Adult Psychotherapy Services
We provide a low-cost psychotherapy service to any person living on the Northside of Limerick City. Our five qualified and experienced therapists offer a safe, non-judgemental and confidential space for adults who may be experiencing a difficult time or feel as though they need to make a change.
Psychotherapy
What is psychotherapy?
Psychotherapy is a range of techniques employed to support you to cope with the issues you are finding challenging. The Service aims is to enable you to understand your feelings, explore what makes you feel positive, anxious, or depressed. Psychotherapy can help eliminate or control troubling symptoms, so you can function better and increase well-being and healing.
What happens next?
Should you be considering therapy a member of the Community and Family Services Team will meet with you for an initial counselling intake meeting. A form will be completed with you to assess who is the most suitable therapist for your individual needs. This session is not therapy and is only used to explore with you how best to offer you support.
Some of the reasons that people attend therapy include:
• Anxiety or depression.
• Relationship support
• Bereavement/loss
• Gender and sexual identity
• Impact of addiction substance misuse
• Building self-esteem and self-worth
In therapy
Once we have identified a suitable therapist, with your permission, we will pass your contact details to your therapist who will arrange a day and time for your first session. All persons are assigned 8 sessions. Should a further block of sessions be required this can be requested. We have 3 therapy rooms in the Centre. In your first session your therapist will work with you to identify what you would like to achieve from attending therapy. During your sessions your therapist will work with you to explore your feelings, lived experiences and assist you to develop coping strategies to assist you to deal with stressors in your life going forward.
Meet the team
Fergus Finnucane has a Graduate Diploma in Humanistic and Integrative Psychotherapy from the University of Limerick and a Diploma in same from the Flatstone Institute in Cork. He is accredited with the Irish Association of Humanistic and Integrative Psychotherapy (IAHIP). Fergus has a diploma in supervision from the Institute of Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy (IICP). As well as one-to-one and couples therapy, Fergus also works as a Personal Development trainer in Limerick and Kerry with the Social Health and Education Project (SHEP) and is a Trainer on the Diploma in Psychotherapy course with the Flatstone Institute in Cork.
Fergus is our longest serving therapist working with the Centre since 2010.
Austin Creaven has been involved in setting up and providing Creative Arts Therapy services in the Regeneration areas of Limerick City since 1997. He has worked in a variety of community settings, with children, adolescents and adults. He holds a Post Graduate qualification in Art Psychotherapy, a Diploma in Play Therapy and is a trained Clinical Supervisor. He provides individual and group sessions as well as providing clinical supervision, workshops and seminars to trainee and qualified therapists and to other practitioners.
Antonia Brown is an art therapist and supervisor working in Limerick Regeneration areas since 2006, with children, adults and vulnerable women’s groups. She has a PhD in arts therapy in schools as well as a Post Graduate qualification in art therapy, a Bed Hons degree and two Clinical Supervision qualifications. She currently provides individual creative arts therapy sessions, facilitates group sessions and provides supervision for professionals working with vulnerable children and adults.
Joan Condon’s profession of origin is as a social worker and probation officer. Joan went onto achieve degrees in Psychology, and Counselling and Psychotherapy. As a Counsellor Joan encompasses the following: alcohol /drug abuse, anger management, anxiety, Asperger Syndrome, Illness and bereavement, child related issues, depression and disability, cultural issues, depression and eating disorders, post-traumatic stress, relationship issues, sexual identity, women’s' issues and general counselling. Joan is a fully accredited IACP member.
Phyllis O’ Grady MIAHIP is an experienced Humanistic & Integrative Psychotherapist. She completed a five-year Certificate & Diploma Psychotherapy training with The Flatstone Institute in Cork. She has trained in Pre & Peri Natal Psychotherapy and in the area of Adolescent Psychotherapy. She also trained as a couples Psychotherapist using the Resnicks training model. Phyllis has over thirty years of experience working within various voluntary and charitable organisations in Limerick. She has maintained a private practice in Limerick City & County since 2005. She has also worked as a psychotherapist with clients in Mary Immaculate College and FAMILES (Familes and Men in Limerick Experiencing Separation) Phyllis joined the Northside counselling team in 2015. She works individually with adolescents, adults and couples supporting them through difficult, painful and challenging experiences. She has also facilitated personal development workshops and men’s groups. She has significant experience dealing with anxiety, self -esteem & relationship difficulties, mental health, stress, terminal illness and suicide. Phyllis is an accredited member of the Irish Association of Humanistic and Integrative Psychotherapy.
Fee Policy
Please note this service is reserved for persons living on the Northside of Limerick City and Kings Island.
Circumstance should never prevent someone receiving the services they need. Therefore, the following fee policy is currently in operation:
We will work with you to decide on the most suitable payment schedule.
| If you are in receipt of a medical card and a social welfare payment (incl FIS) | €5 per session |
| If you are in receipt of a medical card or a social welfare payment (incl FIS) | €10 per session |
| If you are working full-time | €20 per session |
Confidentiality
Like with all our services we strive to protect every user’s personal information. Please note we do not retain any therapy notes. All notes are kept by the individual therapist for the length of the therapy sessions and are destroyed once the service ends. We use a coding system so only a very limited staff have access to the names of those in therapy.