Dre Meller, Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist | Neurodiverse Couples Specialist

Personal Background & Approach  🏡

Lived Experience: A Neurodivergent Life, A Neurodivergent Family

I’m AuDHD (autistic + ADHD), and I’ve spent my life navigating the ups and downs of being neurodivergent in a world that often doesn’t accommodate the way my brain works. I don’t just work with neurodivergent individuals and couples—I live it every single day.

I’ve been with my autistic partner for 21 years, and together we are raising four neurodivergent children, ages 6 to 30. Our home is one of sensory needs, deep-focus interests, executive function challenges, and creative solutions. I know firsthand the beauty and intensity of neurodiverse relationships and parenting, as well as the real struggles that come with balancing different processing styles, emotional regulation needs, and daily logistics.

I also bring experience from a prior long-term relationship and co-parenting journey, which has shaped my understanding of blended families, relational transitions, and the challenges of maintaining connection while parenting through change. Creating a new family structure after divorce requires grace, patience, and practical strategies for co-parenting—things I deeply understand both personally and professionally.

These lived experiences fuel my passion for helping neurodivergent individuals, couples, and families thrive. Therapy should feel like a place where you don’t have to mask or explain yourself—a space where you can explore what works for you, instead of trying to fit into a system that wasn’t built with neurodivergent minds in mind.

A Passion for Learning & Hyperfocus

One of the things I love about being AuDHD is hyperfocus. For me, that hyperfocus has always been school, learning, and understanding people. My love for psychology, sociology, and teaching started in community college, and it led me down the path of becoming a therapist. That’s why you’re reading this now.

I love working with neurodivergent folx who think differently, process the world uniquely, and need support navigating relationships, identity, and life in ways that actually work for them. I get it—because I’ve lived it.

Creativity, Movement & Sensory Regulation

Like many neurodivergent people, I regulate my nervous system through movement and creativity. Hiking, gardening, roller skating, making electronic music, birdwatching, and dancing are some of my favorite ways to unwind. Therapy doesn’t have to be rigid or follow a neurotypical mold—I encourage clients to find what works for their unique neurotype, rather than forcing themselves into something that doesn’t fit.

If any of this resonates with you, take a look around, and reach out if you’d like to explore working together. Therapy should be a space where you can be fully yourself—no masking, no forcing—just a place to understand, heal, and create a life that aligns with how your brain works.

Relational Therapy 💙

Neurodiverse relationships come with unique challenges—miscommunications, differing emotional regulation needs, sensory sensitivities, and executive function struggles can all create tension between partners. 

My work focuses on helping couples move from frustration and blame toward clarity, connection, and sustainable relationship strategies that work for both partners.

I support couples, polycules, friendships, co-workers, and other relationship dynamics, offering a queer-inclusive, sex-positive space for growth and connection. My approach is non-pathologizing, decolonizing, and rooted in neurodivergent-affirming care.

I integrate: 

• Gottman Method (Level 1) – Practical tools for improving connection
  

• Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) – Strengthening emotional bonds

  
  

• Sex-Positive Therapy – Supporting intimacy and connection in neurodiverse relationships
  

Whether you're navigating communication struggles, sensory differences, or emotional disconnect, we’ll find strategies that work for your unique dynamic.

Parenting in a Neurodiverse Family 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

Neurodiverse Parenting: Raising Four Neurodivergent Kids

Raising four neurodivergent children, ages 6 to 30, has given me a front-row seat to the challenges, joys, and complexities of neurodiverse parenting. Every child has a unique brain, unique needs, and a unique way of engaging with the world. As a neurodivergent parent myself, I understand how traditional parenting advice often doesn’t apply to neurodivergent families.

I work with parents to:

• Understand their child’s neurotype and what support actually works 
  

• Balance sensory needs, emotional regulation, and executive function challenges in a way that helps the whole family

  
  

• Reduce parental burnout—because raising neurodivergent kids while being neurodivergent yourself is a lot.
  

• Strengthen communication and connection—so kids and parents feel safe, seen, and supported
  

Neurodiverse families often don’t fit the mold of “typical” parenting, and that’s okay. My approach is about helping parents create structures that actually work for their child’s brain—and their own.

Blended Families & Co-Parenting After Divorce

Neurodiverse relationships come with unique challenges—miscommunications, differing emotional regulation needs, sensory sensitivities, and executive function struggles can all create tension between partners. 

Parenting after divorce comes with unique emotional and logistical challenges—especially in neurodiverse families. Creating a new family structure that works for everyone requires patience, clear communication, and an understanding of how different neurotypes process change.

