Counselling Psychologist
registered Supervisor
MAAPI
Maybe you're parenting a child with autism, and the people around you just don't get it.
Maybe you're at university, in a course that doesn't feel like you — and you don't know what to do next.
Maybe grief, a diagnosis, or a divorce knocked the compass out of your hands, and you haven't found your bearings since.
Maybe you're just tired — tired of the sadness, the worry, the same old wounds — and ready to finally move past them.
you have had surface level conversations — and are ready for real change. this is where the real work begins.
This is experiential depth work
blending current research with older wisdom.
built to create change that actually lasts
In a safe and warm space
with a seasoned professional.
About Me
From the outside, your life probably looks like it's working. But inside, there's a persistent sense of not quite fitting — of managing rather than living, performing rather than connecting, doing all the right things and still feeling like something important is missing.
I'm Kristi De Young, a registered psychologist with over 20 years of experience working clients who are ready to move beyond insight and into real change.
My work draws on Internal Family Systems (IFS), EMDR, compassion-focused therapy, and an understanding of the brain-body connection — because real change doesn't just happen in the mind. It happens when the whole system feels safe enough to shift.
I work with people navigating anxiety, perfectionism, a persistent sense of not enough, grief, and the particular challenges that come with being neurodivergent in a world that wasn't built for you.
My clients are often high-functioning people who are tired of understanding their patterns and still being stuck inside them. If that sounds familiar — this is where the real work begins.
Tired of the grind. Tired of asking, "is this it?"
You did everything right . followed the rules, checked the boxes. So why does something still feel missing?
Maybe you're parenting a child with autism, and the people around you just don't get it.
Maybe you're at university, in a course that doesn't feel like you — and you don't know how you got here.
Maybe grief, a diagnosis, or a divorce knocked the compass out of your hands, and you haven't found your bearings since.
Maybe you're just tired — tired of the sadness, the worry, the same old wounds — and ready to finally move past them.
Common Concerns in Counselling
Anxiety
Depression
"Not Good Enough"
Anxiety often shows up as a feeling in the body before it makes sense in the mind — racing thoughts, a tight chest, a sense of dread you can't quite explain. While techniques to calm the nervous system in the moment are useful, lasting change comes from understanding why your system learned to respond this way in the first place — and helping the parts of you that are still on high alert finally feel safe enough to stand down.
Perfectionism
A persistent sense of not being enough often has roots much earlier than it seems — in moments where a child's experience got translated into "this is my fault" or "something is wrong with me." That belief can sit quietly for decades, surfacing as low mood, heaviness, loss of motivation, or a sense that things that used to bring joy no longer do. Depth work helps you find where that belief began — and finally update it.
Grief & Loss
A persistent sense of not being enough often has roots much earlier than it seems — in moments where a child's experience got translated into "this is my fault" or "something is wrong with me." That belief can sit quietly for decades, surfacing as low mood, heaviness, loss of motivation, or a sense that things that used to bring joy no longer do. Depth work helps you find where that belief began — and finally update it.
Neurodiversity
Perfectionism often isn't really about high standards — it's a way of trying to stay safe. If everything is done right, nothing bad can happen; you're worthy, you're enough. But carrying that belief comes at a cost: exhaustion, a fear of being seen as anything less than capable, and a sense that you can never quite rest. This work isn't about lowering your standards — it's about finding out who you are underneath them.
Grief is one of the most universal human experiences, and also one of the loneliest. It moves in waves — sometimes overwhelming, sometimes quiet — and often touches far more than the loss itself; identity, meaning, what comes next. Having someone walk beside you through that, without rushing you toward "moving on," can make all the difference.
Many of my clients are neurodivergent — ADHD, autism, sensory processing differences — and much of the work is less about "fixing" anything and more about understanding how your brain and nervous system are genuinely wired, meeting yourself with more compassion, and finding tools that actually fit you rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. Some of my favourite people are neurodivergent, and I aim to offer a space that affirms that rather than pathologises it.
