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Christine Penwell
About
Hello! My name is Nikki Penwell and I am licensed in Tennessee and Michigan. I currently live in southeast Michigan. I am passionate about helping autistic and neurodivergent adults navigate life. Humor and creative problem solving are part of who I am, and they have naturally found their way into my counseling room. I have training in autism and other neurodivergence through clinical practice and supervision. I utilize a neuroscience-based, trauma-informed framework titled The Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics to guide my understanding of your need. In session I use approaches such as Motivational Interviewing, CBT, and DBT depending on which is the best fit. My goal as a therapist is to meet you where you're at. Every person and story is unique and I look forward to getting to know you.
My motivation for working with autistic clients stems from a deep respect for neurodivergent adults. My life has been touched by neurodivergence through personal experience and the experience of those I love. I believe that having a space where my clients can explore their experiences and needs is crucial to healing from wounds that come from living in a world that wasn't created with neurodiversity in mind. With this in mind, my approach celebrates differences. I use strengths-focused approaches to honor the parts of yourself you value and focus on your goals. My hope is that we can collaborate towards the life you have envisioned.
As a neurodivergent therapist, I believe that an affirming and strengths-based approach allows for an environment where individuals feel heard, seen, and empowered. I strive to create a safe counseling space by engaging in active listening, validating emotions, and judgment-free exploration of experiences. This aligns with Carl Rogers' framework of person-centered therapy. Rogers believed that every person has within themselves the ability to change, and a therapist is an empathetic presence there to help them discover it. Throughout my practice, I have found his framework to be foundational to my interactions with clients. Using this foundation, I assist clients with identifying their strengths and collaborate to bring them into therapy. For some, this may look like using their special interest to understand a challenging social situation or affirming their skill of pattern recognition. These examples might not represent your experience and that's okay! All people have strengths and these strengths are as unique as fingerprints.
