Exploring How Psychotherapy Can Increase the Well-Being, Self-Determination, and Quality-Of-Life of Autistic Adults Without an Intellectual Disability

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Issue Date
2022-05-15
Authors
Gatien, Bria
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Abstract
Research has shown that autistic adults without an intellectual disability commonly have more struggles with quality-of-life, self-determination, and mental health compared to other-disabled and neurotypical peers (Cooper et al., 2007; Cree et al., 2020; Griffiths et al., 2019; Pinals et al., 2021; Sheppard-Jones et al., 2005; Simões & Santos, 2016; Weiss, 2011). Despite this, they remain an underserved population in psychotherapy practice and research (Griffiths et al., 2019). However, there is a growing body of research that has shown the positive impacts of psychotherapy interventions for autistic people (Cooper et al., 2018). In this capstone I explored how quality-of-life, self-determination, and the mental health of autistic adults without an intellectual disability could be positively impacted by psychotherapy. Chapter One highlights how this is an important social justice issue that needs to be addressed. Chapter Two is a literature view conducted on quality-of-life, self-determination, and psychotherapy for autistic people. In Chapter Three I used my learning from previous chapters to inform specific recommendations for an evidence-based, dynamic, and process-driven group-psychotherapy approach for autistic adults without an intellectual disability. A psychotherapy intervention which increased quality-of-life, self-determination, and the mental health of autistic adults could improve the lives of autistic people and create a more just and equitable society.
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Keywords
autism , self-determination , quality-of-life , mental health , psychotherapy
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Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States , openAccess
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