Practitioners
Professional Practitioners at Artonomy
All of our Practitioners are qualified in their own specialist area of work. There are many options open to you, such as Creative Arts Psychotherapists, non-arts based Psychotherapists and behavioural Psychologists. At Artonomy we understand that no one type of healing suits all and so we believe it is important to offer various options for the best collaborations between client and practitioner.
All of our practitioners are accredited with their professional organisations and fully trained and insured in their work.
Our practitioners provide therapy in the centre, in outreach organisations, out in nature and online.
Louise Gartland | Psychotherapist/Art Psychotherapist | EMDR Therapist | Educator | Artonomy Director and Founder
Online & In-Person Therapy Sessions Available.
Louise is a Psychotherapist/Art Psychotherapist, EMDR therapist, Supervisor and the Clinical Director at Artonomy. She works with adults and older adolescents dealing with a variety of issues, some of which include anxiety, depression, addiction, self-harm, suicide, family separation and sexual trauma. Louise also specialises in treating binge eating. She has worked in many settings including educational, clinical, foster care, residential treatment, forensic and international voluntary organisations. Louise believes in peoples innate wisdom and hopes to help them explore this in therapy so that they may grow to listen to and trust in their own voices, thus gaining personal autonomy in their lives. She provides sessions in the Artonomy and out in Nature. louise@artonomy.ie
e. louise@artonomy.ie | WhatsApp. +353830198659
BA (Hons.), MSc., Cert. C.A.T Supervision, EMDR therapist, MIACAT, MNIGAT, MEMDRAIA.
Debbie Nic Gabhann | Adolescent Psychotherapeutic Counsellor
Online & In-Person Therapy Sessions Available.
Debbie works through the arts as an Adolescent Psychotherapeutic Counsellor. She has more than 20 years experience of working with young people in both educational and therapeutic settings. As a result of her specialised training in the Institute for the Arts in Therapy & Education (IATE, London), her therapeutic approach is integrative and creative. She incorporates different art forms in her work, providing a therapeutic space for teenagers to reflect on their lives, and make sense of their feelings and behaviours, to discover who they are, and who they want to be, so they can move forward and hopefully thrive in adulthood .
B.Ed, P.Grad, Cert, Dip, MBACP
Nuala Weber | Art Psychotherapist
In Person – Fluent English and Spanish speaker
A Safe Place to Self-Heal
Nuala has practiced Art Therapy in educational settings with children of primary school age, adolescents, and young adults. She has worked with clients with dementia in a hospital setting and patients in a psychiatric setting. Currently works with children and adults in Artonomy. Nuala believes that everybody deserves a space where they feel safe
and where they are listened to, in order to discover things about themselves which will enhance and enrich their future lives.
M.A. Art Therapy, CIT (First Class Hon)., H.Dip in Primary School Teaching. B.A (Hons) in History of Art and Spanish, TCD
Accredited member of IACAT (Irish Association of Creative Arts Therapies).
Dervla Clerkin | Art Psychotherapist
Online & In-Person Therapy Sessions Available.
M.A. in Art Therapy, MTU, B.A. (Hons) in Fine Art, TU Dublin. Accredited member of IACAT (Irish Association of Creative Art Therapies).
Dervla is a qualified Art Therapist with a Masters in Art Therapy and over 2 years’ experience working in therapeutic settings, supporting children and young adults with their mental health needs. With extensive experience supporting children and young people through a wide spectrum of mental health issues, and seeing the impact of therapeutic intervention at an early age, she is passionate about using art to reach young clients and offer them a safe space to freely express themselves.
She has provided Art Therapy to young people to support them through anxiety, depression, bullying and other school based challenges, self-esteem, anger management, family issues and emotional regulation. For the young people that she works with, Dervla prioritises kindness, compassion and safety in the space that she provides to help them to explore their feelings and work through healthy ways to manage life’s challenges and come to a place of contentment.
Contact: dervlaclerkinarttherapy@gmail.com
Keshet Zur | Expressive Arts Therapy | Educator
Online & In-Person Therapy Sessions Available.
Keshet is an Expressive Arts Therapist. In Expressive Arts Therapy (EXA) clients are supported through engagement with various creative art processes such as visual arts, creative writing and movement. Both life and art require improvisational skills, resilience and the necessary hands on experience of shaping from materials available. When working with creative processes, we gain insight previously unreachable which supports us with life challenges; psychological, emotional, behavioural, trauma, relationships or transitions. Keshet works with both adults and children. Her experience includes working with adults on the autism spectrum and children with life threatening illness. Keshet’s practice is trauma informed and person centred.
*EXA is not technique oriented; previous art making experience is not necessary. Sessions are tailored to the needs of the participant. Sessions follow an arc consisting of an opening conversation, progressing into the art making process, closing with reflection.
BA (Hons), MA Expressive Arts Therapy. Co-director and founder of Expressive Arts Ireland.
Dr Claire Stephens | Senior Clinical Psychologist | Family Therapist
Online & In-Person Therapy Sessions Available.
Claire Stephens is a Senior Clinical Psychologist with over 10 years experience working with clients affected by physical and mental health issues. Claire has a PhD (Queen’s University Belfast) and a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (University of Exeter). She has worked in the UK, Australia and Ireland since qualifying. Claire specialises in work with children, young people and their families with a background in paediatric psychology and learning disabilities. Claire’s preferred way of working incorporate her additional training in systemic family therapy. The types of presentations Claire works with are varied but may include (but not limited to): anxiety, depression, school refusal, OCD, bullying, family separation, grief and loss, phobias, physical illness, chronic pain, adjustment issues, developmental delay or regression, behaviours of concern, abuse and trauma.
