I help parents of neurodivergent and twice-exceptional kids in NY and NYC focus on their own mental health so they can feel more like themselves again while still being there for their kids.
Their school doesn’t get them. And sometimes you’re not even sure you do. How can someone explain black holes but not tie their shoelaces?
You feel:
The “What to Expect” milestones just don’t apply. Your conversations may be interrupted by meltdowns. You may be down to socializing with just one other family (the one who “gets it”).
You’re tired of fighting with schools and feeling like you’re reinventing the wheel. You love your child to pieces. You just wish it didn’t have to be this lonely or this hard.
Good news: It doesn’t have to.
I know what it’s like to:
I’ve lived it and come out whole on the other end (or at least with just a few dings… and several more gray hairs).
With lived experience as a parent and 25 years of experience as a therapist, I can help you feel less overwhelmed and (re)discover yourself.
You get space to fall apart and figure things out. You don’t have to hold it all together for everyone else. You can take care of your kid without losing yourself in the process.
It means your kid is both gifted and neurodivergent. That might include ADHD, autism, dyslexia, slow processing, sensory issues, or other differences in how their brain works.
These kids are amazing but they don’t come with an instruction manual. 2e kids’ development tends to be uneven.
Maybe they’re 10, but emotionally 5, and intellectually 15. Maybe you’ve said or heard:
Therapy with me is your place to focus on your own emotional, mental, and relational health, where you get to have thoughts, feelings, and yes, even breakdowns.
I provide a space for YOU, not your kid.
You may spend what feels like every waking hour bringing your child to appointments, but you have nowhere to talk about what it’s like for you. I provide you with that space. Where you can work through the overwhelm and focus on YOUR identity and well‑being. You’ll find a more grounded, emotionally available version of you.
Bonus side effect? This helps your kid, too!
You say:
“They’re twice-exceptional and I’m twice-exhausted.”
“Stop judging me. I’m judging myself quite enough, thank you.”
“I’m so scared I am going to screw them up.”
You THINK:
My kid gives me so much joy. But I’m buried under the to-do lists and the bedtime battles over brushing teeth.
I love my kid but I am tired of being fact-checked about Jupiter’s moons. Sometimes I feel ashamed for grieving the parenthood I expected to have.
How will they get through school? WIll they be living at home at 35 and still unable to pick out an outfit?
You say:
You THINK:
You say:
You THINK:
You say:
You THINK:
You can be grateful and still be burnt out. You can grieve the version of parenting you didn’t get, and still fight like hell for the kid you’ve got. It’s okay to fantasize about disowning family and friends who mean well but just don’t get it.
Let’s name the hard stuff so it stops running the show. This is a no-judgment zone. Come as you are.
In addition to your concerns about your child, their diagnosis may lead to some “aha!” moments about your own life. You might think, “Wait, that sounds like me!” or “This describes my partner!” Or, “Holy Axolotl, Batman, that explains SO MUCH!”
Neurodivergence is often inherited… and underdiagnosed.
When parents recognize their own neurodivergence, it often brings up big feelings. Relief at having an explanation. Grief over lack of recognition. And so many others.
I help parents explore their own ND/2e experience, process any emotional fallout, and learn how to manage ND in partnerships, all in the context of parenting a 2e/ND kid.
That includes anxiety, depression, substance use, burnout, relationships, grief, rage, parenting confusion, and identity panic at 3 am. Nothing is off limits here.
It’s therapy for the parent… and the person.
When you take care of yourself, you also support your kid.
You’ll feel less alone, better understood, and more capable of getting through the day without fantasizing about a solo trip to a private island with just a romance novel and a cheese stick.
We knew our daughter was gifted early on.
She taught herself to read at 3, adored encyclopedias, and asked for bedtime stories about the space program.
But she also played differently from peers and had homework meltdowns starting in 1st grade. By 2nd grade, testing placed her in the 3rd percentile in some areas… and the 99th in others. Nothing, however, was in the middle.
We were introduced to the world of twice‑exceptionality.
We fought for an IEP. I collected binders of paperwork thick enough to throw out my back. Teachers didn’t get her. Advocacy became a second job. Today she’s thriving in college, self-advocating, managing her ADHD, and feeling good in her brain. And we can finally breathe.
I was shocked by how much we had to figure out alone.
Over time, more resources have popped up for understanding twice-exceptional and neurodivergent kids, but there is still very little for the parents themselves. I saw the same pattern everywhere: exhaustion, confusion, and deep burnout.
As a therapist, I started seeing things differently.
What once looked like “disorganization” or “self-sabotage” started to look like missed recognition. I saw the emotional fallout: shame that had taken root years ago and bloomed into anxiety, depression, or substance use. So I trained specifically in 2e and neurodivergent parenting support and began offering therapy for this too-often overlooked group.
Try this when you… or your kid… are about to lose it:
Sometimes the meltdown is theirs. Sometimes it’s yours. Either way, you need something that actually works fast and doesn’t involve downloading an app.
Try this (together if you want):
1. Find something around you that starts with A, with B, with C, …
2. Find something red, orange, yellow, …
3. Name one thing that’s going well, even if it’s just that you remembered pants.
4. Take a deep breath and remind yourself: “This, too, shall pass.”
It’s not a fix. But it buys you both a little breathing room. And that matters.
“Emy has been invaluable as a source of insight, understanding, and growth for me as I navigate challenging circumstances and confront my own struggles as a ‘2e parent‘ individual without a diagnosis… . She has familiarity with the profile and unique needs that go along with twice exceptionality, which was important to me as there are multiple autism/adhd diagnoses in my family and my son is 2e.”
– A 2e Parent
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