Author: Jackie
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Mental Health Labels
What are Mental Health labels? Mental Health labels are any descriptors of our mental wellbeing or psychological processes, which can include psychiatric diagnoses (e.g. ADHD), non-diagnostic descriptors applied to others (e.g. narcissist) or self-identification. In this blog article, I will focus on psychiatric diagnoses, exploring whether these are helpful or harmful, and inviting readers to Read more
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Update from Doctor Divergent
Dear clients and visitors to the blog, A belated Happy New Year to you all. I hope you are all well and making progress towards your goals for 2026. Things have been quiet online these past few months but for good reason, as there is lots going on behind the scenes. Alongside Doctor Divergent I’m Read more
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Psychosocial support for ADHD
UKAAN Psychosocial support and skills training for Adults with ADHD This week Doctor Divergent had the privilege of attending the UK Adult ADHD Network Psychosocial support and skills training course. UKAAN are one of the largest ADHD training providers in the UK, offering courses tailored to ADHD diagnosis, management and support which is evidenced based Read more
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Autistic people and trauma
Autistic people and trauma Autistic people are more likely to experience trauma and to have experienced adverse childhood events. Furthermore, autistic people often have challenges with changes in routines, social interactions and stimulating sensory environments. This is because they often have a different style of communication when compared with neurotypical people and can have altered Read more
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Double Empathy Problem
Not just a one-sided deficit First introduced by Damian Milton in 2012, the Double Empathy Problem moves away from the traditional view that autistic people lack empathy and social skills. Instead, communication is recognised as a two-way process, where each group (autistic and allistic) struggles to interpret the other. When people with very different experiences Read more
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Recognising Relationship Roles
Relationship roles are behavioural patterns, expectations and responsibilities held within relationships. In healthy relationships, clients and their partners will hold different roles in different contexts and will perceive these roles as equitable, fair, and mutually collaborative. Healthy relationship roles allow everyone to thrive and enable love to grow. When clients present with problems in their Read more
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Welcome to Doctor Divergent
Hello and Welcome! I’m so glad you’ve found your way here. I’m Jackie, a doctor, psychotherapist, and trainer- but more importantly, I’m neurodivergent myself. This space was born out of both personal experience and professional insight. It’s a place where neurodivergence isn’t treated as a problem to fix- but a difference to understand, respect, and Read more