I know firsthand what it’s like to navigate divorce, rebuild a family dynamic, and co-parent in a way that centers the child’s needs while also honoring each parent’s role. Blended families require new routines, emotional flexibility, and a commitment to maintaining connection, even when the structure shifts.

I help parents: 

• Navigate co-parenting communication—so everyone is on the same page 
  

• Support children through transitions—whether that’s shifting between homes or adjusting to new relationships 
  

• Create parenting strategies that align with neurodivergent needs—for both kids and parents 
  

• Work through emotional challenges that come with blended families, co-parenting conflicts, and family restructuring
  

Whether you’re a neurodivergent parent raising neurodivergent kids or navigating a blended family dynamic, I offer a space to explore what works, what doesn’t, and how to create a parenting approach that truly fits your family’s needs.

Individual Therapy 🌿

Living in a neurotypical-centered world can be exhausting. Masking, pushing through executive dysfunction, navigating relationships, and coping with overstimulation can lead to exhaustion, burnout, and self-doubt. Therapy should be a place where you don’t have to explain or justify your neurodivergence—it should meet you where you are.

I help ADHDers, autistics, and other neurodivergent folx process burnout, trauma, and internalized ableism, exploring how societal expectations impact confidence, self-esteem, and daily functioning.

We work together to build a therapy plan that fits your neurotype and sensory needs. My approach is flexible, creative, and collaborative, pulling from:

• Person-Centered Therapy – A strengths-based, affirming foundation
  

• Narrative Therapy – Rewriting internalized stories and beliefs
  

• Somatic Therapy – Connecting mind and body for regulation
  

• Internal Family Systems (IFS) – Understanding and integrating different parts of yourself
  

• Brainspotting & Comprehensive Resource Modeling (CRM) – Processing trauma and reducing nervous system overwhelm

Supporting Neurodivergent Teens: 25 Years in Education & Youth Work

I’ve spent over 25 years working in education, supporting neurodivergent students in K-12 schools, colleges, and nonprofit programs. That experience has given me an inside view of how traditional education systems often fail neurodivergent teens—and what’s needed to help them thrive.

Teen years can be especially tough for autistic and ADHD teens who may struggle with: 

• School-related burnout and executive dysfunction
  

• Masking, social anxiety, and self-acceptance
  

• Emotional regulation and sensory overwhelm 
  

• Navigating friendships, dating, and identity
  

I provide a judgment-free space for neurodivergent teens to explore their identity, develop coping strategies, and build self-understanding without shame or pressure to conform. Whether your teen is struggling in school, feeling isolated, or just needs someone who “gets it,” I bring both professional and lived experience to support them in ways that make sense for their brain.

Burnout Recovery 🔥

Burnout isn’t just stress or exhaustion—it’s a full-body response to chronic overstimulation, masking, and unmet neurodivergent needs.

It can look like: 

• Emotional shutdown or dissociation
  

• Executive dysfunction that makes even small tasks feel impossible
  

• Sensory overload that drains your energy before the day even starts
  

• Social exhaustion and feeling disconnected from yourself and others

  
  

• Hyperfocus cycles that lead to depletion and crashes

I help clients identify the specific factors contributing to their burnout and build a plan to reduce unnecessary stress, increase self-compassion, and create a more sustainable way of moving through life. Burnout recovery isn’t about “fixing” yourself—it’s about honoring your neurotype and restructuring your life in ways that actually work for you.

Neuro-Informed Trauma Therapy - Brainspotting 🎯

Many neurodivergent folx have trauma related to masking, rejection, or living in a world that doesn’t accommodate their needs. Brainspotting offers a trauma-sensitive, neurodivergent-affirming way to process emotional overwhelm, burnout, and past trauma.

Brainspotting sessions can help: 

• Reduce sensory and emotional overload

  
  

• Improve self-regulation and nervous system balance
  

• Process burnout and chronic stress in a non-verbal, body-based way
  

If traditional therapy has felt overwhelming or ineffective, Brainspotting might be the missing piece.

Professional Background & Training 🎓

• Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist, #148962 

  
  

• Supervised by Dr. Harry Motro, LMFT #53452 Employed by New Path Family of Therapy Centers
  

• MA, Marriage and Family Therapy – Touro University Worldwide
  

• MA, Human Development & Social Change – Pacific Oaks College
  

• Certified Life Coach (BCC) – Institute for Life Coach Training (ILCT)
  

• Gottman Level 1, EMDR, Brainspotting, IFS, Comprehensive Resource Model (CRM)
  

• Specialized Training in ADHD Assessments