What is True Reflections Mental Health Services?

True Reflections Mental Health Services is a neurodiversity affirming therapy and evaluation practice located in Middlesex, NJ, founded and led by Janine Kelly, MSW, LCSW, RPT-S. The practice specializes in supporting autistic and ADHD children, teens, and adults, with additional specializations in anxiety, trauma, and perinatal mental health. Services are available in-person in Middlesex, NJ, and virtually throughout New Jersey and Florida.

What is neurodiversity affirming therapy?

Neurodiversity affirming therapy is an approach that recognizes ADHD, Autism, and other neurological differences as natural variations in human development rather than deficits to be fixed. A neurodiversity affirming therapist works to support the client's strengths, identity, and wellbeing without trying to change who they fundamentally are. The goal is to help clients thrive as they are, not to make them appear more neurotypical.

What is play therapy?

Play therapy is an evidence-based form of treatment that uses play as the primary medium for children to express their feelings, process experiences, and develop coping strategies. Because children naturally communicate through play rather than words, play therapy is a developmentally appropriate way for a therapist to build a relationship with a child and support their mental health. It is typically used with children ages 3 to 12 but can be adapted for individuals of all ages.

What age is play therapy appropriate for?

Play therapy is typically used with children between the ages of 3 and 12. At True Reflections MHS, services are available for children as young as 2.5 years old. Play-based approaches can also be adapted for teens and adults when appropriate.

What does play therapy help with?

Play therapy is effective for anxiety, trauma, ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, depression, grief and loss, anger and aggression, adjustment to divorce or family changes, school-related difficulties, social challenges, oppositional behavior, and self-regulation difficulties. At True Reflections MHS, play therapy is delivered through a neurodiversity affirming lens.

What is AutPlay Therapy?

AutPlay Therapy is a play and relationship-based therapy framework specifically designed for autistic and neurodivergent children and teens. It integrates play therapy with research-based strategies tailored to the needs of neurodivergent clients, focusing on emotional regulation, social development, and overall wellbeing without trying to change neurological differences.

What is Sandtray Therapy?

Sandtray Therapy is a form of play therapy that uses a tray filled with sand and a collection of miniature objects. Clients create their own scenes in the sand to represent their inner experiences, emotions, and relationships. It is a powerful therapeutic tool for both children and adults, particularly for those who find it difficult to express themselves verbally.

Does True Reflections MHS accept insurance?

True Reflections Mental Health Services is an out-of-network provider and does not bill insurance directly. Full payment is due at the time of the appointment. A Superbill is emailed after each session so clients can submit it to their insurance company for potential partial reimbursement depending on their out-of-network benefits.

What are the therapy fees at True Reflections MHS?

The initial intake appointment is $285. For children and adolescents, two intake appointments are required: one with the parent ($285) and one with the child or teen ($285). Ongoing therapy sessions are $260 per session. Payment is accepted via cash, check, credit card, HSA, and FSA.

Can I use my HSA or FSA to pay for therapy?

Yes. True Reflections Mental Health Services accepts Health Savings Accounts (HSA) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) as payment for therapy services.

Does True Reflections MHS offer telehealth?

Yes. Telehealth therapy and evaluation services are available virtually throughout New Jersey and Florida. In-person services are offered at the Middlesex, NJ office.

Does True Reflections MHS offer evaluations for adults?

Yes. Neurodiversity affirming ADHD and Autism evaluations are available for adults at True Reflections MHS, both in-person in Middlesex, NJ and virtually throughout New Jersey. Adult evaluations are particularly meaningful for individuals who suspect they may be autistic or have ADHD and have not yet received a formal assessment.

Is the True Reflections MHS office sensory-friendly?

Yes. The True Reflections MHS office is designed with neurodivergent clients in mind. Lighting and noise levels can be adjusted as needed, toys and materials can be covered if a child feels overstimulated, and a variety of seating arrangements are available to support comfort and regulation.

What happens at the first therapy appointment?

