Neuroaffirming Psychologist (Assessment)

Neuroaffirming Psychologist (Assessment) — Mesa, AZ

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Type: 1099 independent contractor · Percentage-based compensation · Part-time to start, build to full-time as your caseload grows · In-person in Mesa, hybrid possible

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Population: Children and/or adults (you choose your scope)

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The role

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We're looking for a licensed psychologist who does diagnostic assessment the way it should be done: thorough, contextual, affirming, and useful to the person receiving it. You'll be the assessment anchor for our Mesa hub, working alongside psychiatry, OT, and PT.

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You'll conduct comprehensive evaluations for autism, ADHD, learning differences, giftedness/twice-exceptionality, and co-occurring conditions — and you'll write reports people actually understand. A therapy caseload is optional and can be built around your interests.

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What you'll do

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• Conduct neuroaffirming diagnostic evaluations for autism and ADHD across the lifespan, integrating developmental history, self-report, collateral input, and direct observation
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• Administer and interpret the ADOS-2 and/or MIGDAS-2, understanding when each is appropriate and where the ADOS falls short — particularly for high-masking presentations
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• Recognize and assess for masking, camouflaging, and internalized presentations, and understand how autism and ADHD show up differently in girls, women, AFAB people, gender-diverse people, and late-identified adults
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• Administer cognitive, achievement, executive function, memory, and psychoeducational testing as clinically indicated (WAIS/WISC, WIAT/WJ, NEPSY, D-KEFS, etc.)
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• Differentiate and identify co-occurring conditions: anxiety, OCD, trauma, PDA profiles, sensory processing differences, giftedness/2e, and learning disabilities
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• Write reports that lead with strengths, use identity-first or person-first language per client preference, and translate findings into concrete accommodations and supports
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• Provide feedback sessions that are collaborative, unhurried, and non-pathologizing
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• Optional: carry a therapy caseload (ACT, DBT-informed, IFS, autistic-adapted CBT, or your modality of choice)
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• Collaborate with our psychiatric providers, OT, and PT on shared clients
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• Consult and supervise as interested (practicum students, postdocs, or peer consultation — we're a practice that loves students!)
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Who you are

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• Licensed Psychologist in Arizona (or license-eligible via PsyPACT / imminent AZ licensure)
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• Trained and experienced in autism evaluations
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• Experienced with cognitive and psychoeducational assessment
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• Fluent in current neurodiversity-affirming literature and community perspectives, including the double empathy problem, monotropism, autistic burnout, and interoception
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• Understands why "doesn't make eye contact" is not a diagnostic criterion — and why a 40-year-old woman who's never been assessed might present as socially fluent and still be autistic
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• Comfortable telling a family or an adult the truth, kindly
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• Willing to be credentialed (we handle that)
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• Lived experience of neurodivergence is welcomed and valued, not required
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Compensation & logistics

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• 1099 contractor, percentage-based split on collected revenue
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• We accept insurance for accessibility; you'll also see private-pay clients
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• In-person in Mesa; hybrid schedule available for intakes, feedback sessions, and therapy
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• Testing materials, kits, scoring software, office space, billing, credentialing, support staff, and scheduling all provided
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• Set your own hours and caseload
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• Sensory-considerate testing space with adjustable lighting and quiet rooms
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To apply

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• Send a CV and a short cover letter that isn't written by AI to maria@paperflowerpsychiatry.com. Tell us where you stand on social justice and neurodivergence in the current political landscape — overdiagnosed, underdiagnosed, both? We want something authentic, in your voice. A generic cover letter about your job experience will get deleted.
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About Paperflower Psychiatry

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Paperflower Psychiatry is an Arizona-based, neurodivergent-informed mental health practice with locations across the Valley and in Flagstaff. In Mesa, we're building something different: an interdisciplinary, neuroaffirming hub where psychiatry, psychology, occupational therapy, and physical therapy work side by side to provide inclusive care.

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We see ages 5 to 65, with a growing focus on creating a space where late-diagnosed adults and low-support-needs individuals can access non-judgmental, comfortable care to explore their needs.

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We take insurance because access matters. We hire clinicians who are curious, unhurried, and passionate about social justice — many of us are neurodivergent ourselves.

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What we believe

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• Neurodivergence is not a disorder to be fixed. It's a way of being in the world. Our job is to reduce friction between a person and their environment, not to make them look more neurotypical.
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• Masking can be useful, but costly. We assess and treat with that in mind, especially for women, girls, people of color, gender-diverse folks, and adults diagnosed later in life.
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• Bodily autonomy and consent. No compliance-based approaches. No hand-over-hand without consent.
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• Accessibility is a value. Sliding scale where possible, insurance accepted, sensory-considerate spaces, plain-language reports.
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• Collaboration over hierarchy. Clinicians own their work and help shape how the practice grows.
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• Transparency and authenticity. We tell people what we see, in words they can use. We show up as real people — not as "professionals" in the stereotypical sense.
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