Purpose Over Fear. Community On Purpose.Expressive arts groups & workshopsfor neuroqueer humans of all ages & those who love themWho We AreDifferent On Purpose is a neuroqueer expressive arts collective rooted in creativity, connection, and community.
We curate spaces for neurodivergent and LGBTQIA+ individuals and their loved ones to gather, explore, create, and connect through expressive arts, shared experience, and meaningful conversation.
Our offerings include online and in-person groups, workshops, family experiences, consultations, and educational opportunities.
Our PhilosophyNo one chooses to be neurodivergent. No one chooses to be queer. No one chooses their gender. We are who we are.
Different On Purpose is not about choosing difference. It is about choosing authenticity in a world that often asks us to be someone else.
To say "different on purpose" does not imply that someone chooses their neurodivergence, queerness, or identity. It is about the conscious choice to understand ourselves more deeply, to live with greater honesty, and to express who we are with intention.
We value curiosity more than conformity and expression more than performance.
At Different On Purpose, we believe that when purpose is stronger than fear, people can live openly, creatively, and honestly.
In other words, when purpose matters more than fear, difference becomes intentional.
OfferingsExplore our many offerings for neuroqueer and neurodivergent humans and those who love them, or those who just want to learn. Whether you’re looking for community, creative exploration, consultation, education, or professional development, there’s a place for you here.
GroupsExpressive arts groups designed for connection, exploration, skill-building, and authentic self-expression.
WorkshopsOne-time and seasonal expressive arts experiences focused on creativity, community, identity, regulation, and growth.
Continuing EducationNBCC accredited educational opportunities for licensed mental health professionals, including counselors, therapists, and social workers, who want to increase their competence in working with neurodivergent and gender-expansive populations.
Coming up in Fall 2026
October 3rd, 2026
November 7th, 2026
Other ConversationsCollaborative conversations designed to provide guidance, insight, and support.
Parent/Caregiver Consultations
Individual Sessions
Clinician Consultation
Case Consultation
Workplace Training & EducationEducational opportunities for teachers, schools, organizations, and workplaces.
Professional Trainings
School & District Trainings
Workplace Consultation & Education
About Your Facilitator
Mandy Parida, MM, MA, LMHC & Founder of Different on Purpose
Mandy (she/they) is a licensed mental health counselor, expressive arts therapist, educator, activist, parent, and founder of Different On Purpose. She brings decades of experience working alongside neurodivergent and LGBTQIA+ individuals. She holds master’s degrees in both music and expressive arts therapy.
Their work is grounded in a relational, creative, and systems-oriented understanding of how people think, connect, and make meaning.
“I have a deep interest in the systems that shape our lives —within ourselves, our families, our communities — and how those systems influence experience, connection, regulation, belonging, and possibility. This perspective informs how I design and facilitate spaces that support exploration, regulation, and meaning-making.
I identify as neuroqueer—which for me translates as queer, gender fluid, and neurodivergent—but not always in that order. This lived experience informs my work in a meaningful way, allowing me to hold space with both insight and resonance for the complexities of identity, communication, and belonging.
I am highly empathic and responsive, with a strong ability to read and work within group dynamics. I am particularly interested in what becomes possible when people feel free to explore, express, and be witnessed without pressure to conform or perform.
I am also an activist who believes in hope as a form of resistance. In my work, hope is not passive—it is a deliberate and grounded practice of creating and sustaining communities where difference is centered, honored, and lived openly. This belief shapes my commitment to helping people show up more fully as themselves, engage creatively with their lives, and discover what becomes possible when purpose is stronger than fear.”
Pride Month OfferingsDifferent on Purpose Pride Month offerings honoring and celebrating the people we love.
Found FamilyAn expressive arts experience for the people who became home to each other.
Tired of the corporate-sponsored Pride events? Tired of performing queerness for the rest of the world? This is something different.
Found Family is an intimate two-hour gathering hosted in your home or chosen space, designed for LGBTQIA+ friend groups, chosen families, and the deeply thoughtful humans who have built something real together somewhere along the way. Because modern life is loud, the algorithms are exhausting, and you deserve a space where nobody has to shrink.
Through expressive arts, storytelling, music, guided reflection, and nervous system restoration, this experience creates room to laugh together, grieve together, and exist more honestly together. No artistic experience required. This is not about being "good" at art. It is about being real with each other.
Experiences may include:
Guided expressive arts, collaborative creativity, reflective prompts, music and movement, sensory-informed practices, storytelling and conversation, and collective regulation.
Perfect for:
LGBTQIA+ friend groups and chosen families, Pride month celebrations, Birthdays and milestones, Life transitions, Intentional community building, People who want more than another dinner party.
