Nancy Rushing

Hi, I’m Nancy. I’m glad we have connected today. I want to acknowledge how difficult it can be to take this first step in your journey in understanding more about yourself, your partner, and your relationship—especially if you’re at a crossroad. It takes courage to cross an unknown journey. You might be feeling hopeless, pessimistic, confused, and possibly filled with anger and angst about your relationship, especially when you notice recurring patterns—repeating the same conversations, and experiencing the same interactions, thoughts and emotions. In each of our personal journeys, we metaphorically travel a path and face various obstacles along the road— let’s call these life’s “challenges”. Sometimes, these obstacles can make us feel stuck, pressure us to turn back, confront them aimlessly, repeat familiar patterns, or find a new path and direction. Obstacles are an essential part of a journey, just as the challenges we face in our life experience are unique and contribute to growth and transformation. Without these hurdles, it would be difficult to gain insight into our strengths, understand ourselves and the world around us, and develop the resilience needed to navigate life’s challenges. Each obstacle we encounter shapes our character, deepens our understanding, and ultimately enriches our experience, making the journey more meaningful and rewarding. The goal of our therapy sessions is to help you explore and harness the power of perspective and the choices you make, leading to acceptance and understanding around your unique challenges. I aim to assist you in finding the right tools to gain insight and effectively navigate the obstacles along your life’s path. Additionally, I want to help you, and your partner reconnect and intertwine your paths, enabling you to continue the journey and create meaningful destinations together. Obstacles of Neurodivergent Couples: • Communication Differences – How do you express yourself, interpret what your partner is saying, and understand their message: Are you feeling misunderstood? • Sensory Sensitivities – Are there feelings of being uncomfortable or overwhelmed by sensory stimuli such as sounds, lights and textures that prevent you or your partner from processing feelings or engaging with each other? • Emotional Processing – Is it difficult to recognize, interpret, and manage emotions during emotional experiences? Do you and your partner respond in a way that is challenging for each other? • Contrasting Perspectives -Do you and your partner have different views on issues or, see them differently? • Social Expectations - How do you and your partner navigate societal or cultural expectations in your relationship, and what impact do these expectations have on your interactions? • Routine & Flexibility - How do you and your partner handle changes to your routines or plans, and what effect does this have on your relationship? • Support Needs - How do you and your partner express and respond to each other's needs for support, and what challenges do you face in meeting these needs effectively? My Personal Journey: I am a child of Chinese Immigrant parents, born and raised in the south—specifically Louisiana and Texas. My neurodivergent journey started when I lost my mom in 2019 and discovered that she had undiagnosed mental health issues and was also neurodivergent. Witnessing the disconnect and misunderstandings that happen in a neurodivergent relationship helped me realize that every person wants to be loved and wants to love others. Every person deserves to be loved and longed for, the way they need and understand love to be. Since childhood, I have been extremely curious and inquisitive by nature and have a passion to learn about and understand others. I am a HSP (Highly Sensitive Person) and was late-diagnosed ADHD during graduate school while I was studying about neurodiversity and discovered that my perceived anxiety was an excess of complex thoughts in my mind that was misdiagnosed as generalized anxiety. It took the right therapist to connect me to this understanding and acceptance. My passion is to support others on their neurodivergent journey—to help them discover their authentic selves embrace their unique differences and build meaningful connections in their relationships. I have been living in the Bay Area for 17 years, married for 13 years, and have two neurodivergent children who are 7 and 9 years old. When I am not spending time with my family, I enjoy teaching yoga, exercising, cooking, having meaningful conversations and experiences with others, and being an avid animal lover. I would love to connect with you! Feel free to book a free consultation.