Cherry Blossom Therapy

05/04/2026

Happy Easter to you all. We will be closed tomorrow, back open on Tuesday 9.30am

04/04/2026

This poem is beautiful, Unfortunately I don’t know the author.

Why is she happy?

She cannot talk,
She doesn’t know how to dress herself
Or draw, or use a spoon.
She has no friends.
Not a single one.

Yet – she is happy.
With no expectations.

She doesn’t request to go to the zoo,
Or beg for birthday parties. She asks for nothing, wants for nothing.

She giggles at dust,
Dances in the rain,
Flaps to the rhythm of birdsong.

She is present
In a way I struggle to be –
Outside the metrics we’re taught to measure by.

No goals. No trophies. No milestones to chase.
Just now.
Not reaching for meaning –
Living it.
Moment by unfiltered moment.

And still I ache.
Not because she is sad,
But because… she isn’t.

I see the doors she cannot yet open,
While she remains blissfully unaware that they exist.

She doesn’t even know what she's “missing.”

I wonder:
If she could ride a bike, would she know the thrill of coasting downhill?
If she could read, would stories carry her to faraway places?

Would more ability bring more joy?

Or is that my projection –
The paradox of parenting:
To assume that more must mean better?
To grieve on behalf of someone else’s content.

So maybe it’s not her potential I mourn,
But the quiet dismantling of everything I believed happiness required:
Progress, productivity, doing.

Because today,
She smiles.

No football. No bike. No words.
No hunger for achievement.
No map to follow.

Just the warmth of sun on her face,
And the quiet peace of being enough.

Joy – unmeasured –
Without knowing
What she “should” be.

And in that,
Perhaps
She is freer
Than we ever will be.

🥹🩵🫶

03/04/2026

We are absolutely delighted to announce the official opening of Cherry Blossom Therapy in Mullingar🪷

Join us on April 10th at 11am for the ribbon cutting as we proudly open our doors to the public!

This is such a special milestone for us, making the move from the countryside into Mullingar, and we couldn’t be more excited to begin this new chapter.

We would love to see you there to celebrate with us🤍

01/04/2026

Child & Adolescent Psychotherapy

Starting in April

We are welcoming five therapists in training this April, offering Child & Adolescent Psychotherapy at a reduced rate.

This is a wonderful opportunity to access support for your child or adolescent in a safe, supportive, and therapeutic space.

Reduced fee spaces available

If you’d like to learn more or book a space, we’d love to hear from you.

Contact our office on 085 179 1971 or email admin@cherryblossomtherapy.ie

28/03/2026

Over the past two days, we covered a lot in the Diploma in Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy with Adolescents.

Yesterday we looked at addiction, not just from a theoretical point of view but really sitting with what it means in people’s lives. There were honest conversations about coping, pain, and how we meet this work in a real and human way as therapists.

Today we moved into case studies, bringing in culture, context, and identity. There was a strong awareness in the room of how much we hold and how important it is to stay open, reflective, and grounded in our work.

We also spent time exploring privilege and disadvantage, looking at our own experiences and how they have shaped us.

There was great engagement, reflection, and genuine curiosity in how people approached this.

Some really meaningful conversations were had across both days.

We also brought in creative work, which added another layer. It gave space for things to be expressed that do not always come easily into words, and it was powerful to see what emerged.
A lot covered and a lot taken from it. It’s an honour to work with such an incredible bunch of people.

28/03/2026

Yesterday, we hosted our Open Day for local businesses, and what a great day it was! We were delighted to welcome so many of you into our new premises here in Mullingar to have a look around and see what we’re all about!

A huge thank you to everyone who called in, we really appreciate your support.
We’ll be announcing our official opening day very soon, so keep an eye on our page for updates… exciting things to come!

Business pictures by

28/03/2026

We’re proud to launch a town-wide campaign “Supporting Mental Mealth In The Workplace And Breaking The Stigma”

As part of this initiative, we’re inviting businesses across Mullingar to take part by sending two team members to a free mental health workshop with us at Cherry Blossom Therapy.

This 1.5-hour workshop is designed to give staff the tools and confidence to respond to and support colleagues experiencing mental health challenges in the workplace.

We’d love to have you on board!

To find out more and register your interest, contact Malaika in marketing@cherryblossomtherapy.ie

27/03/2026

A heartfelt thank you to Una for delivering such a powerful and thought-provoking workshop on addiction with our adolescent psychotherapy diploma group this evening.

