My Story
How Trauma Led to Insight and
How Sharing Decreases Stigma for All of Us
About Me
Bio
Damon Ackerman, LMHC, helps transform the lives of children, adolescents, adults, and families, with the overarching goal of strengthening the island community as a whole. Damon’s approach is eclectic, informed by cultural sensitivity, leading-edge practices in therapy, holistic health, and the mindfulness movement. His methods, refined over several years of professional experience on most of the Hawaiian islands, are both comforting and creative as well as steadfast and respectful. He teaches individuals and families how to generate hope, understand and articulate their challenges, build better skills, develop innovative solutions, improve cohesiveness in both intrapersonal and interpersonal relating, and expand the quality of life.
Researching Neurodiversity and Autism Spectrum Disorder, especially High-Functioning Autism, is paramount to Damon both personally and professionally. As a graduate student of the APA-accredited Hawaii School of Professional Psychology in Honolulu, Damon’s dissertation on Autism was accepted at the American Psychological Association’s 121st Annual Convention. Damon is highly attuned to the complexities of ASD.
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Damon knows that a child or adult with a diagnosis is just as capable as any; and, with the correct support, can learn to cope and succeed. He has learned how to heal and empower individuals and families by motivating children to behave, helping teenagers to negotiate, adults to cope, and coaching parents to be more effective.
During his free time, Damon enjoys improving body-mind vitality with friends and family by spending time in the ‘aina, focusing on fitness and nutrition, tenaciously researching, and facilitating community game nights.
Areas of Specialization
- Neurodiversity and Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Learning Differences and Developmental or Intellectual Challenges
- Children, Adolescents, and Adults
- Crisis Intervention, Safety Planning, Trauma, Depression, and Anxiety
- Family Therapy, Positive Family Function, Family Engagement
- Parenting Coaching, Support, Modeling, and Leverage
- Emotional and Behavioral Self-Regulation and Coping Skills
- Gifted Children, Behavioral Contracting, and Cognitive, Social, and Communication Skills
- Play Therapy & Instructional Play
- Couple’s Communication & Men’s Issues
- CBT, Psychodynamic, Functional Family Therapy, and Group Therapy
My Story
Ugly Duckling Syndrome
The truth about Asperger’s is that it need not be a life-long sentence. A lot of people including the kid who acts awkwardly thinks that he or she will not grow up to be accepted as a typical adult.
The Bite of the Asp
“Aspies” are persons with Asperger’s or high functioning autism. I am one. Lately, I have been feeling clearer about the gifts of my condition. For one, it allows me to articulate things that people don’t like to talk about.
My Very Late Diagnosis of Asperger’s
Have you ever noticed, if you have ever spoken in front of a large audience or stood high atop a cliff, that you are likely to feel anxious? Or have you ever experienced a mental block that prevented you from expressing yourself? Now imagine having a combination of both of those traits every day. If you grew up as I did, with the kind of anxiety and confusion that I had, not only would it be noticeable, but it would also be a source of skepticism, bewilderment or shame regardless of how good your parents were. I remember many times, my parents, teachers or adults in the community would shake their heads wondering what was wrong with me and why their attempts to help would fail.