Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Maccombie
Sarah , we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started out my career as an occupational therapist in 2012. I was so interested in mental health, somatic therapy and spiritual psychology, I went back to school in 2017 so I could practice as a clinical mentalh health counselor (CMHC).
While I was working at my first job as a practicing therapist at The Utah Pride center, I heard similar stories from all of my autistic and ADHD clients: we can get medications from our doctors and work on our trauma with therapists, but it feels like no one really understands what type of support I need as a neurodivergent person. As an occupational therapist I had learned and practice sensory integration interventions with neurodivergent adults and realized that occupational therapy is a hugely missing approach in neurodivergent care that most adults have never heard of. At the time, my close friend Angela Breeland was going thrugh her own journey with being diagnoised with ADHD. We had for years already been talking about starting a clinic together and with these common experiences, The Neruodiversity Clinic was born!
Established on March 10, 2022, and opening its doors on October 21, 2022, The Neurodiversity Clinic is now emerging as a groundbreaking organization rooted in the grassroots neurodiversity movement. We focus on delivering exceptional, affirming, and holistic therapeutic services that embrace neurodivergence through both evidence-based therapeutic practices and listening to the voices of the neurodivergent community itself. We are committed to creating safe therapeutic spaces that are affirming to the neurodivergent, LGBTQIA+, and BIPOC communities that we serve.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Along the way, we needed to learn ALOT about what it means to run a business. We started the clinic with an incredible accountant and care coordinator for scheduling, billing, and accounting, and we also had truly amazing support from friends and family. One of our greatest hurdles has been spreading the word about our clinic. We started trying to focus on social media, but both of us discovered that we don’t have a natural passion for that type of content creation. We have been learning recently that in business it can be ok to lean into your strengths and both of us love building relationships! Since this realization we have been focused on building authentic relationships with other local clinics and organizations. For example, Flourish Therapy has been a great support on our clinic growth journey. We envision collaborating with local organizations so much that no one who needs mental health services can “fall through the cracks”.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
The Neurodiversity Clinic is unique in its interdisciplinary approach that includes occupational therapy, psychotherapy, marriage and family counseling, child therapy, diagnostic services, medication evaluation and prescription, intensive outpatient services, in-home organization services, life coaching and free social and support groups, all in one place. Some examples of TNC’s cutting edge approaches include sensory-focused occupational therapy, assessing and building strategies for executive functioning challenges, post-concussion rehabilitation, and focusing on nervous system regulation as the foundation for trauma therapy. TNC serves neurodivergent adults and children from 6 years of age to older adults of any age with a diagnosis of ADHD, ASD, c/PTSD, MDD, GAD, DID, PD, post-concussion syndrome, and more. TNC offers services to individuals with or without DSM diagnoses.
The Neurodiversity Clinic offers weekly, biweekly, and monthly therapy sessions as well as four intensive programs:
The Neurodivergent College Success Program for adults and teens preparing to enroll, struggling with current classes or returning to school focusing on college-specific executive functioning strategy training, self-advocacy skill training, emotional regulation skills for school/life balance, accommodation letters, school advocacy calls, and personalized support for academic success.
The Neurodivergent Intensive Outpatient Program for adults navigating challenges with executive functioning, nervous system dysregulation, relationship challenges, stigma and/or past trauma focusing on personalized executive functioning strategies, implementation support, and trauma-informed therapy to create meaningful change in daily life, self-care, home-care, career, school relationship, or all of the above!
The Family, Couples+ and Parent-child Intensive Outpatient Program for neurodivergent or mixed-neurotype families, couples+, or parent-child relationships looking to build stronger, more connected relationships through neurodivergent education, communication skill training, self-regulation and co-regulation training and other therapeutic supports to create nourishing and flourishing relationships.
The Post-Concussion Treatment & Rehabilitation for treating brain fog, memory loss, loss of balance, coordination, identity loss, and vision challenges in order to regain significant neuromuscular functioning, mental clarity, energy, memory, and a renewed sense of self.
The Neurodiversity Clinic also offers free adult support groups, including the ADHD Support Group, the Autism Support Group, and a free Neurodivergent Social Group
The Neurodiversity Clinic vision is to cultivate a world where neurodivergence and queerness is celebrated, and communities are enriched by the diverse strengths and capabilities of all individuals. At The Neurodiversity Clinic, we not only treat mental health concerns—we nurture the potential of every individual to live authentically and thrive together.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I believe authenticity is the most important characteristic to our success. There are so many different strategies and techniques out there that are sometimes super helpful, but can also guide us away from our own knowledge, wisdom and inner authority. Angela and I have both found that being real about our strengths, weaknesses and what we love to do as therapy practitioners has led us to create a business that feels supportive and authentic to us, our staff and our clients. We also want to model for our staff and clients that we can create safe spaces to unmask as neurodivergent people.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://theneurodiversityclinic.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neurodiversityclinic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NeurodiversityClinic/
