Hi, I’m Carlie

I know what it’s like to feel at the mercy of your emotions because I’ve been learning to manage my own BIG feelings my whole life. It’s probably why I became a mental health OT, and why I’ve been a DBT therapist and group facilitator for over 16 years.

Yes, I use DBT skills in my own life.

And I’ll be honest: while DBT has so much to offer, it wasn’t designed with neurodiversity in mind. In some contexts it can unintentionally reinforce masking or feel invalidating. I still believe in the foundation of DBT—and I also believe there’s room for adaptation: a more neuro-affirming approach that doesn’t just “include” neurodivergent people, but actually centres the needs of people who think, feel, and process differently.