Giancarlo Cristea
Integrative Psychotherapist
"Your neurodivergence isn't a problem to solve — it's a perspective to understand."
- Accredited Member — NCPS, MNCPS (Acc.)
- BSc (Hons) Counselling & Coaching — London Metropolitan University
- Allied Health Professional — MCCS UK
- Disability Rights Activist
- United Kingdom · English & Română
- Online Psychotherapy & Counselling
My Story
I understand because I've lived it.
For years, I moved through the world feeling like I was on the wrong frequency. Too sensitive, too intense, too restless — or somehow never enough. I masked my way through classrooms, relationships, and workplaces, performing a version of myself that was palatable to neurotypical expectations. The cost? Burnout. Anxiety. A persistent sense that something was fundamentally wrong with me.
"I spent years believing something was wrong with me. Diagnosis didn't fix me — it freed me. And now I help others find that same freedom."
Receiving my autism and ADHD diagnoses as an adult didn't just change my understanding of myself — it transformed my entire approach to therapy. I realised that the therapeutic models I'd trained in often didn't account for neurodivergent minds. The standard approaches assumed neurotypical processing, neurotypical emotions, neurotypical communication. And I knew, from the inside, that this was failing an enormous population of people.
That's why I built my practice around neurodivergent-affirming principles. I integrate modalities — IFS, ACT, DBT, somatic work, trauma-informed approaches — but I filter everything through an understanding of how neurodivergent minds actually work. Not how textbooks say they should work. How they actually do.
I know what it's like to sit in a therapy room and feel unseen. To have your experiences pathologised rather than understood. To be offered coping strategies designed for brains that work nothing like yours. My practice exists so you never have to feel that way again.
My Philosophy
What makes this space different.
Neurodivergent-led, not just informed
I don't just understand neurodivergence from textbooks — I live it daily. Every strategy I offer has been tested against the reality of an autistic and ADHD nervous system: mine.
Adaptive, not prescriptive
No two neurodivergent minds work the same way. I adapt the session pace, communication style, and therapeutic tools to match your processing — not the other way around.
Strengths-based, not deficit-focused
I work from the neurodiversity paradigm: "How does your brain actually work, and what does it need?" When you stop trying to "fix" neurodivergence and start understanding it, shame loosens its grip.
Unmasking-safe space
You don't need to perform "well" here. Stimming, pausing, fidgeting, needing silence, processing differently — all welcome. This is a space where your authentic self is not just tolerated but valued.
Advocacy & Activism
Beyond the therapy room.
My advocacy work is inseparable from my clinical practice — both are rooted in the belief that neurodivergent people and those with chronic conditions deserve dignity, access, and rights.
Speaking at the Romanian Parliament
In 2023, I was invited to testify before the Romanian Parliament's Health Commission — at the request of MP Emanuel Ungureanu — to share my experience as a patient legally prescribed medical cannabis in the United Kingdom and to advocate for the legalisation of medical cannabis in Romania. My testimony addressed the reality of living with chronic conditions as a neurodivergent person, and the barriers that Romanian patients face in accessing evidence-based treatments available elsewhere in Europe.
I returned to the Health Commission in February 2025, this time alongside legal and medical experts, to present updated evidence and continue pushing for legislative change. The session was covered live by Euronews Romania.
A landmark legal case
In July 2024, DIICOT (Romania's organised crime prosecution unit) confiscated our legally prescribed cannabis-based medication at Bucharest Otopeni Airport — despite having valid UK prescriptions and all legal documentation. What followed was months of legal battle that would become the first case in Romanian judicial history to address the legality of medically prescribed cannabis.
In early 2025, the Bucharest Tribunal ruled in our favour — a historic, precedent-setting decision that confirmed medically prescribed cannabis is not a criminal offence in Romania when properly documented. DIICOT was ordered to return the confiscated medication. This ruling set a legal precedent that protects future patients travelling with prescribed cannabis-based treatments.
Press & Media
Media Coverage
Coverage of the Bucharest Tribunal ruling ordering DIICOT to return confiscated medication.
Live coverage of the 2025 Parliamentary Health Commission hearing on medical cannabis legalisation.
In-depth interview on disability rights, medical cannabis access, and the Romanian legal landscape.
National TV coverage of the autism advocacy campaign and legislative efforts in Romania.
Investigative reporting on both the 2023 parliamentary testimony and the 2024–2025 DIICOT case.
Credentials
Training, Registration & Ongoing Development
Registered, insured, and in ongoing clinical supervision — with specialist credentials in autism and ADHD clinical practice.
Academic Foundation
BSc (Hons) Counselling & Coaching — London Metropolitan University. Integrative training spanning person-centred, psychodynamic, and cognitive-behavioural frameworks, with a foundation in ethical practice, clinical assessment, and reflective supervision.
Professional Registration
MNCPS (Acc.) — Accredited Member, National Counselling & Psychotherapy Society (NCS23-02809). Listed on a Professional Standards Authority Accredited Register — the UK gold standard for practitioner regulation. Fully insured and in ongoing clinical supervision.
Specialist Certifications
ASDCS
Autism Spectrum Disorder Clinical Specialist — Evergreen Certifications. Advanced clinical competency in autism-specific assessment, intervention design, and support for autistic adults across the full spectrum of presentations.
ADHD-CCSP
ADHD Certified Clinical Services Provider — Evergreen Certifications. Specialist certification for delivering clinical ADHD services, including executive function support, emotional dysregulation, and RSD-informed practice.
MCCS Member
Allied Health Professional — The Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society UK. Trained in the clinical applications and evidence base for cannabis-based medicinal products, supporting patients who access prescribed treatments.
Therapeutic Modalities
An integrative approach — drawing from evidence-based modalities, each adapted for the neurodivergent nervous system.
Continuing Professional Development
Committed to staying current with the latest research and practice developments in neurodivergent-affirming care — through certified training with leading clinical providers.
PESI UK — CPD Certified
PESI Inc — Russell Barkley PhD — CPD Certified
PESI UK — CPD Certified
PESI UK — CPD Certified
PESI UK — CPD Certified
PESI UK — CPD Certified
PESI UK — CPD Certified
PESI UK — CPD Certified
NCFE CACHE — Accredited Award
Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society (MCCS)
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