Derek Hefner

Hi! My name is Derek, and I'm a licensed clinical social worker in Illinois who is passionate about supporting autistic individuals and helping them achieve their goals. As a clinical social worker practicing as a therapist, I always strive to collaborate with my clients in ways that take their strengths, support needs, environment, and personal history seriously. I have partnered with Prosper Health to reach and support autistic clients who have been struggling to find a therapist who is neurodiversity-affirming.

My journey toward becoming a neurodiversity-affirming therapist began in earnest with becoming the parent of an autistic child. I quickly discovered that much of my understanding of autism wasn't up-to-date or sufficiently empowering from a disability-justice perspective. Since that time, I have worked diligently to take CEU courses, read neurodiversity books, and listen to my autistic clients about their identities and support needs. Too any professionals treat autism as something deficient or something to be fixed rather than an expression of neurodiversity with its own benefits and challenges. By contrast, I wanted to partner with those organizations and clinicians who are trying to empower autistic individuals in ever more creative and affirming ways.

In my practice, I will always strive to help my clients to unmask and engage with me as authentically as possible during therapy sessions. Stimming, diverse ways of communicating, and all kinds of passions and hobbies are welcome in discussion. Your identity, strengths, and supports needs are central while I work to employ evidence-based therapy models to help you with insights, skills, and supports to meet your therapy goals. Additionally, my practice is trauma-informed and LGBTQ-affirming, and I have experience with the following concerns: depression, anxiety, burnout, communication, relationships, ADHD, gender expression, and parenting.