Right from the start, I want you to know:

• You are not alone.
• Your voice matters.
• I am here to help you.

If you need daily support, you can join one of our supportive communities. You are safe here. Only members can access the discussion forums. You can ask questions and share stories of your day. Not everyone agrees on everything, but our diversity is what creates the opportunity to grow and change and take back your life from these very tough ASD relationships.

My credentials go back decades including a Master’s Degree in Social Work, and a Doctorate in Psychology. I’ve worked in every conceivable professional setting from child protective services, home health agencies, public schools, colleges, hospitals, and mental health clinics. I’ve covered lots of territory in those years, as you can imagine; everything from working with young children, teens, couples, families, seniors, and entrepreneurs; and with every conceivable diagnosis.

I’ve trained with the best too. My favored clinical skills include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), Ericksonian Hypnosis and Neuro-Emotional Technique (NET). I find these techniques incredibly powerful in creating elegant and long-lasting healing and change. Learn more about my theoretical orientation at Therapy Techniques.

But as valuable as my education, training and experience is, I also know that each one of you is as unique and special as your fingerprints. Did you know that no one on the planet shares your fingerprints? That’s right. What this means is that there is no “on size fits all.” That’s why I have designed our group with differing levels of service depending on your needs: teleconferences, face to face lunch groups, small intimate video conferences, and one-on-one video conferences with me if you like.

You may already know that I am the author of “Going Over the Edge?: Life with a Partner or Spouse with Asperger Syndrome,” and “Out of Mind-Out of Sight: Parenting with a Partner with Asperger Syndrome (ASD).” I wrote these books to help explain the life our members face every day. Readers tell me that they can relate to every word and that they re-read chapters over and over again, just to soak up the support.

There is one more thing I want you to know about me. I can relate personally to every single one of the Complex Relationship bullet points listed above. I was raised by a High Functioning Autistic mother, and an alcoholic father. My eldest daughter is on the Autism Spectrum. I’ve been an entrepreneur for many, many years, and raised my children in this environment. I too went through a hostile divorce, including parental alienation. Finally, I was motivated to write my latest book, “WHEN EMPATHY FAILS: How to stop those hell-bent on destroying you,” because I found myself in a 12 year property dispute with neighbors, the police, and government officials, who tried to destroy my career, my finances and my family. Out of this experience, I developed the Empathy Dysfunction Scale (EmD).

Just like you, I went through a lot of suffering before it occurred to me to take another approach. I learned to build resilience. I learned to use what I know as a psychologist to reshape the outcome. I counted on the principle that Michelle Obama champions, “When they go low, we go high.” This doesn’t mean that you don’t get hurt, or angry during all of those trying times. What it means is that when you’re up against the harshness of a complex relationship, “your response has to reflect the solution,” according to our former First Lady.

I call this response, Radiant Empathy (EmD-5 on my scale). That’s the goal of therapy with Dr. Marshack, Radiant Empathy. Life isn’t perfect, and you will keep making mistakes. But with Radiant Empathy you will learn to use your mistakes as feedback to refashion your life for greater healing, love and happiness.

I hope to hear from you.

 

Thank you,
Kathy Marshack, Ph.D.
www.kmarshack.com