About Me
Hi, a very warm welcome. I am Donna, a pluralistic counsellor & psychotherapist. My passion is in creating a warm, reflective and open space where you can explore the difficulties you may be experiencing and the past challenges and patterns which may be influencing some of those difficulties. I believe that working together to develop such insights helps individuals to move towards healing, autonomy and more helpful ways of coping with life challenges.
Experience
Counselling for 5 years
I am a fully qualified psychotherapist, holding a First-Class Honours Master of Science (MSc) in Pluralistic Counselling and Psychotherapy and holds a Diploma in Traumatology and PTSD. I am a fully accredited member of the Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (IACP) in Ireland and an accredited member with the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society (NCPS) in the UK. I work under the respective organisations’ code of ethics. I also hold a MA (Hons.) in Social Work from the National University of Ireland, Galway and I am registered with CORU.
Over the course of my career, I have worked with individuals who have a diverse range of mental health challenges and difficulties including but not limited to grief, loss, spiritual crisis, low self-esteem, abuse, stress, work related difficulties, anxiety, depression, familial difficulties and childhood trauma.
I have worked within community, hospital and crisis mental health settings over the course of my career. I also worked at Jigsaw, the National Centre for Youth Mental Health for almost seven years, where I supported young people through brief interventions for a wide range of mental health difficulties.
Approach
As a pluralistic psychotherapist, I believe that just as each person is unique, so too are the things that will help during times of challenge and difficulty. I work collaboratively with individuals to identify those challenges, what their hopes are for attending therapy and to determine which therapy approach(s) may be best suited to help.
I work with evidence-based practices to assist individuals uncover valuable insights into themselves, their relationships and environments. I come from the perspective that a multitude of factors including early life experiences shape how we view, move and interact within our worlds.
In my work, I come from a Trauma-informed perspective and I draw from a range of psychological theories and practices to provide the most effective support. I use modalities such as CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Person-centred psychotherapy, Narrative therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Gestalt, Transactional Analysis and Solution-Focused therapy when working with Individuals.
Qualification
MSc in Pluralistic Counselling & Psychotherapy
Diploma in Traumatology & PTSD
MA in Social Work
Locations