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Christine Aceves
About
Hello and welcome! My name is Christine Aceves. I’m a licensed psychologist currently living in Oregon and licensed to practice in California. My background includes working with adults across outpatient, residential, and telehealth settings, with particular experience understanding complex and overlapping mental health concerns.
I know that seeking an autism assessment as an adult can come with a mix of curiosity, uncertainty, and hope for greater clarity. My goal is to make the assessment process feel comfortable, collaborative, and respectful. I want you to have space to share your experiences openly, without feeling like you need to present yourself in any particular way. I approach assessment with genuine curiosity and an appreciation for the many different ways people think, communicate, connect, and experience the world.
I’ve always been drawn to understanding the “why” behind how people experience themselves and the world around them. Throughout my work as a psychologist, I’ve met many adults who have spent years feeling different, misunderstood, or trying very hard to adapt to expectations that did not come naturally to them. I’m drawn to working with neurodivergent adults because a thoughtful assessment can provide context for experiences that may have been difficult to understand or put into words.
I especially value the opportunity to look at the whole person rather than viewing individual traits or challenges in isolation. Whether an assessment confirms autism or provides another way of understanding someone’s experiences, I hope the process leaves each person with greater clarity, self-understanding, and useful information about themselves.
I approach each assessment with curiosity rather than assumptions. Instead of focusing only on areas of difficulty, I want to understand your strengths, the strategies you have developed, what comes naturally to you, and what may require more effort than others realize. I also recognize that many adults have become skilled at adapting, masking, or finding ways to navigate environments that were not designed with their needs in mind.
My role is not to decide what you should change about yourself. It is to understand your experiences in context and help make sense of the patterns that have developed throughout your life. I strive to create an affirming assessment experience where differences are explored without automatically being treated as deficits and where both strengths and areas where additional support may be helpful can be discussed openly.
