Carina | Senior Accredited Therapist, Mindfulness Teacher, Imperfect Human

Hi, I’m Carina – an experienced, yet very human therapist specialising in working with high-achievers with low self-esteem, anxiety, and OCD, including Autistic/ADHD/AuDHD folks who’ve been told they’re “too weird” or “not trying hard enough”.

If you’ve always been ‘the clever one’ but never quite fit in, I’ve got you. Maybe your life looks great, but inside you feel inadequate and like you’ll be found out. Anxiety, intrusive thoughts, overwhelm; feeling stuck, not good enough; overpreparing, procrastinating, checking – it may all actually be a fear of failure.

It might be because a lot of the world is set up to meet neurotypical, not neurodivergent needs. Existing in a world like that is hard AF – and not being able to meet neurotypical expectations will almost inevitably send the message that there’s something wrong with you. Your self-esteem might therefore be affected, which can often sit alongside anxiety (especially the kind high-achievers tend to experience) or OCD – all of which might make you question yourself so much that you don’t know who you are and how to live the life you actually want – even (or especially) if you’re a high-achiever.

Enter neuro-affirming therapy – not to fix your neurodivergence (there’s nothing to fix), but to undo the lifetime of trying (and naturally, ‘failing’) to essentially act neurotypical, and being criticised, bullied, abused for not managing this.

We’ll work with the way your brain works instead of trying to fight it – and normalise how you experience the world while helping you carve out your little neurodivergent corner of the world in which you can just BE.

We’ll do in-the-moment stuff like helping you:
– Learn more about how low mood or anxiety show up for you and how to ‘catch’ the signs before they slip into overstimulation and burnout
– Know what to do if you get to the point of struggling (that works for your neurodivergent brain)
– Be able to do stuff that helps you in the way it helps you even if it’s different to the neurotypical way

But we’ll also go deeper, exploring and working with:
– Beliefs (your fear of being your true self and not being accepted, of not being good enough, or too much)
– Wider contexts (the neurotypical world that has shaped the way you’ve learned to cope)

We’ll challenge what’s unhelpful and honour everything you’ve been through and how your brain works. We’ll do it all together, at your own pace, in your own way. You don’t have to censor, mask, or explain yourself.

And we’ll get you to a place where you give yourself permission to build the neurodivergent-friendly life that works for you – and be your authentic, real, maybe a lil’ quirky self. This might look like being able to:
– Work with your brain instead of fighting it
– Communicate your needs without apologising (and feeling like an idiot)
– Recognise your strengths, not just your challenges (and there are many strengths, but they’re often not the ones that the neurotypical society appreciates)
– Build a life that fits your actual brain and needs, not society’s expectations
– Unmask safely and authentically – when you feel ready (no pressure!)
– Navigate sensory and executive function challenges with compassion

I’m a senior neuro-affirming and LGBTQIA+-affirming, trauma-trained therapist (BABCP-accredited as therapist and as supervisor) and mindfulness teacher. I have over 10 years of experience, including as NHS senior clinician and university clinical supervisor.

I don’t do polished – expect humanity, authenticity, and a silly sense of humour. My main training is in CBT, but I’m the therapist for those who’ve tried CBT and it hasn’t worked – as my blend of CBT is actually more Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and mindfulness.

Also, I’m an anxious overachiever myself, have practised mindfulness personally since 2015, and have had my own therapy. I’ll be human first, always – bringing humour and honesty, so you feel safe and heard. Importantly, while I don’t have a neurodivergence diagnosis, I am exploring my possible neurodivergence, as I strongly relate to a lot of neurodivergent experiences. I get overstimulated, have misophonia, hate disruptions to routine I’d carefully planned, have a small social battery, and other stuff. It’s not the same as an official diagnosis and I don’t claim it is, but I’m not an extroverted carefree gal either.

If you think we might ‘click’, I’d love to hear from you! Having said that, I know reaching out can be a bit of a nerve-racking (and also amazing) step. So, because everyone’s different, here are your options to get started (and a more detailed overview and more info on my website):
– If you feel most comfortable starting in writing, contact me via email, or my website – click on the ‘contact me’ button towards the lower part of my homepage and it’ll take you to a form you can complete
– If you’d like to see if we click live, book a free 15-min consultation on my website – select a ‘free intro call’ and click ‘book’ – this is usually a video call, but we don’t have to use a camera if you’d rather not, and there’s also a chat function on the platform (Google Meet), if that helps

I’m here when you’re ready.