Counselling and Psychotherapy Service

20/02/2026

🌿 Parents Matter Too
Psychological support for parents navigating neurodiversity

Many parents of neurodiverse children find themselves living in what I often describe as “constant advocacy mode.”

Preparing for meetings.
Explaining needs.
Chasing supports.
Staying composed — even when feeling exhausted.

Over time, this sustained vigilance can quietly impact emotional wellbeing. Research consistently shows elevated and persistent stress levels among parents navigating neurodevelopmental differences (Hayes & Watson, 2013), particularly when systemic pressures are ongoing.

In this week’s blog — “Living in Constant Advocacy Mode: The Psychological Cost of Always Being the Strong One” — I reflect on the emotional toll of long-term advocacy and why parental support is protective, not indulgent.

📝 You can read the full blog here:
👉 childhoodmentalhealth.com

If you are feeling tired of always being “the strong one,” counselling offers a space where you do not have to advocate — you can simply be heard.

Because support for children should never come at the cost of parental wellbeing.

Mental Health, Resilience, Innovative childhoods, Emotional Wellbeing

15/02/2026

🌿 Parents Matter Too
Psychological support for parents navigating neurodiversity

This week’s reflection explores something many parents experience but rarely speak about openly — the emotional impact of diagnosis.

While a diagnosis can bring clarity and validation, it can also bring grief, uncertainty, and a quiet sense of emotional disorientation. Many parents describe feeling both relief and fear at the same time — and then quickly moving into advocacy mode without space to process what it all means.

Research shows that parenting stress often increases during periods of transition, particularly following diagnosis (Hayes & Watson, 2013; Pardo-Salamanca et al., 2024). Yet parents are frequently expected to remain steady, informed, and resilient.

In this week’s blog — “Diagnosis Shock: When Relief and Grief Collide” — I reflect on the psychological adjustment process parents go through and why emotional support for caregivers is not optional, but protective.

📝 You can read the full blog here:
👉 childhoodmentalhealth.com

If you are navigating this transition and feeling unsettled, overwhelmed, or quietly exhausted, counselling offers a confidential space to process, reflect, and regain steadiness.

Because support for children should never come at the cost of parental wellbeing.

Mental Health, Resilience, Innovative childhoods, Emotional Wellbeing

06/02/2026

Parents Matter Too 🍃
Psychological support for parents navigating neurodiversity

When a child’s neurodiversity comes into focus, so much attention rightly shifts to supporting them — but many parents tell me they are quietly expected to cope in the background.

Appointments. Reports. School meetings. Transitions. Advocacy.
And very little space for the emotional impact on the parent.

This week’s blog reflects on what it’s like when parents are expected to “hold it all together,” and why this experience can be deeply overwhelming — and even traumatic — from a psychological perspective.

📝 Week 1: When Parents Are Expected to Cope
You can read the full blog here 👉 https://childhoodmentalhealth.com/
Dr. M's Thoughts

If you are a parent navigating neurodiversity and feeling exhausted, lost, or unseen, this space is for you.

💛 Support for parents matters too.

Mental Health, Resilience, Innovative childhoods, Emotional Wellbeing

05/02/2026

Why the Right Strategies Matter When Supporting a Neurodiverse Child

Supporting a neurodiverse child requires carefully selected, evidence-informed strategies. Children who are autistic, have ADHD, or other neurodivergent profiles benefit most from approaches that are consistent, predictable, and attuned to their individual sensory, emotional, and regulatory needs. When strategies are poorly matched or inconsistent, distress can increase rather than ease.

What is often overlooked is the impact on parents.

For many families, this period is highly stressful and can be experienced as psychologically traumatic. Parents are navigating assessments, school systems, transitions, and ongoing uncertainty — yet as adults, they are often expected to simply cope. Too often, parents become lost in the process, carrying emotional strain while advocating relentlessly for their child.

From a counselling and psychotherapy perspective, supporting parents is essential.

Providing parents with therapeutic support, psychoeducation, and emotional containment improves outcomes for the child and the wider family system. When parents feel supported and understood, they are better able to regulate themselves and support their child’s needs.

At Dr. M's Thoughts and Counselling & Psychotherapy services , I work with parents and families from a trauma-informed, neuro-affirming perspective, offering psychological support through periods of transition, overwhelm, and uncertainty.

📩 If you are a parent feeling lost, exhausted, or unsure how to move forward, you are not meant to do this alone. Please feel free to message the page or visit www.childhoodmentalhealth.com to learn more about therapeutic support.