Your depth, presence, and way of holding such a complex topic made a real impact on us all.

During the workshop, Una shared the short animation Nuggets by Andreas Hykade , a wordless clip that speaks volumes about the nature of addiction.

We watched as one small “nugget” brought relief, confidence, and escape…and slowly became something that took over.

What struck us most was

Addiction doesn’t begin as destruction.
It often begins as a solution.
A way to cope.
A way to soothe.
A way to survive.

But over time, that solution can become the very thing that disconnects a young person from themselves, from others, and from the world around them.

As therapists working with adolescents, this is where our work becomes so important.
To look beyond the behaviour…
To stay curious about the need underneath…
And to meet young people not with judgement, but with understanding.

Thank you, Una, for reminding us of the depth, complexity, and humanity at the heart of this work.

https://youtu.be/HUngLgGRJpo?is=T3VuSw5EJS8SVKZl

Kiwi tastes a golden nugget. It's delicious.Script, direction, animation: Andreas HykadeAnimation, artwork: Angela SteffenMusic & sound: Heiko MaileFlute: To...

26/03/2026

Cherry Blossom Therapy is undertaking a research initiative exploring attitudes towards mental health, stigma, and help-seeking in the workplace.

The aim is to better understand how mental health is experienced and spoken about, so that future supports and initiatives are grounded in real perspectives.

A short anonymous survey has been developed to support this work. It takes only a few minutes to complete and is open to anyone who wishes to take part.

The survey can be accessed here:
https://forms.gle/YfYYjXQRytRf7Hre9

Following this research, a number of free workshops will be offered throughout April to support managers in talking about mental health within the workplace. These sessions will reflect the themes emerging from the research. Each business may nominate two staff members to attend, free of charge.

This work is led by Maura Carey, Founder and Clinical Director of Cherry Blossom Therapy, an award winning accredited psychotherapist, clinical supervisor, lecturer, and doctoral researcher in the area of childhood trauma.

22/03/2026

Since the first week of January, I have woken up every day with a list of things to do, and no day off in sight, it has been exhausting, day after day and hour after hour, getting things ready, from scrubbing windows, to hauling plaster board up two flights of stairs, picking paint, painting, contacting our clients to tell them of the move, to moving all our furniture, transporting over 2500 client files, mountains of work to get through, it has been so overwhelming and hectic. I wouldn’t change it for the world, but it has really exhausted me.

Today, 22nd of March, I have my first day off, and for the first time in months, I get to do what I want to do, so here I am over 100 pages in, and loving this beautiful Sunday morning, drinking tea and reading. My family are all still in bed, and there’s something really lovely about the stillness of this morning. I am so grateful for today.

21/03/2026

Over the past two days, I had the privilege of working with an incredible group of therapists from a wide range of modalities. Each person brought their own lens, experience, and way of being, which added such depth to the learning.

What stood out most for me was the level of openness, courage, and genuine engagement. The work that unfolded over just two days was powerful. There was a willingness to step in, to explore how this approach could be supportive.

Sand tray therapy continues to show how it integrates across psychotherapeutic approaches. Whether grounded in humanistic, psychodynamic, CBT, or integrative frameworks, it offers a way to access what often sits beyond words.

It invites symbolism, creativity, and embodiment into the therapeutic space, allowing clients and therapists to connect with material that can emerge quickly, yet safely.

There is something truly unique about the creative process within sand tray. It bypasses the need to figure things out cognitively, or needing to find the words to describe, and instead it allows meaning to unfold. And in that, the depth can be profound, what might take weeks to articulate can begin to take shape within moments.

I feel genuinely grateful to have shared this space with such a thoughtful and committed group. The energy, the learning, and the work done over these two days will stay with me.

The next Sand Tray Therapy training will take place in June. For more information or to secure your place, please contact Megan at courses@cherryblossomtherapy.ie. iacp.ie CPD approved points.

19/03/2026

Calling all local businesses in Mullingar!!

We’re delighted to welcome you to Cherry Blossom Therapy for our business open day!

Come have a look around our building, enjoy a cup of tea/coffee and some cake.
Chat with us about what we do and how we support our community.

We’d love to see as many businesses and business owners as possible:
Friday 27th
11am – 3pm

Pop in, say hello, and get to know us, everyone’s welcome!