Background
Dr. River Waits, PhD, PLP, PLMHP (they/them) is a transgender, neurodivergent post-doctoral fellow under the supervision of Dr. Diane Marti, PhD, LP. They earned their doctorate from Louisiana State University in School Psychology and completed their pre-doctoral internship at the Munroe-Meyer Internship in the Lifespan Developmental Disabilities Clinic. Dr. River also sought out additional training in gender-affirming services for transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals.
Professional Interests and Services
Dr. River specializes in services for autistic adolescents and adults. They enjoy providing diagnostic evaluation services for neurodevelopmental disorders such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Intellectual Disability, and Specific Learning Disability throughout the lifespan. They also provide therapy services for clients with neurodevelopmental disorders and mental health difficulties such as anxiety, depression, life transition, college stress, social/relationship concerns, and executive dysfunction. Additionally, Dr. River has a passion for serving neurodivergent individuals who are transgender or gender-nonconforming (i.e., autigender individuals). They are enthusiastic about helping autigender individuals navigate the overlap of their various identities to live a more fulfilling, authentic life.
Therapeutic and Assessment Approach
Dr. River uses an integrative therapeutic approach, which pulls from a variety of therapeutic practices including behavioral, cognitive-behavioral, dialectical-behavior, somatic, and acceptance and commitment therapies. They utilize multicultural practices to consider unique cultural factors that may contribute to the client’s experiences in and outside of the therapy room. Regarding assessment, Dr. River implements a strengths-based approach that emphasizes neurodevelopmental differences rather than deficits. They consider the impact of the individual’s biology, experiences, and environment on their development and overall wellbeing.