Mental Health, Resilience, Innovative childhoods, Emotional Wellbeing

02/01/2026

As we start the new year, let’s take a few moments to reflect. The beginning of a new year is often culturally framed as a time of renewal, motivation, and personal transformation. Yet psychologically, the transition into January can be a complex and emotionally demanding period for many individuals. Rather than feeling energised by fresh starts, people frequently enter the new year carrying cumulative stress, unresolved loss, and emotional fatigue from the year that has passed.

From a psychological perspective, time markers such as the new year can intensify self-evaluation. Individuals may engage in heightened comparison between where they believe they should be and their lived reality. This process can activate feelings of inadequacy, guilt, or failure, particularly when societal narratives emphasise productivity, goal-setting, and positivity. For those who have experienced trauma, grief, illness, or prolonged stress, these expectations can feel not only unrealistic but invalidating.

The nervous system does not reset with the calendar. Research in trauma-informed practice reminds us that emotional and physiological responses are shaped by accumulated experiences rather than symbolic transitions. As a result, many people begin the year in a state of dysregulation—exhausted, hypervigilant, or emotionally numb—while simultaneously feeling pressure to perform optimism.

January can also amplify loneliness. Social routines are disrupted, financial pressures may peak, and reduced daylight can impact mood and energy levels. For individuals already feeling disconnected or overwhelmed, this period may intensify internal struggles rather than alleviate them.

A more compassionate psychological approach to the new year encourages reflection rather than resolution. It invites individuals to acknowledge survival as achievement, to honour what has been endured, and to prioritise emotional safety over self-improvement. Growth, when it comes, is often quieter and slower than cultural narratives suggest. Beginning the year with self-kindness, realistic expectations, and permission to rest may be not only healthier—but profoundly transformative.

Gort Inse Guaire What's on in Gort and moreMental Health Ireland Stress Management



24/10/2025

Co-Regulation: The Heart of Resilience 💛

Children don’t calm down because we tell them to — they calm down because they feel our calm.
That’s co-regulation — when we offer a steady, safe presence that helps them move from overwhelm to peace.

When we breathe slowly, stay patient, and listen with empathy, we teach children something powerful:
Big feelings are okay.
I am not alone.
I can handle this.

Resilience doesn’t grow from perfection — it grows from connection.
And every calm moment we share helps build a stronger, more secure foundation for the future.

To learn more about supporting your child’s emotional wellbeing - contact Dr M - at www.childhoodmentalhealth.com

28/07/2025

College and University Grinds/Tutor support. Why not contact us for more information - academic writing, Essay support, referencing, research and personal tutor support for anyone if English is not their first language. A range of subject areas available from qualified tutors. Contact Dr M’s page for further information. 👩🏻‍🎓

Kellie DugganDr Mary O'KaneQueen's University BelfastDCU PME 2024/25Hibernia CollegeWonder Years ChildcareUCD International Students' SocietyEarlyyearsoutdoorGalway and Roscommon ETBRoscommon County Childcare Committee CLGDonegal County Childcare Committee.Dublin City Childcare CommitteeSouth Dublin Childcare CommitteeSligo County Childcare Committee

22/10/2024

Music, Play and Art therapy sessions. Does your child struggle to communicate with their own peer group.

Music, song, play, and art therapy offer powerful tools for young children struggling with peer communication. These creative therapy sessions provide ways for children to express emotions and build confidence in social interactions. Music and song foster emotional regulation and can ease anxiety, while play encourages collaboration and problem-solving. Art therapy allows children to visually communicate feelings they may not yet have words for, promoting self-awareness. Together, these therapies nurture emotional resilience, strengthen social bonds, and help children develop the communication skills necessary for positive peer relationships in a supportive, stress-free environment.

Booking is essential - contact us for more information or to book a session or group session for your child.

13/06/2023

In this 4-part workshop, physician and trauma expert Dr. Gabor Maté untangles common myths about what makes us sick, connects the dots between psychological pain and the warped values of our culture, and offers a compassionate guide for health and healing.

04/05/2023

070 - Study drawing produced for internal critique, while we develop the detail design of our small conversion and extension in rural south Armagh.
Here we are elaborating the junction between the existing and extension, with a chimney, skylight and access.

02/03/2023

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you’ll go.” – Dr. Seuss

Celebrating with our avid little readers at Portobello Montessori! Swipe to see some of their favorite reads! 📚

10/02/2023