Katie Mossman

Have you spent so long adapting to everyone else's needs that you're no longer sure what you need yourself?

Perhaps you've always been the one holding everything together, saying yes when you wanted to say no, or telling yourself that everyone else has it worse. Maybe you've recently received an ADHD diagnosis that's causing you to look back at your life in a completely different way, or perhaps you're beginning to realise you've spent years masking parts of yourself just to get through.

One of the things I hear most often in early sessions is, "I know everyone feels like this," or, "Other people have it worse than me." If those thoughts feel familiar, you're not alone. Many of the people I work with have spent years minimising their own experiences or wondering whether they're asking for too much.

I believe counselling begins with feeling genuinely heard. Together we'll make sense of your experiences without judgement, helping you reconnect with your own needs, trust yourself again, and discover who you are beneath the expectations you've carried for so long.

Hello, I’m Katie, and I’d be privileged to join you in this next step of your journey with client led counselling, where you choose what we talk about in a session and the pace we move at, and I listen to the language you are using about yourself compared to others and together we explore where this comes from for you.

I often work with people who:

• Have spent years putting everyone else's needs before their own
• Are making sense of a late ADHD diagnosis or wondering whether they're neurodivergent
• Minimise what they've been through because "other people have had it worse"
• Grew up feeling unseen, misunderstood or responsible for everyone else
• Feel disconnected from themselves after years of masking
• Are ready to stop surviving and begin living more authentically

We gently explore, at your pace, what you’ve been holding in and begin the process of reconnecting with your authentic self, one step at a time.

Neurodiversity:

I have a particular focus on working with ADHD, RSD and neurodivergent clients. Alongside my professional training, I have lived experience of ADHD, which gives me an understanding of some of the challenges that can come alongside - such as Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (it's real, it's valid), overwhelm, self-doubt, masking, burnout and feeling misunderstood.

You don’t need to mask, justify, minimise, or explain yourself here. I aim to create a space where your way of experiencing the world is respected and understood, and where we can gently explore what’s going on for you in a way that feels safe and manageable.

I also work with anxiety, low mood, identity, and self-esteem. My approach is always led by you, grounded in empathy, authenticity, and trust.

Whether you’re newly diagnosed as neurodivergent, questioning, self-diagnosing, or simply looking for a counsellor who understands, you are very welcome to get in touch.

I'm very easy to talk to, and my aim is to make counselling feel safe, soothing, and perhaps even something you might begin to look forward to as a place you feel heard.

If you're thinking, "Other people probably need this more than I do," I hear that far more often than you might imagine.

If you're thinking "other people probably need this more than I do", please know that you matter too. I hear this often - and it's usually a sign that you're overdue for a space that's fully yours.

How I work:

We use person-centred counselling in sessions, which is all about creating the right conditions for you to connect with who you really are.

This means I won’t give you advice or tell you what to do, because then that is me assuming I know what may help - instead, I’ll support you to help you understand what you need yourself, in your own time and your own way.

I also integrate parts of transactional analysis theory (TA) - a useful way of understanding the patterns and roles you may have learned in early life, and how they show up in your present relationships.

I offer face to face or remote video sessions via Google Meet or Teams.

What to expect from our first initial assessment session:

Before you arrive, I will ensure you have all the directions of how to arrive to the address, with step-by-step instructions and pictures to help you feel confident about arriving to a new location. I will meet you at the gate of Salts Mill and show you to the room so that you don't have to find your way; pointing out where the toilets are located so that you don't have to worry about asking. I've thought about what it must feel like to arrive here for the first time and taken steps to ensure you have all the information you need.

Unlike subsequent sessions, I may do more of the talking and adding structure in the initial assessment, to gather the information needed to ensure I have the expertise you need before we move forward. 

We begin safely with a working agreement - covering aspects such as confidentiality, cancellations, and what counselling is and isn’t.

There’s no pressure to open up immediately; we move at your pace. With the time left in the session, you’re welcome to share anything you feel ready to, before we agree together how to close the session down in a way that makes you feel ready to head back out again.

Where I work:

I work from my cosy, peaceful, private room in the Salts Mill complex in Saltaire, BD18. The space is welcoming, comfortable, and directly opposite Saltaire train station - making it easy to travel from Leeds, Bradford, Keighley or Skipton. The space is exclusively mine, so it remains consistent each time we meet. See below for pictures of the room.

Dog friendly:

The room is also dog friendly if you would like to bring your well-behaved dog along, and a separate contract will be sent for this if we both decide this is a good idea. Your dog should never take the focus away from you in a session, so we will talk about this first together and plan for this first visit.

About me:

Before qualifying as a counsellor, I had a career in customer service and marketing in the corporate world and previously in the travel sector too, so I understand the pressures, stimulants and drains of office life. I've worn a few different hats, but I've found my passion with counselling having had my own helpful counselling experience in the past. I make sure to look after myself so that I can be healthy, consistent, reliable and safe for you.

Alongside my professional training, I also have lived experience of receiving an ADHD diagnosis in adulthood. While every journey is different, I understand how life-changing it can be when years of confusion begin to make sense. 

I love tea, being outside, travel of any kind, yoga, live music, I'm beginning to love running but I do find it humbling! And I love watching Below Deck.

Who I work with:

Adults aged 18+ 
Young people 16+ on request

Ready to begin - or have questions? (Not ready to get started? Click the 'Save' icon to come back when it suits you.)

Click the 'Email me' button above to get started. There are prompts on the next page if you’re unsure what to say. 

I look forward to hearing from you. 

If you're looking for a word or a term in the list above that you don't see, or you don't quite have the words for it, please get in touch and we can talk more about this.

You can be assured that I will only work in my areas of competance in order to work ethically, but I may be able to signpost you to other organisations.