Healing Spaces with Kari logo

for professionals

Self-neglect and hoarding support you can refer into.

If you're a social worker, community nurse, housing officer, or part of an NHS team, and you have a client whose home environment is affecting their wellbeing — I can help. Hands-on, trauma-informed, and entirely led by the client.

Make a referral
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what I provide

Practical home support, not a clinical service.

I'm a peer practitioner and professional organiser with four years as a Lived Experience Professional in the NHS and two as a Peer Trainer at a Recovery College. I bring hands-on decluttering and cleaning support alongside the kind of understanding that only comes from lived experience of mental health difficulties.

  • Self-neglect

    Clients whose home environment has declined due to depression, chronic illness, disability, or cognitive difficulties. Kari provides hands-on support to reclaim living spaces at the client's pace.

  • Hoarding

    Compassionate, non-judgemental support for clients who hoard. Nothing leaves the home without explicit consent. Kari has lived experience and NHS training in this area.

  • Post-crisis stabilisation

    After a hospital stay, bereavement, separation, or mental health crisis. Practical home support to help a client re-establish daily routines.

  • Low-level preventative support

    Clients who are coping but at risk of decline. Regular sessions to maintain home environment and build sustainable habits before things escalate.

A professional team in a case review meeting

how it works

The referral process

  1. 1

    You get in touch

    Use the referral form below, or call/email directly. Tell me a little about the client's situation and what you're hoping for.

  2. 2

    We have a conversation

    I'll ask a few questions to understand whether I'm the right fit. If I'm not, I'll say so and suggest alternatives where I can.

  3. 3

    Free 2-hour taster

    I visit the client for a no-commitment session. We tackle the most manageable area first. The client sees how I work, and I get a sense of what ongoing support might look like.

  4. 4

    Ongoing support (if wanted)

    Sessions are booked directly with the client. I can provide brief updates to you if the client consents, but the relationship is between me and them.

About Kari

Karina Barboza. Former Senior Peer Support Worker with West London NHS Trust (Complex Emotional Needs Service, Community Rehab Team). Peer Trainer at the Wellbeing & Recovery College. Trainer at the Anna Freud Centre.

DBS checked. Trauma-informed training. Degree in Translation (English, Spanish, Portuguese).

Full background →

Areas covered

Primarily Ealing, Hounslow, and Hammersmith. I'll travel up to an hour from W13 for the right referral. If your client is nearby and you're not sure I cover their area, get in touch and we'll work it out.

DBS checked

Trauma-informed training

Former NHS (4 years)

Recovery College Peer Trainer

common questions

FAQs for referring professionals

Do you work with local authority referrals?
Yes. I work with referrals from social services, community mental health teams, housing associations, and NHS trusts. I'm not currently on any approved-provider frameworks, but I'm happy to discuss how we can work together.
Is there a cost to the client?
The first session (2 hours) is always free. After that, sessions are priced per session, not per hour. I hold discounted slots each month for people whose circumstances make full-rate sessions out of reach. There's no application form — just a conversation.
What's your safeguarding position?
I'm DBS checked and trained in trauma-informed practice. If I encounter a safeguarding concern, I follow established protocols and will communicate with the referring professional where appropriate and with the client's consent.
What won't you do?
I'm not a clinical service. I don't provide therapy, counselling, or crisis intervention. I'm not the right fit for clients presenting with active psychosis or active schizophrenia — I'll signpost to services better placed to help. For most other situations, there's usually a way I can support.
Can you provide reports or updates?
With the client's consent, I can provide brief progress updates. I don't produce formal clinical reports, but I'm happy to confirm attendance, general progress, and any concerns.

Ready to refer?

Use the referral form to tell me about the client's situation. I'll come back to you within a day or two, usually sooner. You can also call me directly on 07752 212213.

Make a referral