Carol Elizabeth Leader (born 10 November 1950) is a Jungian psychoanalyst and psychoanalytic psychotherapist and a former English theatrical and television actor.

Leader's acting career began at the University of York where she studied History and feature in drama productions, including the role of Charlotte Corday in Y.U.D.S.

[2] Leader worked as a Perspectives player, writer and director in her early twenties before moving to London to become a regular presenter for BBC Children's TV Play School.

Leader also made an 'appearance' in Sue Townsends's The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole aged 13 and three quarters: "Friday June 26th: Doctor said our thermometer is faulty.

Major television roles include Dorothy in Flambards for Yorkshire TV; Lt Mary Barker in Sally Ann for STV; Barbara in the two series of Young at Heart for ATV; Linda in Out of Step, a Playhouse drama for the BBC; Chrissie in Studio for Granada; Penny in Late Starter and Kate in Getting On, both for the BBC; Lucille in Honky Tonk Heroes for ATV and Mary in Happy Since I Met You for Granada and Sadie Tomkins in Casualty.

Leader offers workshops and gives lectures in person and on-line on a range of subjects related to human development, mental health, the arts, Jungian psychology and contemporary psychoanalysis.

She was the 2014 professional winner, of the British Journal of Psychotherapy's Rosika Parker prize for her paper on William Blake and his relevance to clinical practice.