisa Morgan, MEd, CAS, is a consultant specializing in crisis support and suicide prevention for autistic people. Lisa is founder and co-chair of the Autism and Suicide committee at the American Association of Suicidology (AAS) and has developed several autism specific resources for communicating and supporting autistic people in crisis. A self-advocate with a passion for strengths-based solutions, Lisa has authored several books, articles, and resources all available on her website, www.autismcrisissupport.com. She is a community council member of AASET (Autistic Adults and other Stakeholders Engaged Together), a group of autistic adults informing autism research priorities. Lisa has a master’s degree in the Art of Teaching. She is a certified autism specialist, a peer reviewer of the online journal, Autism in Adulthood, and owner of Lisa Morgan Consulting, LLC.

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Lisa Morgan has an employment relationship with Lisa Morgan Consulting, LLC. She is a consultant with NIMH and AASET-MHTP. Lisa Morgan receives royalties as a published author. She receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Lisa Morgan is the founder and co-chair of the Autism and Suicide Prevention Workgroup.

Mary P. Donahue, PhD, is a trauma-informed clinical practitioner, author, lecturer, consultant and advocate for various forms of interpersonal trauma such as childhood and adult sexual assault, interpersonal violence, neglect and other betrayals. The leads naturally to the autistic population. Dr. Donahue has authored several articles and books on mainstream/autistic interactions. She is a Certified Autism Spectrum Disorder Clinical Specialist, serves on various mental health boards, and advocates for the need to embrace different thinking when serving non-neurotypical individuals.

 

Speaker Disclosures
Financial: Mary Donahue maintains a private practice and has an employment relationship with Caring Unlimited and sits on the advisory board for Autistic Women Emerging. She receives royalties as a published author. Mary Donahue receives a speaking honorarium, recording, and book royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Mary Donahue is a member of the Maine Psychological Association and the American Psychological Association.

Amy Marschall, PsyD, is a licensed clinical psychologist in South Dakota, working primarily with children and adolescents. She is trained in trauma-informed care as well as cognitive behavioral therapy, and in 2017 became certified in trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy. In her clinical practice, Dr. Marschall works with survivors of abuse, families in the foster care system, children with incarcerated parents, clients dealing with high-conflict divorce or separation, and those growing up with other chronic stressors and traumas.

Dr. Marschall was diagnosed in adulthood as AuDHD (Autistic and ADHD), which informs her deeply empathetic and lived understanding of neurodivergence.

She is also the author of three professional resources: A Clinician’s Guide to Supporting Autistic Clients, Telemental Health with Kids Toolbox, and Telemental Health with Kids Toolbox, Volume 2. These publications reflect her commitment to providing accessible, neurodiversity-affirming, and trauma-informed tools for clinicians working with children and adolescents in both in-person and virtual settings.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Amy Marschall is the founder of Resiliency Mental Health and has employment relationships with Prescott College, ADDitude Magazine, RMH Therapy, ADHD Online, Prosper Health, AuDHD Therapists, A Change for Better, and A Change for Better Fund. She receives royalties as a published author. Amy Marschall receives a speaking honorarium, recording, and book royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Amy Marschall is a blogger with Resiliency Mental Health, Psychology Today, DotDash Meridith, and Everyday Health.

Jennifer Gerlach, LCSW, is a psychotherapist in private practice in southern Illinois specializing in the crossroads of mental health, trauma and neurodiversity utilizing interventions informed by compassion-focused therapy, acceptance commitment therapy, EMDR and other traditions. Jennifer is the author of The Psychosis and Mental Health Recovery Workbook: Tools for Young Adults from ACT, DBT and Recovery-Oriented CBT and writes a blog for Psychology Today entitled ‘Beyond Mental Health: Defying Stereotypes and False Limitations.’

Jennifer has provided training to hundreds of clinicians nationwide on topics related to neurodiversity, mental health and healing trauma. She offers a unique perspective infused with her lived experience as an individual who has walked her own journey toward mental health and self-acceptance as an autistic person herself.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Jennifer Gerlach has an employment relationship with True Story Counseling, PLLC. and receives royalties as a published author. She receives a speaking honorarium from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Jennifer Gerlach has no relevant non-financial relationships.

 

 

Grace Myhill, MSW, is a pioneer and leader in the field of neurodiverse couples’ therapy. Since 2004, she has worked with over one thousand neurodiverse couples together or separately. Grace has developed numerous skill-building tools and lessons to enhance communication and emotional connection. She offers a variety of online groups for the many facets of this unique population: for neurodiverse couples together, for partners with an Asperger’s/autism profile, for neurotypical partners who are currently in a neurodiverse relationship, and for neurotypical partners who are separated or divorced from an ex-partner with an Asperger’s/autism profile. Grace currently holds the titles of Director of Couples and Partner’s Services and Director of the Neurodiverse Couples Institute at AANE, where she trains professional clinicians to work effectively with neurodiverse couples through online courses she has developed. Grace has written several articles and is a frequent guest on podcasts.

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Grace Myhill maintains a private practice and has an employment relationship with Association of Autism and Neurodiversity.. She receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Grace Myhill is a member of the NASW.