Training & Therapeutic Services that promotes wellness, change and being connected to self and others
Our system (brain and body) are developed from the interaction between us and others and with the world - it doesn’t stop developing. Our brains and nervous system have an extraordinary ability to regenerate and re-wire and this is very healing. Trauma leaves an imprint and the therapy schools I’ve learned can help your system change that imprint. I focus my learning on my clients, what they bring I learn more about, I retrain and up-skill whenever possible. I’m Alex Carling and I'm a psychotherapist and clinical supervisor. I work with individuals and groups, face-to-face and online, in a range of settings. Here are the areas I’m particularly equipped for:
* general mental health
* trauma - the complex and experiences where you may not be sure if it is trauma
* abuse - individual instances, familiar and systemic (wide spread)
* attachment - including adoption (Certified Adoption Support Counsellor)
* parenting - helping you understand and parent children in your care
* neuro-divergence - supported by training and a neuro-divergent supervisor
I have a broad training catalogue developed with the aim of supporting you as a whole - brain, mind and body.
04/11/2025
A huge welcome to Matilda - our new associate and our only Dramatherapist!
Matilda's flexibility and dynamic way of working supports those who are looking for an approach that moves beyond traditional talk therapy. With lots of experience and interest in the areas of trauma and attachment - she will actively support you in accessing the full physical space of the therapy room, focusing on the powerful role of the therapeutic relationship, helping you to understand and change how your patterns influence the way you navigate the world and relate to others.
Offering appointments in Hull, Beverley and Bridlington - get in touch to make an enquiry.
28/10/2025
Hi, I'm Alex Carling, and I am the facilitator of the Held and Heard: Therapy Group for Parents and Carers in Neurodivergent Families.
I'll be the one holding space for you to bring your experiences and work through your challenges.
With over 20 years working with parents and their children and 10+ years as a psychotherapist, I have developed a passion in trauma and neurodiversity.
I am lead by my clients and focus my professional development/training in all the areas that allow me to keep showing up as they need me to.
💛 Specialised Trauma Training
💛 Specialist Diploma in Neurodiversity Informed Practice
💛 Experience facilitating groups
💛 Body and mind integration - supporting you to be informed by both your thoughts, your sensations and experience being in your body
💛 Focus on regulation - how do you meet the needs of your nervous system and how do you help your kids meet theirs?
I'm also a Mum of two children under 10 and have personal experience of neurodiversity.
If joining our group interests you, if you're ready to connect in ways you've not been able to in day-to-day life - get in touch and let's explore it together.
Ever feel like your thoughts are a fragmented, foggy mess? Like you’re being told your reality isn't valid, by others or even yourself?
You're not imagining it. That feeling of self-doubt is real, and it can be a heavy burden.
The journey of parenting in a neurodiverse family can challenge your sense of self. When you’re constantly advocating, it's easy to lose sight of your own reality and truth.
Our therapy group offers a path from that chaos to clarity. It’s a space to finally be seen and understood, to build resilience, and to find your own truth. You'll move from a place of invalidation to a place of knowing.
Parenting in a neurodiverse family can bring incredible joys, alongside unique challenges that often leave parents feeling isolated. That's why we created A Therapeutic Group for Parents where you can be Held and Heard.
This isn't just a support group; it's a deep process group where you can explore your emotions, understand your relationships, and counter any feelings of invalidation. Find strength in genuine connection.
The weight of advocacy is a huge influencing factor on parental burn-out and why many parents feel isolated.
It's one of the big reasons the Therapy Group for Parents in Neurodivergent Families is happening - if this resonates - maybe you would like to join us.
Where - Hull - Face-to-Face
When - January 2026. 1 x Friday a month, for 11 months
For who - Parents/Carers in neurodivergent families
How many can join - 4 - 6 member
The image lists different elements of advocacy:
Emotional Labour ~
💛 Supporting emotional regulation
💛 Managing dysregulation
💛 Patience
💛 Flexibility
💛 Forgoing own needs
💛 Being OK, saying it’s OK, when it doesn't feel OK
💛 Anticipating the meltdown
💛 Managing the impact on extended relationships
Constant Vigilance ~
💛 Constant awareness: of the environment, relationship dynamics, signs of overwhelm...
💛 Preparing and maintaining sensory activities
💛 Anticipating potential triggers
💛 Checking they have what they need
💛 Checking that what they need is being provided
💛 Noticing the non-verbal communication
💛 Working out “Do I need to explain, is this OK?”
Grief and Loss ~
💛 You didn’t know you were going to be so exhausted
💛 You didn’t know it would be so hard
💛 You didn’t know it was going to feel like you had to fight for your kid to have their needs met
💛 You didn’t anticipate feeling so irritated
💛 You’re sad you want time away from them
💛 Taking time away from them feels like you’re doing them wrong
💛 You worry for their future
Social Isolation ~
💛 Feeling like no-one understands how hard it is
💛 You feel your hard is harder than others are experiencing
💛 People skate over the intensity you feel with comments like ‘heigh-ho’ and ‘oh well’
💛 Support feels offensive “Can’t you just...”
