Michelle - Registered Psychotherapist

Hello and welcome! I’m Michelle, a psychotherapist, writer and a late diagnosed Autistic woman, I created this space for women like me who spent years trying to be who the world needed, only to realize the version they longed to be was there all along.

For most of my life, I felt like an outsider, someone who couldn’t quite connect in the way others seemed to. Social interactions left me drained, friendships felt one-sided, and conversations often felt confusing or overly complicated. The world overwhelmed me with its bright lights, loud sounds, and silent expectations. I carried these struggles in silence, believing they were personal failings rather than signs of something deeper.

When I received my autism diagnosis later in life, it was both a revelation and a reckoning.
Relief washed over me — finally, an explanation. A name for the lifelong ache of not quite belonging. But alongside that relief came grief. Grief for the years spent trying to force myself into a mould never meant for me. Grief for the energy spent masking, shrinking, and doubting my worth.

Unfortunately, my experience is not unique
Too many Autistic women are overlooked, misdiagnosed, or dismissed. The cost is immense — to our mental health, our relationships, and our sense of self. Gender bias, outdated stereotypes, and societal expectations tell us to blend in, to mask, to suppress who we truly are — all in the name of belonging.

But belonging built on erasure is not belonging at all.
My Blog: https://papercranesandstarlight.com/