For adults, the first appointment is an intake session where Janine gathers background information about your history, current concerns, and goals for therapy. For children and adolescents, two intake appointments are required: the first is a parent-only session, and the second is with the child or teen directly. This two-appointment intake process ensures the most thorough understanding of your child's needs before treatment begins.

How do I schedule an appointment at True Reflections MHS?

You can request an appointment by completing the contact form at truereflectionsmhs.com/schedule, emailing info@truereflectionsmhs.com, or calling (908) 271-8000.

Late Autism Diagnosis Women New Jersey

You've spent decades finding ways to cope. You've learned to read rooms, script conversations in your head before you have them, and recover in private from things that didn't seem to bother anyone else. From the outside, you've managed. On the inside, managing has always cost you more than it should.

That exhaustion is real, and it often has a name that no one gave you. Autism in adult women frequently goes undetected for decades because the presentation looks different from what most clinicians are trained to find. My practice offers autism evaluations for adult women in New Jersey, available in-person in Middlesex and virtually throughout the state and in Florida, with no wait list and a payment plan available.

Why So Many Women Reach Adulthood Without a Diagnosis

The pattern I see most often is a woman who knew something was different about her from a young age but was told she was shy, sensitive, anxious, or just difficult. Autism in girls and women tends to present differently than the clinical descriptions most people know. The social imitation, the careful observation, the practiced performance of ease are not signs that autism isn't there. They are signs that it's been hidden, often for a very long time.

What tends to surface in that first conversation is a lifetime of being told the problem was something else entirely. Anxiety treated but never resolved. Depression that lifted briefly and came back. A sense that every explanation almost fit, but not quite.

What Getting a Late Autism Diagnosis Actually Looks Like

Getting a late autism diagnosis as a woman often starts with ADHD and autism evaluations that are specifically designed to identify how autism presents in adults who have spent years masking.

The process begins with a conversational intake, not a checklist, but a real conversation about your background, your daily life, and what's been hard. Assessment tools are selected based on your specific situation, not applied as a standard battery. My training includes specialized certification in identifying masking in women and girls, and being neurodivergent myself shapes how this process is built. The feedback session walks through findings together, what they mean for you now, and what comes next.

Autism evaluations for adult women are available in-person at my Middlesex, NJ office and virtually for residents throughout New Jersey and Florida.

What Changes After You Have an Answer

A diagnosis doesn't rewrite the past, but it does reframe it. The things that felt like personal failures start to look like what they actually were: a neurodivergent person surviving in environments that weren't built for her. Adult women who receive an autism diagnosis frequently describe it as the first explanation that made everything else make sense.

A diagnosis brings answers, but it also brings a complicated mix of grief, relief, and identity questions that later-in-life ADHD and autism diagnosis support is specifically built to help women work through. Having support in place for what comes after the evaluation makes a real difference.

Questions Women Ask Before Pursuing a Late Autism Diagnosis

I've been told I can't be autistic because I have friends and hold down a job. Is that true?

No. Holding down a job and maintaining relationships doesn't rule out autism, and for women especially, it often obscures it. The ability to mask socially, to observe and imitate and perform, is exactly why so many autistic women go undiagnosed for decades. Functioning in those areas typically comes at a significant cost that isn't visible to the people around you.

What if I get evaluated and the answer is no? Will I feel worse than before?

A thorough evaluation gives you real information either way. If autism isn't the right fit, a comprehensive assessment looks at the full picture, including ADHD, sensory processing, memory, and executive functioning, so you leave with a clearer understanding of what's actually going on. Clients often describe the process itself as clarifying, regardless of the outcome.

Is it worth pursuing a diagnosis this late in life?

Yes. A diagnosis as an adult opens the door to workplace accommodations, more targeted support, and a clearer understanding of why certain things have always been harder for you than they appeared to be for others. Knowing changes how you approach your life, and how much energy you spend just getting through it.

You Don't Have to Keep Wondering

Spending years without an answer is exhausting in its own way. Autism evaluations for adult women are available in-person in Middlesex and virtually throughout New Jersey, with no wait list, and you can reach out to schedule at any point.