Guided by the Radical Truth of Love, Sex, and Autism

A consultation with Candice is a goal-oriented deep dive into the neuro-culture of Autism. Utilizing the framework from her #1 Amazon bestseller, Love, Sex, and Autism: The Radical Truth About Intimacy and Neurodifference, Candice provides a roadmap for individuals and neurodifferent (Autistic, AuDHD, ADHD) individuals and couples to navigate intimacy with clarity and autonomy.

What Does a Consultation Entail?

Consultations are time-limited and highly focused (they are not therapy). We move beyond "vague" guidance into specialized neuro-affirmative psycho-education centered around your neurotype and nervous system.

The Sexual Sensory Profile: Identifying exactly how your neurobiology impacts your experience of touch, sound, and presence. We move from "I don't know why I'm overwhelmed" to a concrete map of your sensory "Yeses," "Noes," and "Maybes."

Clear Communication: Moving Beyond the Guesswork

Communication in neurodifferent relationships often fails not because of a lack of love, but because of a lack of translation. We focus on:

  • The Power of Scripts: Utilizing scripts to take the "cognitive load" out of difficult conversations.

  • The "Double Empathy" Bridge: Understanding how two different neurotypes can perceive the same event in radically different ways without either being "wrong." Also, learning to reduce unnecessary conflict with translation of intention vs. impact in communication.

  • The 7 Adaptive Communication Styles: Most communication challenges in neurodifferent relationships are actually nervous system responses. In Love, Sex, and Autism, Candice identifies seven specific ways the neurodifferent brain communicates when it feels overwhelmed, unsafe, confused, unsure, or over-stimulated.

    By identifying your communication style and neurolanguage, you can stop the cycle of shame and start the process of co-regulation.

Communicating the "Invisible" (The "Mental Load" of Neurodifference): We explore at the logistical leaks that drain emotional bandwidth before you even get to the bedroom:

  • Cognitive Overload & Transitions: How to communicate the need for "down-regulation" time without it feeling like rejection to a partner.

  • The Executive Function Gap: Creating systems for day-to-day tasks that honor neurodifferent energy cycles rather than traditional "fair share" models that lead to burnout.

  • Naming the Internal State: Moving from "I’m fine" to "I am at 10% capacity and need a sensory-soothing environment."

Self-Led Connection: Tools for connecting with a partner both non-sexually and sexually from a place of "Self" (IFS/IFIO) rather than from a "Parts" place (fear, masking for protection, or people-pleasing).

Betrayal Trauma Recovery: For those healing from intimate betrayal violence, Candice serves as additional neuro-affirmative support to your therapy. We address the paralyzing nature of trauma, Pattern recognition, valid justice sensitivity, and the Rejection Sensitivity (RSD) often present in both neurotypes of the partner who created the betrayal and the partner who has been betrayed.

 
 

“The stories, guidance, and discussion points have authenticity, credibility, and practicality as Christiansen is a qualified and experienced counsellor and personally has the insight from the combination of autism and ADHD, as well as the experience of a long-term relationship with a non-autistic partner.”

– Tony Attwood, Ph.D. Best-Selling Author, Professor, and Internationally Recognized Autism Expert