Psychotherapists with Aspergers

[BlackSkirtTetra]

I'm beginning to do a search of the literature or case studies looking for psychotherapists (from any background, LCSW, LMFT, PhD, etc) with Aspergers or another developmental disorder. Specifically I would like to read their first-hand accounts or accounts about them written by other people.

And I have yet to find a single reference. I know that by nature Aspergers involves social deficts. Does this really account for the entirety of therapists having never lived with the condition (or another developmental disorder)?

This is a very small part in my research (involving the role of mental illness in the lives and practice of clinicians) but it has piqued my interest because I can't find any information (and neither can the reference librarian).

Any thoughts, ideas, or feedback?

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[JustNoticing]

just because it wasn't published, doesn't mean it hasn't happened. I'm curious what your search may turn up. I've got no help to offer, but keep us posted. What is the lit search for?

 

[Lisa44201]

If one has skills deficits in areas including empathy and interpretation of nonverbal communication, it's going to be very, very difficult to be an effective therapist. You can train someone to recognize facial expressions, but training someone to be empathetic is another matter. The term "social deficits" is in some ways a woefully inadequate description of what that individual goes through....
Anyway. It's also going to be taxing on the individual - many people with Asperger's find social interaction very difficult; forcing social interactions for eight hours a day, as in seeing clients, is going to be tough. That said, you'd probably find people with Asperger's working in research labs, although admitting it is another matter - there's still a lot of social stigma regarding mental health, and admitting one has a mental disorder can make one's job..... uncomfortable, at best.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

I don't see how someone w. the constellation of symptoms associated with Asperger's could be an effective therapist in the vast majority (all?) settings. As a bench researcher or as an analytical person, yes…but lacking many/most/all of those "soft skills" associated with providing talk therapy seems counter to what is needed.