Neurodiverse Love with Mona Kay How is Neurodivergence Impacting Your Relationship?-Karen Doherty
Apr 7, 2026
Karen Doherty, a UK relationship therapist who specializes in neurodivergent couples and appears on Netflix’s Blue Therapy, talks about communication breakdowns, emotional regulation and the ‘third’ presence of undiagnosed neurodivergence. She covers practical tools like code words, break protocols, renegotiating roles, intimacy strategies and creative relationship models. The tone is hopeful and practical.
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Client Question Sparked Karen's Neurodivergence Focus
- Karen's training pivot began when an American client in 2011 asked her about female ADHD and returned with resources.
- That single session prompted Karen to self-educate, start courses, and build a clinic focus on neurodiverse couples.
Dual Lens Reveals Hidden Couple Dynamics
- Use a dual lens combining psychodynamic therapy with a neurodivergent lens to see where traits hit the couple dynamic.
- Karen pairs short-term psychoeducation with couple-specific mapping to show which ADHD/autistic traits caused long-term breakdowns.
Neurodivergence Acts Like A Third Partner
- Karen frames undiagnosed neurodivergence as a 'third' in the relationship that couples must unite against.
- Recognizing that third party helps couples move from blame to collaboration on practical strategies.