Welcome
Welcome to my counselling centre in Thurles, Co. Tipperary. Thurles is in the centre of Co. Tipperary, and accessible to other counties such as Galway, Offaly, Kilkenny, Laois, Limerick, and Waterford. I have a long association with Thurles, and am pleased that I have established a counselling centre there to cater for people in Co. Tipperary and these areas.
Mary and I still live in the house we built near Thurles, Co. Tipperary, when we moved from Dublin in 1971. All our children are long gone, so our only 'child' now is our little dog, Sophie, who is a miniature dachshund, very spoiled and incredibly brazen! We have four living children, Frances, Breda, Deirdre and Bill. Frances lives in America, Bill in Dublin, and Breda and Deirdre live near us.
I did my secondary education in Thurles C.B.S., my primary degree in UCD and a Ph. D. In UCC. I spent four and a half years counselling training under Maria Huss, the founder of the Cork Counselling Centre. My great passion is counselling and writing, and in my previous life, teaching. I was honoured to be the Principal of Our Lady’s Secondary School, Templemore, for 12 years.
I am intensely interested in helping to relieve human distress, and in my counselling centre in Thurles, Co. Tipperary I can help you with many painful issues, such as bereavement, suicide bereavement, toxic or core shame, depression, abuse (verbal, physical, emotional/psychological, financial, sexual, workplace or neighbourhood bullying), anger, and other issues outlined below. I operate a blog from my centre in Thurles, and you are most welcome to discuss issues with me on the blog.
I love working with childhood issues, and how our childhood forms our adult personality, how it can help to shape a happy joyful adulthood, or a pain filled adulthood marked by low self-esteem and sometimes self-hatred. I am interested in anxiety, and how it arises and how to deal with it. I am interested in relationship difficulties, self-esteem, stress and anxiety.
Please don't hesitate to contact me for an initial discussion. You will always be most welcome at my counselling centre in Thurles, Co. Tipperary.
Counselling Services Offered
Based in Thurles, Co. Tipperary, I deal with human distress, including bereavement, suicide, stress, anxiety, self- esteem, relationship difficulties, abuse, sexual abuse, shame, childhood issues, and distress of any type.
I do not deal with alcohol or drug addictions.
Relationship Difficulties
Problems in our intimate relationship can cause ongoing hurt and frustration. This can lead to anxiety and depression. Such problems may have different roots. They can arise from an abusive partner, who tries to control the other partner through various means. They can arise from difficult financial circumstances in these tough economic times. They might come from incompatible traits, which seem attractive when partners first meet, but eventually can become a source of irritation. Problems may arise when one partner expects another to meet all his/her needs. Sometimes adults, who have suffered childhood abuse, may find it difficult to make emotional contact in a relationship, and withdraw. This withdrawal causes resentment and frustration. Withdrawal can also be part of poor communication, one of the main factors that cause relationships to founder.
Anger Management
Anger is a good feeling. 'Normal' anger is a very healthy feeling. If someone hurts us, it is natural to be angry. 'Toxic' anger, on the other hand, is core anger or rage, and often comes from childhood abuse. Essentially, it is a surge of rage at something minor. Counselling is essential to treat toxic anger. It is most important to remember that we are not responsible for our feelings, but we are responsible for our behaviour. Anger should be vented, but we must choose to vent it safely, i.e. not on a person or a creature.
Publications
When A Child Dies, Footsteps of a Grieving Family
This is a book about how the family coped with the death of their youngest child, Cathal, in a road accident in 1990. It was published in February 2008. Due to heavy demand it was reprinted in July 2008. Because the death of a child evokes widespread sympathy, the Irish Examiner and the Farmers Journal devoted a full feature to the book. The trauma following the death of a child was discussed for an hour on the Gerry Ryan Show by Jim O'Shea and his son, Bill.
The royalties from this book are given to the Children's Hospital in Crumlin.
