Compassionate Neurodivergent Therapist in Davenport, IA
Quick Answer: Dr. Crestina Staii at Holistic Resources provides neurodivergent-affirming therapy in Davenport, IA, offering compassionate support for autistic, ADHD, and other neurodivergent individuals through personalized, strengths-based care.
Introduction
Here’s a question worth sitting with: when was the last time a provider asked what you wanted, instead of telling you what “normal” should look like?
If you can’t remember, you’re far from the only one. Davenport families and adults searching for neurodivergent-affirming care keep running into the same wall: general therapists who mean well but haven’t studied autism or ADHD in depth, evaluation waitlists that stretch on for months, and intake calls that leave you re-explaining your entire history before anyone actually listens.
Dr. Cristina Stai built this practice to close that gap. One clinician. Two services.
Diagnostic testing and ongoing therapy, handled by the same person, without a waitlist standing between you and answers.No functioning labels. No pressure to perform neurotypical behavior in the room. Just a clinician who has spent years learning how neurodivergent minds actually work, and who builds every session around that understanding.
By the end of your first conversation, you’ll have something concrete: a plan for whether testing, therapy, or both makes sense for you, delivered by someone with the credentials to back it up and the patience to explain it clearly.
Book Your Free 20-Minute Neurodivergent Therapy Consultation NEAR Davenport, IA
Your Partner in Neurodivergent-Affirming Care
Compassionate Testing & Therapy for Neurodivergent Minds in Davenport, IA
Dr. Cristina Stai offers trauma-informed, identity-affirming therapy and comprehensive psychological evaluations for children, teens, and adults, all through one practice. Telehealth is available across Iowa, California, and Florida, so Davenport-area clients can connect without the drive.
What separates this practice from a general counseling center or a support group isn’t a slogan. It’s structural: a single provider who handles both your evaluation and your ongoing care, so nothing gets lost in translation between offices.
About Dr. Cristina Stai
▹ Credentials and Experience
Dr. Stai earned her Psy.D. in clinical psychology and has spent 17+ years working directly with neurodivergent children, teens, and adults. She holds active psychology licensure in Iowa, California, and Florida.
IMPORTANT Consideration: Psy.D., Iowa-licensed psychologist, ADOS-2 trained, trauma-informed care certified. Full licensure details are available upon request or during your consultation call.Her Philosophy: Why Neurodivergent-Affirming Matters
Identity, not pathology, comes first. In this practice, autism, ADHD, and other neurotypes are treated as differences in wiring, not defects to correct. Identity-first language (“autistic person”) is the default, adjusted anytime a client prefers otherwise.
Trauma gets named, not skipped over. Plenty of clients arrive with scar tissue from past providers, medical gaslighting, or years of being told they were “too much.” That history isn’t sidestepped here. It’s addressed directly, at a pace you control.
No ABA. No functioning labels. Both are named explicitly because both have caused real harm inside the neurodivergent community. This practice doesn’t use either.
💡 Expert Tip: A provider who says “neurodivergent-affirming” should be able to explain, in specific terms, what that changes about how they practice. If they can’t, keep asking.
Services Overview: Therapy & Testing Under One Roof
Individual Therapy for Children, Teens, and Adults
Who It’s For: Neurodivergent individuals across autism, ADHD, AuDHD, and learning disabilities, plus anyone exploring their identity or managing co-occurring anxiety, depression, trauma, or a major life transition.
What It Looks Like: Sessions draw from IFS, ACT, and somatic approaches, shaped around what you bring in that day. Goals come from you, not from a generic treatment template.
Format: 30-minute and 50-minute sessions, offered in-person in Davenport or through telehealth, with evening and weekend slots for people juggling work or school.
Comprehensive Psychological & Neuropsychological Testing
Who It’s For: Anyone, child through adult, seeking clarity on autism, ADHD, or a learning disability, including documentation needed for school or workplace accommodations.
What’s Included: A full evaluation using established tools like the ADOS-2 and ADI-R, alongside cognitive testing and in-depth clinical interviews. Every measure is explained before it’s used, not after.
The Report: A written report free of unnecessary jargon, walked through in a dedicated feedback session so you leave with understanding, not just a stack of paper.
💡 Expert Tip: Before booking testing anywhere, ask which specific assessments they use and how results get communicated back to you. The answer tells you a lot about the provider.
Specialties and Areas of Expertise
- Neurodivergence: Autism spectrum, ADHD, AuDHD, sensory processing differences, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia
- Co-occurring Conditions: Anxiety, depression, trauma and PTSD, OCD, executive dysfunction, burnout
- Identity-Affirming Care: Late-diagnosed and self-identified adults, gender diversity, intersectional identities
- Family & School Collaboration: Parent coaching, IEP and 504 plan consultation, coordination with schools on affirming accommodations
💡 Expert Tip: General therapy experience is not the same as neurotype-specific experience. Ask directly about a provider’s work with your specific neurotype and its common co-occurring conditions.
Note Before Decide: Explore how Dr. Crestina Staii’s neurodivergent-affirming approach supports clients across Iowa. You can also read our related guides on neurodivergent therapy in Des Moines and neurodivergent care in Cedar Rapids.
Our Approach: Trauma-Informed & Neurodiversity-Affirming {#our-approach}
What “Neurodivergent-Affirming” Means in This Practice
You know yourself better than any assessment does. Therapy is a partnership, and your lived experience carries real weight in setting the direction of care.
The room is built for sensory comfort, not sensory tolerance. Adjustable lighting, noise-canceling options, and fidget tools are standard. Telehealth sessions let you stay somewhere that’s already comfortable to you.
Nothing here requires masking. Stim freely. Skip eye contact if that’s easier. Communication works for your brain. No one is scoring your social performance.
