Thursday 5 March 2026, 2.00pm-4.00pm
The CDI and NICEC continue our collaborative Cutting Edge webinar series with our bi-annual seminars. This event is free to CDI Members & NICEC Members. You will be asked for your membership number upon booking.
If you are a NICEC member and do not have your number please email, [email protected] to get this information.
Rationale and purpose of this session
Neurodiversity has gained significant momentum and recognition, and neurodivergent people (NDers) are typically over-represented within the population of those who seek career support.
This At the Cutting-Edge session will set the scene by sharing some contemporary research on the topic of neurodiversity and encourage an approach of intersectionality. The session will explore some of the challenges that NDers have faced and how those issues continue to impact upon their career development, illustrated through the sharing of stories and cases.
We will explore some fundamental questions including:
This two-hour session will comprise a series of short input sessions, where highlights are shared from both research and case studies of working with NDer clients, as well as some practical tools and structures for supporting our coaching work with this group.
In addition, this session will be interspersed with interactive, small group discussions in break-out rooms, combined with whole group discussion and sense-making. Here we will reflect upon: what this means for our own coaching practice? What questions are we left with? The session will culminate in a signposting to additional relevant resources and events to help us to continue with our CPD.
As hosts of this session, NICEC Fellows Dr Cathy Brown and Kate Mansfield will guide us through our agenda; they look forward to seeing you there.
Dr Cathy Brown, NICEC Fellow
Cathy is a Chartered Occupational Psychologist, career practitioner and writer. Over the last 20 years she has run her own consultancy business, Evolve, where she has supported individuals, teams and organisations through transitions and change.
Cathy completed her MSc Occupational Psychology at Birkbeck College, University of London, and her MBA from European School of Management in Paris. More latterly, she completed her PhD explore career mobility at University of Derby. Cathy is a guest lecturer on Masters programmes at several UK universities. She speaks at seminars, and has been featured in the media for her work including Radio 4, Leadership Today, Career Matters, People Management and Career Development International. She writes and publishes practical guides to support individuals through life transitions, under the brand: Testing the Water®. These are available on www.amazon.co.uk, Waterstones and other leading book sellers.
Cathy’s client list includes, amongst many others: Akzo-Nobel, Avis, BBC, Boots, Career Development Institute, Co-operative Bank, Co-operative Food, Costain, John Lewis, Lincolnshire County Council, Loughborough University, NHS, PepsiCo, Saint-Gobain, Shell, Travelodge, United Nations High Commission for Refugees, University of Nottingham. Cathy is a NICEC Fellow.
Kate Mansfield, NICEC Fellow
Kate is a qualified Career Coach, trained by CCS & with an MSc in Organisational Behaviour & Postgraduate Certificate in Career & Talent Management from Kingston University. She is also a qualified Career Coach Supervisor with Oxford Brookes, and Lead Tutor on CCS's Accredited Career Coach Training.
She coaches clients individually, with a particular interest in the career paths of women. Many of her individual clients are mid to senior level female professionals wishing to construct their careers successfully on their own terms. Typical focus includes how to identify and leverage strengths at work; overcoming issues of impostor syndrome; how to build personal brands in ways more aligned to values; career development goals and career planning. Her earlier career included 13 years in executive level HR Recruitment and Interim Management recruitment. Kate became a Fellow of NICEC in 2024.
Tamsin Crook
Tamsin Crook is an independent ICF accredited career coach at Making Careers Work, with a particular focus in working with neurodivergent clients. She is also an Associate Lecturer at Birkbeck College, University of London and co-facilitates the Post Graduate Certificate in Neurodiversity Coaching with Prof Almuth McDowall. She has MScs in Psychology and Career Management & Coaching; her research has focused on ADHD career successes and strengths, and the ND experience of career decision-making. She has three teenage boys and a dog to wrangle, so finds relaxation and focus in her work, gardening, and walking with friends.
This webinar is a fantastic, free (to CDI & NICEC members) CPD opportunity to see how theory is informing and impacting practice and reflect on your use of careers theory in your work.
Practitioners who are CDI members, NICEC members and Fellows who are actively involved or are interested in research. We recognise the importance of research in the career development sector and encourage all practitioners to contribute to building the evidence base and using research to inform their practice.
The event is free for CDI members, NICEC members and NICEC Fellows.
Founded in 1975, NICEC is a learned society for reflective practitioners in career education, career guidance/counselling, and career development. This includes those working in research, policy, consultancy, scholarship, service delivery and management, within education, the workplace, or the wider community. NICEC fosters dialogue and innovation between these areas through events, networking, publications and projects.
