About Me

I have been working full time as a Clinical Psychologist & Family Therapist for the past 30 years, having completed my post-graduate training in both Ireland and the US. ​
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Primary Posts:
  • I was Clinical Director at the OLR Counselling Centre in Chicago from 1986 to 1990 and was a staff psychotherapist at Lutheran General Hospital Chicago from 1984 to 1987. 
  • I was appointed Clinical Director of the Cork Marriage Counselling Centre in 1990 and worked there until 2018, During that time I supervised and trained professional marriage therapists and counsellors; provided couples, child, and family therapy for hundreds of clients; completed child and family assessments for the courts; set up the Cork Domestic Violence Project; and played a role in the development of counselling agencies at a national level.   
  • I now conduct a private practice as marriage, family, and child therapist, and provide a range of family assessments for the family courts in Cork.

Primary Qualifications:
  • BA Degree in Honours Psychology (UCC, 1980)
  • Masters Degrees in Applied Psychology (UCC) 1982
  • Masters Degree in Clinical Psychology (Illinois School of Professional Psychology, Chicago, USA) 1988 .
  • Graduate of 3-year full-time Psychotherapy Training Internship at Lutheran General Hospital, Chicago, USA 1985-1988
  • Doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology (Southern California University, USA) 1998
  • Graduate of Gracewell Clinic Internship Training in Treatment of Adult Child Sex Offenders 1992.
  • Two years training in Gestalt Therapy with Irish Gestalt Centre 1992-1994

Professional Bodies:
  • Registered Clinical Psychologist with Psychological Society of Ireland since 1990.
  • Registered Family Therapist and Supervisor with Family Therapy Association of Ireland since 1992.
  • Member of European Association of Psychotherapists since 2004

Initiatives:
  • I was founder of the Cork Domestic Violence Project in 1992 and set up the first treatment programme for violent men in Ireland.
  • I worked for many years with adult sex offenders having trained at the Gracewell Clinic for Sex Offenders in Birmingham in 1992.  
  • I was co-founder of the Association of Agency Based Counselling in Ireland in 2009 which we set up to accredit agency based practice in Ireland.
  • I was nominated to serve on the Board of Directors of the Family Support Agency by consecutive government ministers for a period of eight years from 2004.

Writing:
  • I have written three books published by Gill & McMillan titled:
  • 'The Courage To Be Happy' (2010)  which summarizes research and findings on happiness and well-being.
  • 'The Courage To Love' (2012), which outlines the main issues affecting couples relationships.
  • 'The Awakening' (2015) which is a poetic account of the role of imagination and enchantment in psychological life.
  • I wrote a weekly column on Family Psychology in the Cork Evening Echo newspaper from 2008 to 2020 totaling over 500 articles.
  • I have written over 250 family reports for the family law courts.

Professional activities:
  • I have presented hundreds of workshops and seminars over the years on a variety of topics related to my work  such as  marital & couples therapy, family therapy, domestic abuse and violence, happiness & well-being, professional self-care, etc.
  • I completed a major research project for the Family Support Agency at the Department of Community & Family Affairs in 2008 on marital breakdown.
  • I was nominated to serve on the Board of Directors of the Family Support Agency by consecutive government ministers for a period of eight years from 2004 - 2012.  
  • I have appeared on National Radio and TV including RTE's Prime Time as well as many radio appearances on the shows of the late Marian Finucane as well as Ryan Tubridy, Brendan O'Connor, etc.  

Personal interests:
In my personal time, I have a love of writing, art, sport, poetry, personal development, and everyday philosophy.