Chris Abildgaard

The University of Hartford, USA

Title: Positive Psychology and Person-Centred Counselling for Autistic Youth: Embedding a Neuro-Counseling Approach to Address Anxiety, Depression, and Self Regulation

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Biography

Chris Abildgaard is a Clinical/Applied Assistant Professor in the University of Hartford’s Psychology and School Psychology Department. He holds an Ed.D with a concentration in school psychology from Loyola University Chicago. His credentials include his NCSP, LPC, and an NCC. With two decades of experience, he is also the owner and director of the Social Learning Center located in Cheshire, CT. 

A former 2025-2026 Jackie McLean Fellow at the University of Hartford, his research focuses on neurodivergent student support in higher education, the development and assessment of social cognitive and executive functioning in neurodiverse students and blending clinical and academic perspectives to train the next generation of practitioners. He is a national speaker who shares practical insights on mental health counseling strategies, neurodevelopmental disabilities, and the impact of neurocognitive functioning on social, emotional, and academic performance.

Research Interest

Autistic children and adolescents experience elevated rates of co-occurring anxiety and depression, with recent reviews estimating anxiety in approximately 40%–80% and depression in approximately 14%–50% of autistic people (Linden et al., 2023; Lovell et al., 2026). Longitudinal research shows that mental health trajectories vary across development and are shaped by adaptive skills, peer relationships, identity development, sensory experiences, and access to appropriate supports (Tafolla & Lord, 2024). Grounded in clinical experience and empirical evidence, this presentation examines current mental health concerns among autistic youth and introduces neuro-counseling as a neuroscience-informed, neurodiversity-affirming framework for integrating positive psychology with person-centred counselling. 

Empirical and clinical evidence supports adapted cognitive behavioural therapy, caregiver involvement, communication modifications, and environmental adjustments as feasible strategies for improving access to mental health care and reducing distress (Pemovska et al., 2024). Because anxiety and depression are shaped by both individual and environmental factors, effective counselling must address symptoms while also supporting identity, communication, sensory needs, and meaningful participation in daily life. Building on this evidence, the presentation argues that positive psychology, when integrated with person-centred counselling, can strengthen positive emotions, self determination, social connection, and daily functioning while reducing depressive and anxious symptoms. This integrative model emphasizes autonomy, emotional validation, individualized goals, executive-function supports, and therapeutic environments that affirm neurodiverse ways of experiencing and engaging with the world. 

The presentation will discuss a clinically applied approach that integrates individualized counselling, social learning groups, executive-function coaching, educational consultation, and practical interventions designed to foster personal growth, self-confidence, inclusion, and adaptive functioning (Abildgaard, 2026). Case studies will illustrate gains in coping and life skills, self-motivation, and self-worth when counselling is delivered through a person-centred framework. The presentation concludes that integrating neuro-counseling with person-centred positive psychology offers a promising framework for reducing the impact of mental health symptoms while strengthening trust, security, self-regulation, and sense of self among autistic children and adolescents.