Words matter, and so does your say in them. Identity-first language is the default, but it always defers to your preference. Support needs get discussed in specific, individual terms, not through blanket functioning labels.
Trauma-Informed Care: Safety First
The baseline is safety, physical and emotional. Nothing gets pushed before you’re ready. Consent and clear explanation run through intake, sessions, and any eventual close of care.
In practice, that means: transparent confidentiality boundaries, the standing right to pause or stop at any point, and zero judgment toward coping strategies, even the ones that feel imperfect.
This practice operates under full HIPAA compliance. A detailed privacy policy outlining how your information is stored and protected is available on request.
A Commitment to Ethical Care
Standards followed: the Therapist Neurodiversity Collective’s best practices, APA ethical guidelines, and state licensing board regulations.
Consent isn’t a form you sign once. Before any service begins, you get a clear walkthrough of the process, its risks, its benefits, and your alternatives, with room to ask questions or say no at any point.
✅ Important Consideration — Commitment to Ethical Care: Informed consent, licensing compliance, and adherence to affirming-care standards are not marketing points here. They shape how every session actually runs.
What to Expect: The Testing and Therapy Process
Step 1: Reach Out (Free Consultation)
Call, email, or fill out the online form to request your complimentary 20-minute consultation. You’ll speak with Dr. Stai herself, not an intake coordinator, who will ask about your situation and help you figure out whether therapy, testing, or both fits best. Nothing is required beyond the conversation.
Optional screening questionnaires are available if you’d like to reflect before the call, but they’re not a prerequisite.
Step 2: Intake and Goal Setting
For Therapy: Intake forms are completed through the secure patient portal ahead of time. Your first session covers your history and current challenges, and together you build collaborative goals from there.
For Testing: A clinical interview, typically one to two sessions, gathers developmental, medical, and educational background. Dr. Stai explains which assessments make sense for your situation, and why.
Step 3: The Work (Therapy) or The Evaluation (Testing)
In therapy, sessions stay responsive to what’s actually going on for you that week, whether that’s pattern work, coping skills, processing, or self-advocacy practice.
In testing, expect a handful of sessions covering cognitive, academic, social-emotional, and autism-specific measures. Breaks are built in throughout, and stopping is always an option.
Step 4: Feedback and Next Steps
Therapy progress gets reviewed on an ongoing basis, with room to adjust pace, frequency, or take a pause when life calls for it.
Testing wraps with a feedback session where the full report is explained in plain language, followed by a written copy and practical recommendations for school, work, or continued support.
This practice operates under full HIPAA compliance. A detailed privacy policy outlining how your information is stored and protected is available on request.
Frequently Asked Questions
What ages do you work with?
Children age 6 and up, teens, and adults of any age. Testing is available across all ages; therapy is generally suited to older children through adults.
Do you offer telehealth?
Yes, secure and HIPAA-compliant, for clients located in Iowa, California, or Florida. Many Davenport-area clients rely on telehealth as their primary way of connecting.
How long are therapy sessions?
Either 30 or 50 minutes, chosen based on what fits your needs and schedule.
Is everything I share confidential?
Yes. Dr. Stai follows HIPAA guidelines closely and will walk you through the limited legal exceptions, such as risk of harm, during your first session.
I’m not sure whether I need therapy, testing, or both.
That uncertainty is exactly what the free consultation is for. Dr. Stai will help you sort it out based on what you’re actually experiencing.
What happens if the fit isn’t right?
Feedback is always welcome, and the approach can be adjusted. If it’s still not a match, a referral to another trusted provider is offered without hesitation.
Do you write letters for gender-affirming care or emotional support animals?
Yes, when clinically appropriate following a full assessment. This can be addressed within therapy or as part of a testing evaluation.
How do I actually get started?
Book your free consultation through this page, or reach out by phone or email directly. No pressure attached, just a first conversation.
💡 Expert Tip: Self-identification as autistic or ADHD is valid on its own. A formal diagnosis is a personal choice, never a requirement to receive support.
Contact and Location
Primary Office: 508 C Ave Unit A, Kalona, IA 52247. Designed as a sensory-friendly space, with adjustable lighting and quiet-friendly accommodations built in.
Phone: +1 319-665-2848
Reaching Us from Davenport: Kalona sits roughly ninety minutes from Davenport, so most Davenport-area clients choose secure telehealth for some or all of their care, no drive required to access the same provider and the same process.
Office Hours: Monday through Friday, 9 AM–5 PM. Evening appointments available by request, ask during your consultation.
A secure patient portal gives you ongoing access to intake forms, test results, and direct communication with the practice.
Interactive “Is This You?” Self-Reflection Quiz
A short, affirming set of reflection prompts, not a diagnostic tool, designed to help you think through your next step:
- Do you often feel wiped out after social interactions, even ones you genuinely enjoyed?
- Have you been told you’re “too sensitive” or “reading into things” more than once?
- Do you struggle to start tasks you actually want to complete?
- Have you quietly wondered about autism or ADHD but never followed through on testing?
If any of these sound familiar, that’s not a diagnosis, it’s a signal worth exploring. Therapy can offer a safe place to sit with these patterns. A full evaluation can offer clarity on what’s actually going on.
Resources and Next Steps
Explore how this same approach shows up across Iowa in our related pages on neurodivergent-affirming therapy in Des Moines and neurodivergent care in Cedar Rapids.
Beyond this practice, Dr. Stai maintains a referral network of trusted psychiatrists, occupational therapists, and speech therapists in the Davenport area, so your care doesn’t stop at the edges of one office.
You don’t have to sort this out solo. Whether you’re chasing answers, support, or simply a room where you don’t have to perform, that’s here.