ABT Neurodivergence Group

ONLINE SUPPORT GROUP

Facilitated by: Kevin Martinez, LCSW
Time: Thursday, July 16, @ 6pm
8 weeks / Adults 18+

This group supports adults in building safer, more sustainable relationships by understanding how attachment patterns interact with nervous systems, neurodivergent traits, and lived experience.

Rather than asking members to perform emotional skills or conform to a single model of healthy relating, this group uses a neurodivergent-affirming, authenticity-based framework that honors different ways of thinking, feeling, processing, and connecting.

We explore how early attachment wounds, social expectations, masking, trauma, and nervous system responses shape relational patterns—without blame or shame. The goal is alignment, self-trust, and functional connection that works within each person’s neurological reality.

What Makes This Group Different

Many relationship-focused groups assume neurotypical communication, emotional expression, or regulation. This group does not.

We acknowledge that:

People regulate and connect differently
Many have learned to mask, over-function, people-please, or emotionally withdraw to survive
Anxious, avoidant, or controlling behaviors are often adaptive strategies

Skills are taught with an emphasis on sustainability over performance, reducing burnout and relational exhaustion while increasing genuine connection.

This Group Is Designed for You If

You feel anxious, avoidant, overwhelmed, or stuck in repeated relationship patterns
You experience push–pull dynamics, trauma bonds, or relational burnout
You are neurodivergent or feel pressured to communicate or relate “normally”
You want practical tools to set boundaries, communicate clearly, and build safer connection

What You Will Gain

Insight into how attachment, nervous system patterns, and past experiences shape relationships
Regulation strategies that support responding rather than reacting
Clear, direct communication skills
Boundaries that preserve both safety and connection
A realistic, functional understanding of secure attachment

The Roadmap: Our 8-Week Journey

Phase 1: Safety & Understanding

Week 1 – Setting the Foundation
Establishing a safe, predictable group culture. Introduction to attachment styles, nervous system regulation, and authenticity-based principles. Participation does not require vulnerability or emotional performance. Expectations emphasize accountability and respect without shame.

Week 2 – Your Attachment Story
Exploring how early relationships and social expectations shaped current relational strategies. Behaviors are understood as adaptive rather than defective. Insight focuses on functional understanding rather than emotional disclosure.

Phase 2: The Patterns

Week 3 – The Anxious Cycle
Understanding fear of abandonment and hypervigilance through a nervous-system lens. Learning strategies that reduce over-investment, impulsive reactions, and relational burnout.

Week 4 – The Avoidant Shield
Exploring emotional distance, independence, and control as protective adaptations. Learning how to engage in connection selectively without losing autonomy or stability.

Week 5 – Breaking the Chaos
Addressing push–pull dynamics, trauma bonds, stimulation-seeking, and recurring conflict. Learning how safety, stimulation, and attachment interact to stabilize relationships.

Phase 3: Tools for Connection

Week 6 – Communication That Heals
Learning clear, efficient communication strategies for stating needs, setting limits, and repairing conflict without escalation, collapse, or withdrawal.

Week 7 – Building the Self & Secure Attachment
Developing a stable sense of identity, competence, and purpose that is not dependent on relationships, status, or intensity. Secure attachment is defined as predictability, mutual benefit, and respect for autonomy.

Week 8 – Moving Forward
Creating a personalized plan for future relationships that supports stability, agency, and long-term well-being without reliance on ongoing crisis or over-monitoring.

Name *

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Address

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You are, or have previously been a BCS Counseling client: *

Yes, currently a client
Yes, previously a client
No

You are interested in the following support group: (You may only join 1 group at a time.) *

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When is the best time to call you? (between 9am-6pm, Mon-Fri) *

It will be about a 10 minute intake call, to collect all information needed to confirm suitability for the group.

Insurance Details: Provider / Plan / Number: *

Please state N/A if self pay.

Group facilitated by
Kevin Martinez, LCSW

I have worked with diverse populations including individuals with developmental disabilities, substance abuse and mental health concerns, dual diagnoses, and have extensive experience serving the LGBTQ+ community.

I provide therapy services to clients across the lifespan in both individual and group settings. I employ a warm, nonjudgmental therapeutic approach that emphasizes helping clients feel heard and understood. I specialize in Strength-Based therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and spiritual therapy, tailoring my approach to meet each client’s unique needs. I take time to collaborate with clients in understanding their concerns before developing treatment strategies.

My additional expertise in Motivational Interviewing supports short-term, goal-focused counseling that empowers clients to create meaningful change in their lives. I have been providing compassionate mental health services since earning my MSW in 2016, with over a decade of experience in the human services field.