Date

10-14-2026

Department

School of Behavioral Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD)

Chair

Jamie Clark

Keywords

cisgender women, autism, camouflaging, psychotherapy

Disciplines

Psychology

Abstract

Research has underrepresented cisgender women with autism, and there are limited and inadequate resources and services. Cisgender women with autism experience unique challenges which connect to mental health challenges. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to understand the lived experiences of cisgender women with level one autism; specifically, their experiences related to camouflaging, reasons for seeking psychotherapy, and the therapeutic relationship with their mental health care provider. Participant criteria included being a cisgender woman diagnosed with level one autism, who camouflage, and attended psychotherapy as an adult. Procedures included an online screening survey and semi-structured interviews. I used interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to obtain a rich first-person perspective of the seven participants’ shared phenomena and reached saturation. I identified nine main themes: Therapist-Client Relationship and Therapist Knowledge of Autism, Personal Relationship to Autism and Timing of Diagnosis, Unmasking Autism in Therapy: The Challenges, Therapist’s Verbal Confirmations Support Decreased Camouflaging, Unmasking Autism in Therapy: The Benefit, Autism: Coexisting and Impacting Mental Health Concerns, Therapist Perceived as Friend with Professional Boundaries, Therapist Traits and Knowledge: Supporting Autism in Therapy, and Autism Disclosure: Preemptive Disclosure versus Reactive Disclosure. The significance of this study are the practical implications, further education for psychotherapists and increased professional diagnosis of level one autism in women. Additionally, empirical investigation is recommended to understand the perspectives of psychotherapists.

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