Cost: Starts at $1250$745 for groups of 4 to 10, hosted in your home or private space.
What's included:
Every participant receives curated Different on Purpose materials — journals, expressive arts supplies, tote bags, stickers and prints, writing prompts, and a signature experience t-shirt.
Starts at $1250 for groups of 4-10, hosted in your space
Tired of the corporate-sponsored events? Tired of performing queerness for the rest of the world? This is something different.
Found Family is an intimate two-hour gathering hosted in your home or chosen space — designed for LGBTQIA+ friend groups, chosen families, and the deeply thoughtful humans who have built something real together somewhere along the way. Because modern life is loud, the algorithms are exhausting, and you deserve a space where nobody has to shrink.
Through expressive arts, storytelling, music, guided reflection, and nervous system restoration, this experience creates room to laugh together, grieve together, and exist more honestly together. No artistic experience required. This is not about being "good" at art. It is about being real with each other.
What's included
Every participant receives curated Different on Purpose materials: journals, expressive arts supplies, tote bags, writing prompts, and a signature experience t-shirt.
An expressive arts experience for caregivers raising children with more honesty than many of us were given.
Nobody actually explained the rules of gender to us. Not entirely. Most of us were handed color-coded roles as infants and expected to perform acceptable versions of ourselves for the rest of our lives. And now many of us are trying to love our children through a world full of fear-based narratives, political panic, and systems that treat difference as something to correct.
That is exhausting. And you deserve a space to exhale.
This intimate two-hour gathering, hosted in your home or chosen space, brings together parents and caregivers for a curated expressive arts experience built around curiosity, reflection, and honest conversation. Through creativity, storytelling, guided exploration, and nervous system regulation, this experience creates room to ask bigger questions with the people asking them right alongside you.
Supporting your child's authenticity does not require perfection, it requires presence. Curiosity. Courage. And community.
Experiences may include:
Gender expansiveness, psychoeducation, expressive arts exploration, guided reflection, storytelling and conversation, identity and systems exploration, nervous system regulation, and creative processing.
Perfect for:
Parents and caregivers of transgender youth and nonbinary and gender-diverse children, LGBTQIA+ affirming families, parents exploring identity alongside their kids, caregivers wanting more than psychoeducation alone.
Cost: Starts at $1250$745 for groups of 4 to 10, hosted in your home or private space.
What's included:
Every participant receives curated Different on Purpose materials — guided journals, expressive arts supplies, tote bags, stickers and prints, writing tools, and a signature experience t-shirt.
Beyond the Binary
Starts at $1250 for groups of 4-10
This intimate two-hour gathering, hosted in your home or chosen space, brings together parents and caregivers for a curated expressive arts experience built around curiosity, reflection, and honest conversation. Through creativity, storytelling, guided exploration, and nervous system regulation, this experience creates room to ask bigger questions alongside the people asking them with you.
What's included
Every participant receives curated Different on Purpose materials : guided journals, expressive arts supplies, tote bags, stickers and prints, writing tools, and a signature experience t-shirt.
Different on Purpose FAQsWhat is a neuroqueer expressive arts collective?
Different on Purpose is a community-centered space where neurodivergent and LGBTQIA+ kids, tweens, teens, and adults, come together through creative expression. We use expressive arts like music, visual art, movement, writing, and more, as a pathway to connection, self-discovery, and unmasking. We're not a therapy practice. We're a collective built around the belief that difference is something to be honored, not fixed.
What does Different on Purpose offer?
Different On Purpose offers expressive arts groups, workshops, curated experiences, consultations, family sessions, professional trainings, and continuing education opportunities.
We create spaces for neuroqueer humans of all ages, their families, clinicians, organizations, and allies. Whether you’re seeking community, education, personal growth, professional development, or a deeper understanding of yourself and others, there’s a place for you here.
Is Different on Purpose right for me?
If you're neurodivergent, queer, questioning, or someone who loves and supports a neuroqueer person, you're in the right place.
If you're a parent, caregiver, clinician, educator, or organization seeking a deeper understanding of neurodivergence, gender expansiveness, expressive arts, or community-centered approaches to growth and learning, you're in the right place too.
You don't need any previous art experience. You don't need to be creative, talented, or know what you're doing. You just need curiosity and a willingness to show up as yourself.
Where are you located and do you offer online programs?
Different on Purpose is based in Seattle, WA. Many of our groups and workshops are available fully online, so you can participate from anywhere. In-person offerings are held in the Seattle area. Check out our current offerings.
Let's Connect!Join our mailing list to hear about upcoming groups and workshops.