Feeling Is the Work: Emotion, Neurodivergence, and the Limits of CBT

Media Links:Website: delvepsych.comInstagram: @delvepsychchicagoYouTube: youtube.com/@DelvePsych20Substack: delvepsych.substack.com

Participants:Hosts: Ali McGarel, Adam FominayaGuest: Kara Britzman, PhD

Overview of Big Ideas:• Feeling is the work — Kara Britzman joins Ali and Adam to explore what it means to move beyond intellectualizing and actually experience emotions in therapy.

• Mentorship matters — Kara traces her lineage of training all the way back to Carl Rogers.
• Emotion-focused therapy — How activating emotion during a session promotes lasting change.
• Neurodivergent clients — Especially adults with autism and ADHD — face gaps in research and clinical fit.
• CBT’s limitations — Cognitive behavioral therapy often backfires for clients with pathological demand avoidance (PDA).
• Relational therapy — A more adaptive approach that honors the individual’s lived experience.
• Diagnostic humility — Labels can guide, but what matters most is how the client experiences their inner world.
• Trust is a choice — A closing reflection on how mistrust can be more damaging than vulnerability.

Breakdown of Segments:• Welcoming Kara and an update on Delve’s low-fee and pro bono offerings

• Kara’s origin story and early mentorship at NIU
• What makes emotion-focused therapy effective
• Helping clients who intellectualize emotions access their felt experience
• Somatic entry points and the mind-body link
• The shifting landscape of adult autism and neurodivergence
• Problems with CBT and PDA in therapeutic work
• Kara’s preferred tools and the value of a flexible, integrative approach
• The difference between external and internal validation in diagnosis
• Ending quote from Adam’s whiteboard: “I’ll do more damage not trusting anyone”

References & Further Reading:• Greenberg, L. — Emotion-Focused Therapy• Barrett, L. F. — How Emotions Are Made• Neff, M. — Self-Care for Autistic Burnout: A Neurodivergent’s Guide• North American PDA Association — Resources on Pathological Demand Avoidance• Relational therapy frameworks (e.g., Safran & Muran)