As a counsellor and psychotherapist, I work with adults, adolescents and children using talk, creative and play methods. I work face to face with clients, in groups and offer an online service to adults. I qualified with a First Class Honours Degree in Integrated Counselling and Art Therapy.
I offer a confidential, safe and non-judgemental therapy space, embracing the principles of the person centred approach; genuineness, respect and empathy. As an ethical practitioner, I follow the Irish Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapy (IACP) Code of Ethics.
My professional background includes sales and marketing positions for a blue chip company and more recently, for almost twenty years, working with children with additional needs in a primary school setting. I feel that my cumulative work experience, prepared me for this path that I am now on and my personal motto, “to make a difference”, remains the same.
I strive to bring quality, depth and continuity of experiencing to my own practice and into the relationship with you, my client. By experiencing a quality therapeutic relationship, you have the capacity to grow and change, impacting positively on personal development. To facilitate this growth, I provide a safe, confidential space where you feel listened to and heard in a warm and caring manner. Personal qualities of patience, integrity, open-mindedness, stability and compassion, married with my core therapist conditions of congruence, unconditional positive regard and empathy, provide a safe environment for nurturing, learning and growing.
My personal moral compass is in line with the Irish Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists (IACP) Code of Practice. I am mindful of the ethical implications of my practice and I am committed to working within their ethical framework while trusting in my therapeutic use of self.
On this shared journey of humanness, I strive to cultivate a healthy relationship with all clients, recognising their uniqueness and tweaking the therapeutic process to meet their individual needs. As an active listener, understanding the client’s story is of upmost importance towards gaining an accurate, empathic understanding of their emotions, feelings and experiencing. When the client feels like the therapist truly sees and understands them without judgement, the potential for healing is created within the client while allowing them to determine the direction and pace of the therapeutic process.
The person centred approach is the foundation of my approach married with the person centred expressive arts therapy and therapeutic play. This offers clients an alternative form of expression e.g. image making, movement, music, sand tray therapy when words are not enough. This process taps into our unconsciousness at a deeper level with a unique ability to regulate us and tells its own story. Creativity is a natural human trait. We are all born creative and reconnecting with this playfulness can be a wonderful cathartic experience for all ages with valuable learning and healing.
I believe in the healing ability of talk therapy and art therapy, from my own personal therapeutic journey, and from my client work. I also practice integrative therapy that combines different therapeutic approaches to fit the client’s needs i.e. gestalt, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), positive psychotherapy, narrative, psychodynamic, and Jungian. I find by combining elements from different schools of theory, therapy becomes a more inclusive and flexible approach. I have learned that one size does not fit all and being knowledgeable about other therapy methods enables me to deliver a more prescriptive therapeutic process tailored to my client and their needs.