MORE ABOUT ME
MORE ABOUT ME
Background
I am originally from Dublin Ireland, and came to live in England in the mid seventies. I have since lived, worked and studied for the most part here in London, with intermittent spells in Germany and Spain and speak both German and Spanish.
I first began working as a counsellor in the charity sector in London in1991. Over this 25-year period I have had extensive experience of working within a variety of clinical settings in both non-statutory (voluntary) and statutory (NHS) sectors, encountering a wide range of emotional issues. I have specialist experience in substance misuse, addictions, bereavement, trauma and relational difficulties.
I have a particular interest in cultural diversity and ‘difference’ and have extensive experience working with people from marginalised backgrounds who find themselves disenfranchised and excluded from mainstream services due to their cultural, sexual, ethnic, religious, or socio-economic status.
Education
I have an MA with Distinction in Counselling & Psychotherapy from Goldsmiths University, London 2014 and my first degree at North London University in 1991 was a BA (Honours) Humanities in Hispanic Studies and Classical Civilization. I also gained a Diploma in Art History at Birkbeck College London 2008.
Research
My research at Goldsmiths focused on intergenerational trauma and shame. Using the trauma and devastation precipitated by the Irish Famine and the subsequent mass emigration that ensued, the research explored how an “unspoken” sense of shame brought on by major historic traumatic events can be internalised and ‘silently’ handed down from generation to generation becoming part of an unconscious cultural and individual psyche.
Training
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Introductory Course: The British Psychological Society, London June 2004.
- Solution Focused Brief Therapy Training: London 2002.
- Diploma in Substance Misuse Motivational Interviewing Training: London 1998.
I am committed to a wide range of continual professional development in Psychotherapeutic, Substance Misuse and Mental Health fields.
Additional training includes:
- Bereavement/Trauma/PTSD Training: Camden, City, Islington and Westminster Bereavement Centre 2013-2015.
- Effective Counselling, Effective Brief Psychotherapy; Understanding the Cycle of Depression, How to lift Depression; How to tell stories that Heal; The Fast Trauma and Phobia Cure; Addiction: Understanding how to stop addictive behavior; Understanding Autism: Mindfields College; Human Givens Diploma
- Courses in Psychotherapy: Regents Park College, London 2006-2007.