Registered Psychologist (#2322)
Dr. Kimberly Armstrong is a clinical psychologist with extensive research and treatment experience who has worked with hundreds of autistic people ranging in age from one to sixty-eight years old.
Dr. Armstrong currently works primarily with autistic adults providing diagnostic assessments, therapy, and consultation services, and has a special interest in autistic women and nonbinary individuals.
Goals of therapy are reached collaboratively with each individual client. They may include working with autistic individuals to explore their true autistic selves, exploring people and spaces where autistic people can reduce their use of masking, utilizing autistic strengths to promote healthier day-to-day routines, and supporting non-autistic family members to better understand and support their autistic loved one in a neurodivergent-affirming way. Dr. Armstrong’s approach to therapy involves facilitating a better understanding of the differences between autistic and non-autistic cognition, communication styles, and ways of living. This understanding fosters better relationships between autistic and non-autistic people through improving cross-neurotype communication and compassion.
Dr. Armstrong conducted autism research for over ten years, both as a doctoral student of Dr. Grace Iarocci at Simon Fraser University, and as a research associate of Dr. Simon Baron-Cohen at the University of Cambridge in the UK. She has published peer-reviewed studies in The Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, Autism Research, Molecular Autism, and the Journal of Vision. Dr. Armstrong received several awards during her time as a graduate student, including from Canadian Institute for Health Research (CIHR) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). She was a trainee of both the three-year Autism Research Training program, and the Kids Brain Health Network (formerly NeuroDevNet).
Dr. Armstrong has trained and worked in positions at BC Children’s Hospital, BC’s Child and Youth Mental Health (CYMH), Queen’s University’s Developmental Disabilities Consulting Program, and Ontario’s Family, Child and Youth Clinic at Hotel Dieu Hospital. She also served as an autism research consultant for the Department of Anthropology at University College London. In 2008 she was named one of Capilano University’s 40 most inspiring alumni of the past 40 years. Dr. Armstrong holds academic affiliations as a Clinical Associate in the Department of Psychology at SFU, and as a Clinical Faculty member (Neurodevelopmental Disorders Program) in the Department of Psychiatry at UBC.