About Christina

My Story

Through my years growing up, life presented many challenges for a child raised in a family of twelve children. The complexities of life in Ireland at the time, the stress, financial hardship and numerous demands on our parents as well as prevailing attitudes towards children, made it difficult for them to meet our unique needs.

I was a child of creativity and fun, I lost myself in fantasy as a place of refuge from the family stress. Now looking back I recognise how crucial being seen and having my emotional needs met was for my development and how in adulthood I have needed to heal the pain of the loss of such vital experiences. I have spent many years on my own journey, understanding the root of my pain and struggles, reconnecting with myself and finding a capacity for self-acceptance and self-compassion.

I believe that my purpose is to be a  guiding  light for the people I support, to bring what may appear as a separation back to connection, back to unity. The truth of child-parent relationships is one of unconditional acceptance and love. However, there are many potential blocks to connection which may befall any family. I believe that supporting people to find strong connections with themselves and others builds their resilience and enhances the quality of their relationships. 

As a parent myself, the understanding, wisdom and enhanced capacity for relationship I gained from my own trauma work has enriched and has been enriched by my own parenting journey. As parents we can strive for the illusion of perfection. This is a life long journey for us all as human beings; there are no perfections. If we are conscious and aware of our parenting and how this is connected to how we were parented, it can transform our relationships. Then I believe that we can embrace the journey to learn and transform our own capacity for unconditional love and compassion. 

Qualifications and Experience

I started out my early career as a nurse working in a variety of medical contexts before retraining as a Psychotherapist. Since qualifying over seventeen years ago I have gained a range of experience working with children, adolescents and adults in a number of different services. For the fourteen years I have specialised in working with trauma and child-parent attachment difficulties. 

• My qualifications include: Bachelor of Science in Psychology, Diploma in Family Therapy, Masters in Integrative Arts Child Psychotherapy, Diploma n Adolescent Psychotherapy, Diploma in  Clinical Supervision
• I am a registered Child Psychotherapist and Family Therapist.
• I continually update my knowledge and practice with regular training and clinical supervision
• Psychotherapy is governed by a strict code of ethics and professional accountability
• I am Children Child Protection Trained and Garda vetted in line with Children First National Guidelines
• I follow Guidance and Legislation for the Protection and Welfare of Children 2017 and the children first act 2015.

Boundaries of Confidentiality

All information shared with me is kept confidential, unless I have concerns about the safety of a child or a vulnerable adult, in which case I am obligated to share information.