Autism Therapy in Laguna Beach

Autism therapy at Third Street Counseling starts from respect for your wiring. Elaine Pike, AMFT, brings nearly two decades of special-education experience working with neurodivergent children and families, and Tallie Gigi, AMFT, works with autistic teens and adults. We do not treat autism as something to fix.

For children, autism may involve social differences, sensory needs, and behavioral patterns that others misunderstand. Elaine Pike, AMFT, draws on 18 years as a credentialed special educator to understand what is underneath the behavior and to support the child and family together. Parents are part of the process from the first free consult, and the therapy dogs, Paix and Luz, are often the ones who help with introductions.

For teens and adults, autism can mean masking, burnout, and the strain of navigating a world built for neurotypical expectations. The effort of constantly translating yourself for others takes a toll that others may not see. Tallie Gigi works with autistic teens and adults on understanding themselves, building sustainable ways to navigate relationships and work, and processing the exhaustion that comes from years of masking.

We support the goals you actually hold, whether that is building social confidence, managing sensory overload, navigating relationships, or understanding yourself better. We do not impose a template of what an autistic person should want or become. The therapy is shaped by what matters to you.

Autism and ADHD frequently co-occur. Many people who are autistic also have ADHD, and the two share some traits while differing in important ways. If you are exploring both, our ADHD therapy page describes how we approach the combination.

Anxiety is also common among autistic people, often as a result of the mismatch between the person and the environment rather than something separate. If anxiety is a primary concern, our anxiety therapy page has more on how we work with it in neurodivergent clients.