When Life Changes, Does Our Identity Change Too?
What happens when the life we’ve built no longer looks the way we imagined? Retirement, redundancy, bereavement and other major life transitions can challenge more than our daily routines. They can shake our sense of identity, purpose and self-worth.
In this thought-provoking article, Myles Doyle, Pre-Accredited Psychotherapist working with adults and couples at The Misneach Centre, explores the difference between who we are and the roles, achievements and circumstances we’ve come to associate with our identity.
An insightful reflection on loss, personal values and rediscovering who we are when life takes an unexpected turn.
When Did We Become So Comfortable Being Watched?
As CCTV becomes increasingly commonplace, are we overlooking the implications of surveillance in spaces where people should reasonably expect privacy? Psychotherapist Anita Lynch examines the ethical, psychological and safeguarding concerns surrounding intrusive surveillance, particularly for children and survivors of trauma. Exploring bodily autonomy, GDPR, image-based abuse and our reluctance to challenge authority, she questions whether measures introduced in the name of safety may sometimes compromise the very rights they are intended to protect.
An Education in Grief: A Psychotherapist’s Experience of Navigating Grief and Loss.
Grief is deeply personal, unpredictable and impossible to measure. In this moving and honest reflection, Bernadette Moran shares her experience of losing two loved ones in very different circumstances. Drawing on both personal experience and professional insight, Bernadette explores the guilt, expectations and unspoken rules we place upon ourselves when grieving, reminding us that grief does not need to be justified, compared or contained, but deserves to be acknowledged, witnessed and met with compassion.
The Grief No One Sees: Living with Baby Loss
Baby loss is a grief that often goes unseen. Behind everyday conversations, quiet smiles and ordinary moments can lie a heartbreak that words cannot fully explain. In this deeply personal and moving article, Tara Gleeson explores the emotions, unexpected reminders and unspoken struggles of losing a baby, while gently reminding us that grief has no expiry date, love does not disappear, and every baby will always be part of their family’s story.
When Independence becomes Isolation: Who looks after the person who looks after herself?
Being independent, capable and self-reliant can be a wonderful thing. But what happens when you’re so used to managing everything yourself that asking for help becomes the hardest thing to do?
In this thoughtful article, Denise Mooney, Pre-Accredited Psychotherapist at The Misneach Centre, explores the quieter side of independence, the loneliness that can sometimes accompany always being “the strong one”, and why even the most capable among us deserve somewhere to put things down.
When Nothing Is Seriously Wrong, But Something Is Missing – Couples Therapy by Myles Doyle
Relationships don’t need to be in crisis for couples therapy to help. Myles Doyle explores what can happen when practical life takes over and couples begin to feel disconnected.
What Father’s Day Looks Like When The Truth Is Denied
Every year, the run-up to Father’s Day starts weeks before the date itself. Adverts, cards in shop windows, friends posting photos with captions about the best dads in the world. For most people it’s background noise. For me, it’s a reminder of a door that’s been closed and one I closed myself. I disclosed that […]
Meeting Your Inner Critic: From Self-Judgement to Self-Compassion
Meeting Our Inner Critic by Ethna Kileen Sitting in a room with others who were happy with what we had achieved, I found myself unable to celebrate. All I could hear was, “We need to make a few tweaks.” Why wasn’t anyone else hearing what I was hearing?“It’s not good enough.”“You could have done better.”“You […]
When words are not enough: A gentle introduction to Art Therapy by Tara Mulvihill, Art Psychotherapist
When words are not enough: A gentle introduction to Art Therapy Sometimes, it’s not that you don’t want to talk…it’s that the words just aren’t there. You might notice this in yourself, or in your child or teenager, struggling to express what’s going on inside, feeling overwhelmed by emotions or sensory input, or carrying experiences […]
The Grief No One Talks About: Losing an Estranged Sibling
Christmas has a way of amplifying everything: our joy, our stress, our memories, and especially our grief. For many, it’s a time of family connection. For others, it highlights painful distances, complicated relationships, and the empty spaces where healing never got the chance to happen. Many people carry conflicted grief, the kind that follows estrangement, […]