Life & Work with Breea Rosas of Santa Monica

Today we’d like to introduce you to Breea Rosas

Hi Breea, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
In college, I knew I wanted to do something in a helping profession and I had always been drawn to psychology. Having an autistic brother myself, I knew that school psychology would be a great opportunity for me to work with neurodivergent kids and have a meaningful impact. Over the last 9 years, I have seen how important it is for families to have access to affirming and supportive resources. In December 2023, I decided to launch ND Affirming School Psychologist to provide assessments for children and advocacy support for families; I also provide professional development for educators so that they can also implementing neurodiversity affirming practices.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It certainly hasn’t been easy! Becoming a school psychologist and then a licensed educational psychologist took a lot of dedication and persistence. But what has been just as challenging is helping others view neurodivergent and disabled children as more than just deficits or people with problems to be cured. It has taken compassion and patience to support a societal shift in how we view neurodivergence.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
As I mentioned, I focus on neurodiversity affirming practices. I’m very passionate about my work in this area. Neurodiversity refers to the range of brain differences. Neurodiversity affirming means accepting, celebrating, and supporting all people with all types of brains. There is absolutely nothing about a neurodivergent person that needs to be fixed, changed, or cured. Instead, neurodiversity should be embraced as a totally normal part of society. And as a society, we need to uplift and support neurodivergent people.

What sets me apart from other psychologists is that I use the neurodiversity affirming lens and framework when I’m conducting diagnostic assessments for children. Many psychologists still practice from a medical model for evaluations and make recommendations that are clinical and behavioral in nature. Instead, I find ways to leverage strengths, view differences in functioning as neutral, and help uncover the unique support needs of the individual in a way that doesn’t make the neurodivergent person feel shame about who they are.

So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
I am very active on social media and love collaborating with others! I am always looking for other like-minded providers (therapists, SLPs, OTs, etc.) to refer clients to. I also offer free 30-minute consultation to ANYONE who is interested in hearing more.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ndaffirmingsp.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ndaffirming_sp/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556656595160

Image Credits
Stacia Narasky