About Me
I am a Chartered Educational Psychologist with over twenty years’ experience working with children, young people and their families. I graduated from Trinity College Dublin with a B.Ed (Hons). I then went on to complete a BSc (Hons) in Psychology (OU), a Graduate Diploma in Special Educational Needs (UCD) and a Masters in Educational Psychology (UCD), all with First Class Honours. I am currently completing doctoral-level research at UCD.
I was awarded the Irish Learning Support Association’s Award for “exceptional academic achievement” and “general excellence, in gaining the highest overall marks in the Graduate Diploma in Special Educational Needs, combining academic achievement and a first class honours grade in teaching students with special educational needs”.
I have worked with a range of education and healthcare professionals to provide the best possible outcomes for children. During my training in Educational Psychology I worked with the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS), the Central Remedial Clinic and the County Dublin VEC Psychological Service. I established my private practice in 2011. I also lecture in educational psychology and literacy and numeracy development in children.
I have completed extensive continuing professional development in areas such as Positive Psychology, ADHD, Executive Function, Dyslexia, Dyscalculia and Emotionally Based School Avoidance. I am an avid reader and like to keep up to date with the latest developments and research in my field. I am particularly interested in research into how children learn to read.
I am a Chartered Member of the Psychological Society of Ireland and a Full Member of the Division of Educational Psychology. I am an Associate Member of the Division of Neuropsychology. I am Registered with The Teaching Council of Ireland. I am a member of the NEPS/Department of Education Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA) and carry out assessments with children and young people in schools as part of this scheme. I am also a member of the Dyslexia Association of Ireland and the Literacy Association of Ireland.
Where It All Began - My Teachers
My career began as a young teacher, fresh from Donegal, when I found myself in a really welcoming and quirky inner-city Dublin school. There, I worked with the loveliest group of children who were a pleasure to teach. They were also a group of children who had a very diverse range of learning needs.
I’m able to look back today and see that those children were some of my greatest teachers.
Over half of the children in this group received extra support with learning, outside the mainstream classroom. I did my absolute best to meet everyone’s needs but it was a challenge! I love learning (it’s one of the reasons I became a teacher) and I had so much empathy for these children who were having difficulty. I really wanted to know more about their unique learning needs and how I could help them. Studying the psycho-educational assessment reports provided for the students with learning difficulties was a huge help to me. Reading about the different learning profiles and what they meant for the children sitting in front of me was enlightening. It enabled me to understand the children better and to teach them more effectively as a result.
This opened my eyes to the world of educational psychology, and it sparked my interest in learning more about how children learn, why some children have difficulty in school and what I could do to help them.
Fast forward more than twenty years and I am now a mother myself. I understand the challenges of parenting and I know that we all want the best for our children. I really enjoy my work and I feel privileged to be able to help children and their families. Watching my own children start school and navigate the many joys and challenges it can bring has strengthened my passion for helping children to get the most from school and from their learning. I know how important it is to take action when they need support. I work from a strengths-based and collaborative perspective. Listening to and incorporating the child’s voice is very important in my work and in my reporting.
If you would like to talk to me about supporting your child, please get in touch.
