Before training, qualifying, and becoming an accredited psychotherapist, I worked for many years within some of Ireland’s most diverse and dynamic healthcare settings.
Since 2011, I’ve been based at St. James’s Hospital - Ireland’s largest acute academic teaching hospital - where I’ve supported individuals and families across a range of medical, surgical, and specialist services. During this time, I worked in the hospital’s GUIDE Clinic, Ireland’s largest free sexual health clinic. Within the clinic, I supported patients receiving treatment for STIs or HIV, accessing PEP or PrEP, navigating chemsex-related concerns, and attending the weekly Young Person’s Clinic. I also provided pre- and post-test counselling, offering support around testing, results, and next steps - as well as exploring issues related to sexual identity, relationships, and emotional well-being.
Alongside this, I have worked in oncology and palliative care, both within St. James’s Hospital and at Our Lady’s Hospice & Care Services. In the Hospice, my work included supporting patients at end-of-life, as well as their loved ones, during anticipatory grief and bereavement. I also provided structured bereavement counselling to family members after a patient’s death, typically beginning six months post-loss.
Earlier in my career, I was involved in a number of voluntary roles with organisations such as Childline/ISPCC, Open Heart House (a support centre for people living with HIV & AIDS), and services working with people experiencing homelessness. Through my work with Gay Switchboard Ireland, I offered a confidential, non-judgemental, and non-directive listening and signposting service for LGBTQ+ people — as well as their parents, families, and friends - who were exploring concerns related to sexual orientation and gender identity.
I was also actively involved in Marriage Equality, a campaign that successfully advocated for equal marriage rights for same-sex couples in Ireland. This included lobbying politicians and policymakers, raising public awareness, and helping to shape public understanding through community engagement and national campaigns.
I’m a former member of the Governing Body of the Irish Association for Humanistic and Integrative Psychotherapy (IAHIP), and I currently serve on the Accreditation Committee, contributing to the development and upholding of high standards within the psychotherapy profession.
I’ve also been an occasional contributor to the Irish Independent’s weekly Modern Morals column, where I offer reflections on psychological and emotional wellbeing, relationships, and some of the complexities people sometimes bring to therapy.
Each of these roles has shaped how I listen, how I sit with complexity, and how I offer support that’s rooted in compassion and respect. The breadth of my background gives me a deep appreciation for the many different contexts people come from, and the strength it takes to show up, ask for support, and engage with therapy.
