As an experienced, specialist mental health professional and academic I draw from over twenty years’ experience working with neurodivergent children, adults and their families in various settings to contribute to change beyond the therapy room, along with my own lived experience. Within academic role, I have developed a new training module, Neuropsychology, Neurodiversity & Psychometrics for counselling psychologists, on our Professional Doctorate in Counselling Psychology Programme, and have worked with neurodivergent students on co-produced, co-presented work, improving neuroaffirmative teaching and learning. Beyond the university, I have co-developed and delivered staff training for practice partners across the London borough and for academic staff across the School of Health and Medical Sciences.

Over the last year I have contributed to the following events:

• March 2026 – Pan Sussex Autism Schools Network: What is AuDHD (Speaker)
• April 2025 – City St George’s University of London: Neuroaffirmative Teaching for Academic Staff (Co-presenter)
• December 2024 – City St George’s University of London: Neurodiversity in Training Practice Partners’ Event (Co-presenter)April 2025 – City St George’s University of London: Neuroaffirmative Teaching for Academic Staff (Co-presenter)
• June 2024 – Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust: Without Exception – Embracing Neurodiversity (Keynote Speaker – Optimal Conditions: Creating a Neuraffirmative Training Environment)
• May 2024 – City, University of London: Neurodiversity Celebration Week (Neuroaffirmative Teaching at City)

Publications

I have published articles, peer reviewed research and blogs on a range of topics, including issues related to neurodiversity, decolonising psychology, mental health, yoga and mindfulness. I am currently in the process of publishing work contributing to the development of neuroaffirmative practice within Schema Therapy.

Kahya, H. H. (in press). Neurodiversity in Schema Therapy: Understanding neurodivergent trauma and clinical adaptations. In H. Startup & G. Heath (Eds.), Oxford Handbook of Schema Therapy. Routledge.

Kahya, H. H. (in press). Neuroaffirmative schema therapy: A practitioner’s guide. Routledge.

Nkansa-Dwamena, O., Alhakim, J., Challenor, J., Gunasinghe, C., Haddon, A. and Kahya, H. (2025). Decolonizing a UK counseling psychology training program: the journey so far. Counselling Psychology Quarterly pp. 1–20. doi:10.1080/09515070.2025.2521823.[publisher’s website]

Baig, S. K., & Kahya, H. H. (2025). ‘I felt like a broken person’: the experiences of women navigating a late ADHD diagnosis in the UK. Advances in Mental Health, 1-25.

Kahya, H.H. (2025). Adapted Schema Therapy for ADHD. Schema Therapy Bulletin, 33, 12-18.

Kahya, H.H. (2023). If humanity needs different kids of minds surely our profession does too. The Psychologist.

https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/if-humanity-needs-different-kinds-minds-surely-our-profession-does-too

Kahya, H.H, (2023). Supervising trainee counselling psychologists of colour in doctoral research: A theoretical review and practice implications. Counselling Psychology Review, 38(1),14-15.

Kahya, H. H., & Raspin, C. G. (2017). Yoga Therapy for the Mind Eight-Week Course: Participants׳ Experiences. Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing, 13(2), 116-123.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28131764

Kahya, H. (2016). One small, quiet act. The Psychologist, 29 (11), 854-855.

https://thepsychologist.bps.org.uk/volume-29/november-2016/one-small-quiet-act

Blog posts

Blog posts from my previous role as Counselling Psychologist at the British CBT and Counselling Service.

How to beat the winter blues (Part 1)

http://www.thebritishcbtcounsellingservice.com/how-to-beat-the-winter-blues-part-1/

How to beat the winter blues (Part 2)

http://www.thebritishcbtcounsellingservice.com/how-to-beat-the-winter-blues-part-2/

How to beat the winter blues (Part 3)

http://www.thebritishcbtcounsellingservice.com/how-to-beat-the-winter-blues-part-3/

Why do we have Halloween?

http://www.thebritishcbtcounsellingservice.com/why-do-we-have-halloween/

How to cope with Brexit anxiety (Part 2)

http://www.thebritishcbtcounsellingservice.com/how-to-cope-with-brexit-anxiety-part-2/

How to cope with Brexit anxiety (Part 1)

http://www.thebritishcbtcounsellingservice.com/how-to-cope-with-brexit-anxiety-part-1/