A little about me...

I'm a real person who has done my own healing work as a client of person-centred counselling, I now want to dismantle the pathologising and dehumanising power differentials that are too often present in therapeutic relationships.

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Growing up in rural Ireland, I always felt a bit different. My identity as a queer, non-binary, pansexual and relationally diverse person left me feeling isolated in a society shaped by beliefs I never quite fit into. In plain terms, I was truly a square trying to fit into a land of many circles!

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I moved to Glasgow in 2012. In the decade since then, I've spent my time working in the third sector. First, supporting people with substance use to get through hepatitis C treatment. Later, carrying out sexual health research, while facilitating people living with HIV to carry out their own community research. 

 

I first came in contact with person-centred counselling as a client. It quickly became my haven, allowing me to explore who I am and express my self to the fullest extent for the very first time. The feeling of being wholly, unconditionally and completely valued by my psychotherapist felt utterly liberating. And while I had always wanted to train as a psychotherapist, I never had the confidence. I also felt uncomfortable with the idea of 'solving' or telling people what to do. Yet, through my experience as a client, I found both a form of psychotherapy that aligned with my valuing of autonomy and social justice, as well as the courage I needed to finally train as a person-centred experiential counsellor and psychotherapist.

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Working in sectors like substance use, HIV and sexual health have each informed my approach to psychotherapy. Over the last decade, I witnessed the real life consequences of societally constructed norms, and I knew I wanted to practice in a way that honoured rather than judged the ways people find to survive living under oppressive social, cultural political and economic conditions. For this reason, I approach counselling and psychotherapy through a non-pathologising lens.

 

Most people are simply trying to survive, and poor mental, physical, social, emotional and relational health is a consequence of oppression, not of personal or individual failing. 

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Now, as a queer, non-binary psychotherapist living with a long term condition and experiencing the world through a neurodivergent lens, I carry both an awareness of the struggles my clients may face and an unwavering commitment to ensuring that their voices rise above any potential biases I might inadvertently hold. I've learned to navigate these waters with reflexivity, critical self-awareness, and a technique called bracketing. This helps me ensure that every person I work with feels genuinely heard, understood, and valued. However, as with any human, I'm not perfect. I therefore actively develop my cultural attunement and take an anti-oppressive, anti-racist stance.

 

That means I learn as much as I can about marginalised and oppressed experiences, but when I work with you as a client, I meet you with a sense of humility and curiosity. I value you as a whole and unique person.

 

In sharing my story, I hope to bridge the space between us, offering you an insight into both my professional background and the awareness grown from my lived experiences. I'm not a magically perfect person just because I'm a psychotherapist. I'm a human who has experienced struggle and healing just like anyone else. Through this awareness however, I'm more able to be present with you as you grow and heal.

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I'm also now happy to say I am a proud square, and I would love the chance to support you in exploring what your shape is, without trying to fit you into my square or someone else's circle!