I have worked as a second-level teacher for almost 30 years. During this time I trained and qualified as a guidance counsellor, eventually going on to train and qualify as a counsellor and psychotherapist. I am an accredited member of the Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, the largest counselling and psychotherapy association in Ireland.

My training is in integrative counselling and psychotherapy which means that I draw upon different theories and ways of working with clients so as to try and provide the best way of helping them to address and look at what it is that has brought them to come to counselling. In order to help clients, I try to understand them and what is going on for them. 

The causes of our unhappiness or the issues or thoughts that cause us difficulties are generally woven into the fabric of our lives: in how we feel about ourselves; in how we live; in how we act and interact with others; in how we view ourselves and others; in how we connect with others or fail to connect with them; in those things we desire and fear; in what we know about ourselves and what we do not wish to know. My role is about understanding how that fabric is woven and can potentially be re-woven, so that I can help the client arrive at their own understanding and realise that things can be different.

The first step on that journey is for the client to try and figure out what is really the matter, and I try to help them to do that. This then becomes the focus for therapy and coming to see me.

Very often clients can find it difficult to figure out what is the matter. They know something is wrong but cannot say what, or may feel empty, lost, or stuck, but they don't know why. This is where my training, knowledge and experience comes in, bringing a different perspective and understanding to that of the client. I am more than happy if prospective clients wish to contact me in advance of coming to see me so that we can have an initial consultation (at no cost) so as to determine if I can be of help to the client.