Who We Are
Our Story: From Lived Experience to Professional Change
Hi, we are Carolyn and Sarah
We met years ago while training to be counsellors. We didn't just find colleagues in each other; we found a rare kind of safety and acceptance. As two women living with ADHD—one diagnosed, one self-diagnosed—our lives have been a mirror of the joys and the deep-seated traumas that come with being neurodivergent in a world not built for us.
We’ve navigated the exhaustion of parenting neurodivergent daughters, the pain of being overlooked, and the weight of being misdiagnosed. We founded Authentically Us CIC to ensure that the current generation of women has a place to go where they are understood without judgment or the hurdle of a formal diagnosis.
Our Mission for Change
We know that the systems meant to support us are often overwhelmed. That’s why we act as a vital "overflow" for the NHS, GPs, and local charities—providing low-cost, trauma-informed counselling that bridges the gap for women who might otherwise fall through the cracks.
But we don’t just want to support women within the current system; we want to change the system itself.
Working Toward a Neuro-Inclusive Future
Beyond the therapy room, we partner with workplaces, civil services, and community organisations. We provide training, talks, and consultancy to help businesses move beyond "awareness" toward true accommodation. We believe a forward-thinking society is one that values the uniqueness of neurodiversity as both normal and necessary.
Meet Us
Carolyn Ley
MBACP
Founder & Director
Hello, I’m Carolyn. I am a registered counsellor and a co-founder and director of Authentically Us CIC. I believe that therapy shouldn't feel like a clinical test or a one-size-fits-all exercise. Instead, it should be a warm, shared space where you are met entirely as an equal. My ultimate goal is to help you navigate your unique experiences, moving away from mask-wearing or self-doubt and toward a deeper, stronger sense of self-identity.
A primary focus of my practice is creating a deeply understanding, congruent space for neurodivergent individuals—particularly neurodiverse women. Within this, I hold a specialised focus on how neurodivergent traits intersect with major life and hormonal transitions, such as the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and menopause. These hormonal shifts can significantly intensify traits and overwhelm, and I am here to help you make sense of those changes with compassion rather than judgement.
Because no single therapeutic approach holds a monopoly on the truth, I work integratively. I collaborate deeply with you to tailor our sessions to your exact needs, drawing from Humanistic and Person-Centred therapy to ensure you remain the expert of your own life, Internal Family Systems (IFS) to help you explore and heal different parts of yourself, and Relational therapy to look at how you connect with the world around you.
Through an open, flexible dialogue, we will work as partners to determine what genuinely benefits you. If you are seeking a space where you can let go of expectations and show up fully as your authentic self, I invite you to reach out.
Founder & Director
Sarah Conti
MNCPS (Acc)
My journey into the world of psychology began at the kitchen table. As a stay-at-home mother watching my daughters grow, I became fascinated by the distinct ways they moved through the world. This curiosity led me to a BSc in Psychology, deepening my understanding of how the brain and body influence our choices, our relationships, and our very sense of self.
It was during my subsequent counselling training—where I first met Carolyn—that the mirror was turned toward me. As I studied the human experience, I began to toy with a realisation that would change everything: I, too, was neurodivergent. For years, I had "achieved," but always at a significantly higher cost than my peers. I had spent a lifetime unknowingly constructing elaborate accommodations just to "adult" and parent, masking the impulsiveness and the internal chaos of disorganisation.
The true turning point arrived when both of my daughters were recognised as neurodivergent in their teens. Seeing the genetic thread was the final piece of the puzzle, but it was the onset of perimenopause that truly dismantled my ability to "cope." Already highly sensitive to noise, textures, and bodily sensations, I found myself submerged in a sea of overwhelm, hot flushes, and brain fog. My "window of tolerance" vanished, and I no longer recognised the person I saw in the mirror. It was this transition that eventually led me to seek a formal diagnosis and medication —not as a label of deficit, but as a long-overdue act of self-acceptance and clarity.
My professional background includes intensive work within the fields of sexual abuse and violence, which, combined with my training, and research into the "hormonal cliff" neurodivergent women face, allows me to offer a truly holistic approach. I understand how neurodiversity in women is often dismissed and I am passionate about moving past those tropes to the scientific and lived reality of how our brains function.
I aim to meet you in your own experience. Whether you are seeking to work through past trauma, understand your diagnosis, or celebrate the woman you are becoming, I offer a congruent, informed space for that growth. If my story sounds familiar to you, I invite you to get in touch.
