Do I need an ADHD or autism diagnosis to work with you?

No. You’re welcome to reach out whether you have a formal diagnosis, self-identify as neurodivergent, are questioning, or are beginning to explore what neurodivergence might mean for you. Therapy with me is not an assessment or diagnostic service. We can make space for your experiences and what you’re noticing without requiring you to arrive with a particular label.

Do I have to make art in therapy?

No. Expressive arts therapy is one option we can draw from, not something you’ll be required to do. Some sessions might involve art-making or another form of creative exploration, while others may involve conversation, mindfulness, body awareness, or practical skills. We can adapt sessions based on what feels accessible and useful to you.And no artistic experience is needed.

Do you work with neurodivergent children and teens?

Yes. I offer individual therapy for children and teens as well as adults. Sessions are adapted to the individual young person, with room for conversation, creativity, practical skills, and different ways of communicating and expressing themselves.

Do you offer virtual therapy?

Yes. I offer virtual psychotherapy to clients located in Ontario, as well as in-person sessions in Toronto. Virtual therapy can also give you more flexibility to join sessions from an environment where you already feel comfortable.

What if I’m not sure whether neurodivergent-affirming therapy is what I need?

That’s okay. You don’t need to choose the perfect type of therapy before reaching out. A free consultation gives us a chance to briefly talk about what’s bringing you to therapy, what you’re looking for, and whether my approach might be a good fit.

What happens during a free consultation?

A free consultation is a brief conversation where you can share a little about what you’re looking for, ask questions about how I work, and get a sense of whether you’d feel comfortable moving forward. There’s no expectation that you have everything figured out beforehand.

Neurodivergent-Affirming Therapy in Toronto & Ontario

You shouldn’t have to spend therapy explaining why your brain works the way it does.

Maybe you’re exhausted from masking, overwhelmed by everyday demands, or wondering why things that seem easy for other people can take so much energy for you.

You may already identify as neurodivergent, be exploring what ADHD, autism, or AuDHD means for you, or simply know that the usual ways of doing things haven’t quite fit.

Therapy can be a place to understand yourself with more curiosity and find approaches that work with your brain, body, and life.

Book Your Consultation Today

Art supplies used for expressive arts therapy sessions

Savannah Dasilva Psychotherapy Toronto ON expressive arts therapy queer and neurodivergent therapist collage portrait

Maybe this sounds familiar.

You’re getting through your days, but it takes more energy than anyone seems to realize.

You might be masking to get through school, work, relationships, or social situations. Maybe you’re dealing with burnout, sensory overwhelm, executive functioning challenges, anxiety, or the feeling that you’re always trying to catch up.

You may be:

discovering your neurodivergence later in life
trying to understand ADHD, autism, or AuDHD as part of your identity
feeling burnt out from masking or pushing through
struggling with overwhelm, transitions, routines, or everyday demands
navigating relationships with people whose brains work differently from yours
trying to understand your needs without judging yourself for having them
looking for therapy where you don’t have to constantly explain or defend your experience

You don’t need a perfectly defined reason for coming to therapy. We can start with what’s happening now.

Therapy can look different here.

There isn’t one right way to participate in therapy. Sometimes you might want to talk things through. Other times, it may feel easier to draw, write, create, move, notice what’s happening in your body, or work with something more practical.

I draw from expressive arts therapy, DBT-informed skills, mindfulness, and body-based practices, and we can adapt our sessions based on what feels accessible and useful to you.

You don’t need to be artistic to explore expressive arts therapy, and you won’t be expected to use creative approaches if they don’t feel right for you.The goal is to find ways of working together that make room for how you communicate, process, and experience the world.

Explore Expressive Arts Therapy

Neurodivergent-Affirming Therapy for Children, Teens & Adults

Neurodivergence can show up differently across ages, environments, and stages of life. Therapy should be flexible enough to reflect that.

For Children & Teens

Young people may be navigating big emotions, overwhelm, school stress, friendships, identity, changing expectations, or the exhaustion that can come from trying to fit into environments that don’t always work for them.

Therapy can offer space to explore what they’re experiencing in ways that feel accessible to them. Depending on the young person, sessions might include conversation, creative activities, practical skills, mindfulness, or other forms of expression.

My approach is flexible and responsive to the individual young person rather than expecting every child or teen to engage in therapy in the same way.

For Adults

Maybe you’ve known you’re neurodivergent for years. Maybe you’re understanding yourself through this lens for the first time.

You might be looking back at experiences of anxiety, burnout, relationships, work, school, chronic illness, or feeling “different” and beginning to understand them differently.

Therapy can give you space to explore those experiences, understand your needs, and experiment with ways of navigating your life that feel more sustainable and authentic to you.

What Is Neurodivergent-Affirming Therapy?

For me, neurodivergent-affirming therapy starts with the understanding that there isn’t one “right” way for a brain to work.

Rather than approaching therapy with the goal of making you appear more neurotypical, we can get curious about how you experience the world, what takes energy, what supports you, and what gets in the way of living in a way that feels sustainable.

That might mean exploring masking and burnout, identifying your needs, understanding patterns in relationships, experimenting with practical strategies, or making more room for the ways you naturally communicate, process, create, move, and rest.

Our work is collaborative. We can adapt the way we approach therapy as we learn more about what works for you.

Colorful stickers and drawings of butterflies, cake, Boba, with the text Savannah Dasilva Psychotherapy Toronto ON individual therapy

What We Might Explore Together

Abstract human head with yellow white pink and blue design

There’s no single neurodivergent experience, and what brings you to therapy may have very little to do with a label. Our work might include exploring:

Masking and burnout, including the exhaustion that can come from constantly adapting yourself to different environments
Anxiety, stress, and overwhelm when everyday demands start to feel like too much
Executive functioning challenges around starting tasks, transitions, routines, organization, or keeping up with responsibilities
Identity and self-understanding, especially if you’re newly exploring or making sense of your neurodivergence
Relationships and communication with partners, family, friends, coworkers, or other people whose needs and communication styles may differ from yours
Sensory needs and body awareness, including becoming more curious about what your body is communicating
Chronic illness and pain and the ways neurodivergence, energy, health, and accessibility can intersect
Grief and change, including making sense of past experiences through a new understanding of yourself
Boundaries, needs, and self-advocacy as you explore what makes life feel more manageable and sustainable

Working With Savannah

Savannah Dasilva sitting in her Toronto therapy office

I’m Savannah Dasilva, a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) and expressive arts therapist based in Toronto, offering in-person and virtual therapy.

As a queer, AuDHD therapist who also lives with chronic illness, I understand personally that our brains, bodies, identities, relationships, and environments can affect one another in complicated ways.

My approach is warm, collaborative, creative, and flexible. I draw from expressive arts therapy, DBT-informed skills, mindfulness, and body-based practices while adapting our work to the person in front of me.

You won’t be expected to arrive with everything figured out. We can get curious together about what you’re experiencing, what you need, and what ways of approaching life feel meaningful and sustainable for you.

Frequently Asked Questions

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You don’t have to figure it all out before reaching out.

Whether you’ve known you’re neurodivergent for years, are newly understanding yourself through this lens, or are still exploring what it means for you, you’re welcome here.

We can start with a free consultation to talk about what you’re looking for and whether my approach feels like a good fit.

Colourful oil pastel drawing in sketchbook