Who We Are - Katja

Katja (she/her) is a mental health activist and teacher. She was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder in March 2021 following years of struggling to access mental health services as her symptoms weren’t considered ‘severe’ enough. She was later diagnosed with Schizotypal Personality Disorder, which is now her primary diagnosis, although she still has BPD traits.

 

After spending several years teaching modern languages full time in mainstream secondary schools, Katja will soon begin working within prison education. She has also previously worked with victims of child sexual exploitation and with teenagers experiencing mental health difficulties in various youth work roles, and is currently studying for a Masters related to the moral and ethical development of young people in education.

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Katja speaks multiple languages and enjoys travelling. In her spare time she likes reading, running and outdoor activities, and enjoys adding to her tattoo count and experimenting with vintage fashion.

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Katja also works extensively with the media to raise awareness of mental health disorders and mental illness, as well as engaging in public speaking for various organisations. She has written for TES, Diverse Educators and Talking About BPD concerning teaching with Borderline Personality Disorder, and has appeared on podcasts such as Teacher Toolkit, Mentally Yours, The Power Within You, Mental: The Podcast and Tools for Battle. Katja often guests on episodes of The BPD Bunch, a Youtube channel featuring guests in functional recovery from BPD. She has also worked with the NHS and higher education institutions on education around lived experience of personality disorders, the use of stigmatising language and stereotyping, and media representation.

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She was nominated for a National Diversity Award in 2022 in the category of Positive Role Model for Disability, and was also shortlisted in 2022 for the UK Mental Health and Wellbeing Awards.