Our Services
At the Alyvia Autism Center, there is an extensive range of specialized, mental health treatment services designed to support individuals with autism and their families at various life stages. Led by Dr. Kirsten Willar, the evidence-based treatments include modified Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) tailored to those impacted by autism, along with other therapeutic modalities to improve overall well-being. The AAC also provides individualized social skills training, behavioral parent coaching, and support for both families and siblings. The group Social Skills Training program, namely, PEERS©, empowers teens to make and maintain friendships, while the consultation services offer guidance on navigating diagnoses, treatment, and transitions.
At every step, we are committed to delivering compassionate, personalized care that supports your family’s unique needs.
Tailored Mental Health Treatment for Children, Adolescents and Families with ASD
-
Dr. Willar is committed to the use of evidence-based treatments supported by scientific research and primarily practices Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) modified for those impacted by autism spectrum disorder, in conjunction with other therapeutic modalities. CBT is a relatively short-term, goal oriented, skill based treatment, which aims to modify thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in order to improve overall well being. CBT can include exposure response prevention (ERP) in order to treat anxiety based challenges. Therapy is collaborative, individualized and strengths based.
While the typical age range for treatment is ages 7-18+, there is individual variation and Dr. Willar has and does work with individuals outside of the age range specified such as young adults.
-
For individuals who are not ready/able to join a group social skills intervention, Dr. Willar provides individualized social skill training utilizing the PEERS© curriculum.
-
Parenting a child with autism can be exceptionally challenging. Parents are an integral part in their child’s healing and well being, regardless of the age of the child. Dr. Willar provides behavioral parent training, an empirically supported treatment focused on teaching parents new ways to manage their child’s difficult behavior. Dr. Willar is also a trained SPACE© provider, which is a parent based treatment for childhood/adolescent anxiety and OCD.
-
Dr. Willar is distinguished as a social skills trainer, utilizing the PEERS© curriculum. PEERS© is a 14-week, evidence-based social skills intervention for teens (ages 12-16 years), who are interested in learning how to make and maintain friends. Parents attend separate, concurrent sessions.
-
Having a family member with autism can cause increased stress within the family unit, between caregivers as well as the parent/child and/or sibling relationships. Dr. Willar provides comprehensive care to families and its’ members in order to strengthen communication and overall cohesiveness.
-
Dr. Willar can help educate parents about a new diagnosis, provide guidance regarding treatment recommendations, work with families and schools to help advocate for a child’s needs, and navigate next steps for various life transitions.