Claire uses an integrated approach to therapy based on the current research and evidence in the field. Claire’s experience has shown her that often our symptoms or patterns of behaviour make sense in light of a family’s (client’s) context and story. Claire applies psychological assessment and formulation (meaning making) to guide therapeutic interventions.
Services:
– Therapeutic interventions for children, young people and families (collaborating with schools where required)
– Individual therapy for adults
– Supervision: as a qualified supervisor, Claire provides supervision to clinicians working with young people and families
– Consultation/training: Teaching and training for allied health staff around issues affecting children, young people and families as well as reflective practice approaches and psychological skills for staff groups
D.Clin.Psy., Ph.D. (Psychology), B.Sc. (Hons, Psychology), MBPsS
Contact: drclairepsychology@gmail.com
Mischa O'Mahony | Play Therapist
In-Person Therapy Sessions Available.
Mischa is a play therapist, working with children aged 4-12 years.
Play therapy is a gentle and child-centred approach to therapy, it empowers children to express their inner world through play and find their own way to communicate and bring understanding around big emotions.
Mischa uses a holistic integrative approach in her practice, offering clients the use of a wide variety of creative media such as art (painting, drawing, crafts), sand play, clay, music, puppets, role-play, messy play, creative visualisation and stories, to express themselves in the therapy room.
Play is a child’s language and Mischa firmly believes that every child has their unique story to tell, she is an attentive listener in her therapeutic work, guiding them towards regulation, increased self-esteem and healing.
The playroom is a safe place to just be – a place to be yourself.
PG Cert in Therapeutic Play Skills & PG Dip in Play Therapy, both with APAC (Academy of Play and Child Psychotherapy).
Member of Play Therapy Ireland (PTIrl) / Play Therapy International (PTI) and the Irish Play Therapy Community Association (IPTCA).
e. mischa.l@gmail.com | t. 087-7799014 | w. www.meandyouplay.com
Emer Kennedy | Integrative Counsellor | Art Therapist
Emer Kennedy | Integrative Counsellor | Art Therapist
In-Person Therapy Session Available.
BA (Hons) in Integrative Counselling and Art Therapy from the Dublin Art Therapy College, validated by the South East Technological University (SETU) and accredited by the Irish. Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (IACP). Currently pre-accredited with IACP.
Emer is a Person Centred Art Therapist and Integrative Counsellor using a blend of
Psychodynamics, CBT, Gestalt, Mindfulness and somatic awareness.
Emer works with adults, offering a grounded, non-judgemental, calm, safe space. She uses a gentle approach, allowing the client to progress at a pace they are comfortable with. She assists clients to explore their issues so that they may come to their own realisations and solutions, empowering them to find ways to heal and manage their situation.
A combination of talk and art therapy allows gentle exploration. Emer encourages the occasional use of art materials and art exercises if a client is comfortable to do so however, this is not essential to the counselling process. Art therapy is about inquiry and expression, there is no need to be ‘good at art’, a blob or scribble is as valid as any other image, there is no right or wrong way and no performance
required. Emer also values Talk therapy, being able to verbalise what is happening for us and have our voice heard is of great importance.
Emer has experience working with a range of issues including grief, bullying, childhood neglect, anxiety, depression, body image, low self-esteem, work related issues, family issues, navigating changing life circumstances and childhood trauma.
Email: emerarttherapy@gmail.com or Phone: 0851848432
Sonya Goulding | Psychotherapist | Educator
Online & In-Person Therapy Sessions Available.
Sonya is an integrative psychotherapist and educator (additional training in somatic and mindfulness interventions and autism specialist clinical training). She takes a holistic approach, drawing from different schools of psychotherapy to best meet the clients’ needs. At the core of Sonya’s approach is nurturing a strong relationship with her clients, it being the foundation for working together. Her work is also grounded in the belief that the quality of the relationship with oneself is fundamental to all relationships. Self-acceptance being the greatest condition for healing, growth, change and transformation.
Sonya works primarily with adults and has experience supporting a range of issues, including anxiety, depression, trauma, self-harm, loss, parenting. She’s worked in multiple settings – student counselling, early learning, and currently in a community-based organisation supporting parents and children (including additional needs).
MIACP, BA (Hons), Cert., Dip.
Contact: 083 0106584 | sonyagoulding@gmail.com
Anne Daly | Adolescent Psychotherapist
Online & In-Person Therapy Sessions Available.
Contact: annepdaly@gmail.com
Geraldine O'Kelly Cooney | Psychotherapist & Counsellor
Online & In-Person Therapy Sessions Available.
Your wellbeing is my absolute priority. Your personal therapy will be specifically for you; according to what you need. The purpose of counselling and psychotherapy is to enable and facilitate you to identify and bring about the changes you are looking for in your life. My work experience is in the areas of Clinical Psychotherapy, Counselling, Motivation Analysis, Market Research, Business Mentoring, Enterprise Training and Support, Education, Literacy, Language Training.
I have lived and worked in Ireland, USA, Belgium, Spain, Italy, France, Austria, UK. This diverse background experience informs my professional work: I specialise in Cultural Integration, Relocation, Business/Work Related Stress, Managing Illness, Parenting, Ageing, Life Stages, Anxiety, Depression, Grief, Bereavement.
MIACP, MIAHIP, MEAP, MSc. Integrative Psychotherapy and Counselling, BA Hons. Psychology, BA Hons.
French, ATAL Certificate, RELSA Diploma
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If you want to find out more or make an appointment, get in touch with us today and let us know what you need.