💛 You don’t have the energy to show up to that event
💛 You feel the pull to appear strong, but you don’t feel it
Being THE Person ~
💛 Your neurodivergent kid relies on you to help them decode their experiences
💛 Your family rely on you to know what’s best
💛 The school let you hold the impact of what they’re not providing
💛 You become an expert, researching and then more advocating
💛 You have to master the new vocab, how the EHCP works, who is responsible for providing the services your family needs
💛 You need to understand your legal rights
You are not a machine, but you have to figure out how to be.
You’re passionate about loving your child, and you will do what it takes... You’ll constantly repeat yourself, bite your tongue, breathe deep and let rip when you’re alone in your car.
You’ll show that you’re grateful and resent that it’s still not enough.
There is space for you in our group and I invite you to enquire to find out if it's a good fit for your needs.
13/10/2025
Parental burnout is a state of deep physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion that results from chronic parenting stress. While it can affect any parent, it is a heightened risk for those raising neurodivergent children due to the unique and often relentless demands of their caregiving role.
Do you find yourself:
💛 Overwhelmed and maybe looking for a way out, even just in fantasy?
💛 Feeling guilty for taking some time for yourself?
💛 Irritable and angry - quick to feel it rise and struggle to shake it off?
💛 Tired to your bones?
💛 Withdrawing from activities, people - even your children?
💛 Feeling like all you do is moan, or hide the urge to?
Your experience as a parent to neurodivergent children won't be the same as parents of neurotypical kids, and that can leave you hiding parts of yourself, feeling unseen or misunderstood.
Advice can be given with good intension but feel like a side-swipe and leave you feeling like you wish you hadn't bothered...
Unless you have a space specifically for you and parents like you.
In January 2026 - we are starting a therapy group for parents of neurodivergent kids. A space where all parts of you can feel held, without over explaining.
PS - time for you is ESSENTIAL, if you want to keep showing up with that potency and fire.
10/10/2025
What a joy 😍 Leven Primary School was today!
Their enthusiasm, their ability to describe very tricky concepts using their own sense of the world... I came away riding the energy for the rest of the day!
The kids all had a chance to experience sensory activities and to explore how their body felt whilst and after they did them. We looked at the usual sensory systems and proprioceptive and vestibular too.
The teachers followed the children around and learned about their sensory needs whilst coming up with ideas on how these can be used in the classroom. The teachers and I had discussions about movement breaks, managing transitions in the classroom and the pressures of the curriculum.
I understand the pressures of school and I celebrate Leven Primary School for noticing the needs of their children and seeking to up-skill their understanding and practices 💛
10/10/2025
Our Therapy Group for Parents in Neurodivergent Families welcomes you regardless of the diagnosis status.
The assessment system is under-resourced and gate-kept.
Your child needs to unmask and be seen to significantly struggle in two settings, for an assessment to be considered - we're not all in that position.
Our group welcomes your knowing - the knowledge you have and what you feel in your bones and heart to be true. Not having a diagnosis does not discount your experience, your fights, your fatigue, your emotional labour.
Without a diagnosis our kids, and us as parents, can struggle for too long. It has a negative impact on our relationships, experiences and our well-being.
Don't let a diagnosis get in the way of accessing spaces that are right for you. If you would like to enquire or join our therapy group starting in January 2026 - get in touch when you're ready and we can explore it together.
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Contact The Practice
Send a message to Alex Carling: Training & Therapeutic Services:
Welcome to Alex Carling: Training & Therapeutic Services.
When I say parts of yourself, I’m talking about your thoughts, your feelings, your behaviours, your body, your needs, your relationships... we all have these to access but there are so many that, through challenges in life, now live by accessing just some parts, whilst devaluing or shutting off others.
The services (free and paid) that I offer are to help you make changes and/or maintain the changes you’ve already established. I work online and from my office in Hull (Princes Avenue).
When you’ve spent so long training in an area, when you’ve invested your own vulnerability in making sure you do a good job (i.e. personal therapy), it’s no longer a job, but a way of life - this is my way of life.
Thank you for joining us, you can expect transparency, an up-front yet gentle response, lots of information sharing, feel good posts to help shift mood and reconnect with positivity, invitations to try new things or join me for a workshop; and I welcome all interaction, be it comments and messages.
Here’s how you can work with me:
Free Resources:
The Parent Circle - Where we figure it all out - a Facebook group for parents/carers, supporting you to understand yourself and your children better, so you feel more confident and connected. I share information, videos, workshops, food for thought - all aimed at helping you facilitate your own and your children’s development, mental health and well-being.
The Parent Circle email community - I can’t rely on Facebook to show you everything I have to offer, joining the email community means I get to send it straight to your inbox. You also get unlimited access to the Self-Esteem Workshop that we held online in April 2019.
General Newsletter - a newsletter for individuals, that compliments the ethos of this page: to live life fully, with every part of yourself. Signing up means you don’t miss out on any content, offers or events that I run throughout the year.
Blog - you can access all my content here.
Events - you can see what’s happening here.
Paid Services:
Psychotherapy and Counselling - using over 15 years of therapeutic experience to help you work through and recover from trauma, negative life patterns and much more... This service is predominantly office based.
Parenting Counselling - Through various methods, I provide parents & carers with a safe space to develop their knowledge and understanding around the challenges they face raising their children. This service is accessible online and at my office.
Training - I offer training to parents, businesses and schools
Consultancy - offering therapeutic consultancy in schools to facilitate their staff in meeting the complex needs of students in an academic arena
