This week Monique chats with Sharen Lui. Sharen is a neurodivergent Educational and Developmental Psychologist, and the Director of Sprout Psychology Melbourne. Sharen specialises in neurodivergence within Asian communities, supporting families with assessments, therapy, and culturally responsive mental health support.

Sharen and Monique cover:

• What neurodivergence means to Sharen and the driving force behind establishing Sprout Psychology in Melbourne.
• Sharen’s path to discovering her own neurodivergence and the role of her cultural identity in this process.
• The impact of words and language on the perception of neurodivergence in Chinese culture.
• The importance of meeting Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) families and individuals ‘where they are at’ when working therapeutically.
• How do Chinese cultural norms interact with the experience of neurodivergence? Sharen talks Monique through filial piety, gendered expectations for women, and behavioural norms around what it means to be a ‘mature’ adult within Chinese culture.
• The layers of masking for neurodivergent Chinese folk.
• Barriers to accessing culturally competent neurodiversity-affirming health care in Australia for neurodivergent Chinese folk, and Sharen’s work in this space.
• Things to keep in mind when working with CALD groups.

Find Sharen at her Melbourne-based practice – Sprout Psychology. Monique and Sharen also gave a shout-out to LOAPAC (The League of Autistic Psychologists and Affirming Colleagues), which you can check out to find an affirming psychologist.

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