Angus is most likely one of the nicest people you will meet. Angus has Autism Spectrum Disorder where his goal in treatment has been to express his feelings more freely and develop social skills. I have been meeting with Angus for about a year and a half. Progress has been very slow as someone with Autism Spectrum Disorder has a very narrow emotional bandwidth not showing emotions both verbally and nonverbally.
Angus is very high functioning as he has had the same part time job for 15 years at a grocery store. Every day at 4:00pm Angus will take a walk sometimes for several hours which he says is his favorite part of the day. Angus lives in a group home with 5 other housemates and he thrives in this environment as it has been his live since 2000.
Medication can help someone with ASD but talk therapy is the medicine of choice. Progress has been slow, and I have had to rethink my definition of progress. Nonetheless Angus has made progress be it very small changes. One such change is that Angus has been learning that other people have feelings. Progress with Angus has been him intentionally asking his other housemates and staff at the group home how they are feeling. Many times, Angus does not register with “I’m good” or “I’m sad” but the fact he is making that effort is huge.
Many times, our sessions together will consist of Angus asking me what someone means when they say “I don’t want to talk about it now” because there is no way of labeling an emotion with that response. Progress has been slow but evident in some form. Angus recently shared with me that one of his New Year’s resolutions is to ask every customer as the grocery store how they are doing. I would say that is progress!
If you are looking for a therapist near you and a Google search is a great way of finding one. I happen to be a therapist in Charlotte, NC but am licensed to counsel anyone in the state of North Carolina. In Google, try looking for “psychotherapist,” “find therapist,” “therapy near me,” or even “counseling charlotte, nc.” If you feel like you have hit a wall you are not able to get past, call me at (704) 458-6298 or email me at jeffhelms@clearerthoughtspllc.com.
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