09/11/2025
Alma Baumwoll, MSW joined APP this past spring and works primarily out of our Northampton office. Alma is excited about group facilitation and passionate about supporting Autistic children and their caregivers, based on both her personal and professional experience. She will be facilitating two groups (and keeps your eyes out for a future workshop!) starting this fall, Parents of Autistic Kids and Parents of Autistic Kids with High Support Needs, ensuring that caregivers can best connect on their shared experiences and psychoeducational needs.
Sign up for Alma's groups here: https://advancepsychotherapy.org/group
Below is a short interview that Alma did with Advance's Group Therapy Program Manager, E Merten:
As Alma's supervisor, I have been particularly impressed by her energy, creativity, and authenticity. She is an incredible advocate and is always striving to learn and grow more in her knowledge and expertise. A great deal of thought, care, and research went into her group design and she always strives to ensure that Autistic voices and perspectives are centered. As a former high school biology teacher, she is able to bring that knowledge base and skill set to her clinical work, providing her clients with an additional layer of insight and information. APP is so fortunate to have her!
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Q: What made you interested in group therapy?
A: I entered my first grad school class about group therapy with low interest and uncertain expectations. But the act of creating a shared space, a shared experience where everyone grows–I recognized the joy and excitement of that description from my years teaching high school! The therapeutic groups I’ve worked with since continue to convince me that interpersonal connection can fuel healing and wellbeing in ways that modern life does not always invite.
Q: What is this group about and what made you decide to offer it?
A: This group is about parents/caregivers of Autistic kids gaining neuroaffirming skills and perspectives to help their children thrive. Parenting Autistic kids is often an isolating experience where caregivers navigate seemingly endless barriers and changing needs in and out of their homes. Support and connection are rare, and our own conflicted feelings aren’t always easy to share or face ourselves.
While raising my own kids, I’ve had opportunities to experience an accepting and supportive parenting community at key times in my children’s lives; I want to create as many opportunities for other caregivers to connect in similar ways for themselves and their kids.
Q: What kind of clients were you thinking of when you designed it?
A: I tried to consider the widest range of parents and Autistic kids in designing this group, much of which is drawn from professional and personal experience and my ongoing dives into the work of self-advocates and community research. These may be parents with no understanding of Autism and disbelief in the reality of its many embodiments, or parents highly versed in Autistic experience and culture who continue to struggle in how to support their child(ren) in our neurotypical world. Parents carry internalized ableism, guilt and shame, distress that conflicts with their stated political/social values, expectations, and sometimes their own unacknowledged neurodivergent experiences and unmet needs.
The experience of parents with kids of different Autistic “presentations” and ages (including adult children) can lead to rich conversations and support. For this reason, there are no limitations (based on caregiver or child) on who can choose to attend Tuesday’s general group.
Wednesday’s group is a bit different. The neurodiversity paradigm includes many people, yet in practice often ignores those Autistic folks with the highest support needs, many of whom may not be able to live with their families. This is one reason for creating a second space, so that parents of kids with high support needs can opt in to the Wednesday group where they may feel more able to connect and discuss their challenges honestly.
Q: How do you think group will help them differently from individual treatment?
A: One key benefit of these groups is the connection, affirmation, and normalization of this particular caregiving experience. This can only be provided by other parents sharing similar situations, yet parenting kids with atypical/high needs is often intensely isolating and othering. Belonging is difficult to find, for caregivers, kids, and families. Individual treatment can provide psychoeducation, feelings processing, self-reflection, solution-focused interventions, and other valuable interventions, but it cannot plant the seed of community.
Q: What might a typical group session look like in this group?
A: Our typical group session will begin with a quick time to reflect and write before sharing the week’s experiences. Next we will explore one topic (e.g. sensory processing, advocating for our kids, family strengths through a neuroaffirming lens) and move into a semi-structured discussion personalizing the topic (e.g. guided questions with discussion). Resources about the topic from neuroaffirming and/or Autistic authors will be available for everyone to take home. Groups will end with another chance to reflect and share any goals for the week with the group to increase support and accountability.
Additionally, I am in communication with Autism Connections, who have offered free spaces to any folks who want to continue meeting on their own after our 8 weeks together.
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Thank you, Alma, for sharing more about your groups! Refer to our website to register for the Parents of Autistic Kids or Parents of Autistic Kids with High Support Needs groups!
