St John of God University Hospital

19/02/2026

We are currently experiencing some disruption to incoming calls due to a fault affecting our landlines.

A temporary solution is now in place and our main number remains operational. Please continue to contact us on 01 277 1400 as usual.

We apologise for any inconvenience and appreciate your patience while the issue is being resolved.

18/02/2026

Eating Disorders Awareness Week runs from 23 February to 1 March.

This year is a significant one. Our Eating Disorders Recovery Programme marks 30 years since it began, and Bodywhys marked the same milestone last year. Three decades on, the message remains clear: recovery is strengthened by connection.

To mark this moment, we are pleased to collaborate with Bodywhys on a series of initiatives, including our upcoming webinar, Connection as Care: Why Recovery Can’t Happen in Isolation.

Jane O’Riordan, Occupational Therapist, and Harriet Parsons of Bodywhys will explore how clinical and community supports work together, why isolation can hinder recovery, and what meaningful connection looks like in practice. The session will include a live Q&A and is open to anyone with an interest in eating disorder recovery.

Registration is available via here: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/connection-as-care-why-recovery-cant-happen-in-isolation-tickets-1982890297257?aff=oddtdtcreator

17/02/2026

We hear the word anxiety everywhere. But what is actually happening beneath it?

In this episode of The Stigma Shift, Clinical Nurse Specialist Carol Keegan challenges one of the biggest misconceptions in mental health. Anxiety is not always the enemy. It is a primary emotion designed to protect us.

We explore the difference between everyday stress and clinical anxiety, why breathing techniques work physiologically, and how sleep, connection and movement shape resilience more than we realise.

Listen wherever you usually find your podcasts: https://podfollow.com/stjohn/episode/bc7776af6d13991e0d620b072ebbae9f2567f59a/view

16/02/2026

Eating Disorders Awareness Week runs from 23 February to 1 March.

As part of this year’s programme, St John of God University Hospital is hosting a live webinar, Connection as Care: Why Recovery Can’t Happen in Isolation, in conjunction with Bodywhys .

Recovery from an eating disorder is rarely a solitary process. It relies on clinical expertise, trusted relationships and the right community supports at the right time. In this session, Jane O’Riordan, Occupational Therapist, and Harriet Parsons of Bodywhys will explore why connection is not an optional extra in recovery, but a core part of it.

The webinar will include a live Q&A and is open to anyone with an interest in eating disorder recovery, whether professionally or personally.

Registration is available via Eventbrite here: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/connection-as-care-why-recovery-cant-happen-in-isolation-tickets-1982890297257?aff=oddtdtcreator

Eating Disorders Awareness Week Webinar- Connection as Care: Why Recovery Can’t Happen in Isolation

10/02/2026

Today we mark a significant milestone as Brother Hugh Gillan celebrates his Diamond Jubilee, 60 years as a St John of God Brother.

Brother Hugh is a deeply valued member of our organisation and an integral part of the Pastoral Care Department at St John of God University Hospital. Through his presence and practice, he consistently embodies our hospital values of hospitality, compassion and respect- offering calm, reassurance and understanding to patients, visitors, and colleagues alike.

We extend our sincere thanks to Brother Hugh for his six decades of service and for the lasting contribution he continues to make to our hospital community.

09/02/2026

Our latest episode of The Stigma Shift is now live.

In Anxiety Unpacked: What’s Really Going On Beneath the Surface, Carol Keegan, Clinical Nurse Specialist at St John of God University Hospital, explores anxiety in a way that is practical, compassionate and grounded in clinical reality.

The conversation unpacks the difference between everyday stress and clinical anxiety, challenges some of the most common misconceptions, and explains why anxiety is not always something to eliminate. Carol also shares clear, accessible strategies that can help in the moment, including breathing techniques, grounding approaches and the role of sleep, nutrition, movement and connection in building resilience over time.

The episode provides a clearer understanding of what anxiety really is, this episode offers reassurance, perspective and tools you can put into practice.

Listen now here: https://podfollow.com/stjohn/episode/bc7776af6d13991e0d620b072ebbae9f2567f59a/view

In this episode, we’re joined by Carol Keegan, Clinical Nurse Specialist at St John of God University Hospital, to explore the realities of living with anxiety. Carol breaks down the difference ...

06/02/2026

Today marks the launch of the Research & Innovation Hub at St John of God University Hospital.

As a university hospital, our responsibility extends beyond delivering high-quality care. We also have a duty to contribute to the evidence, education and innovation that shape how mental health services are designed, delivered and improved. The Research & Innovation Hub brings this commitment into focus.

Developed in partnership with leading academic institutions including University College Dublin, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) and Trinity College Dublin, the Hub provides a single, coordinated structure to support multidisciplinary research, service improvement and education. It is designed to support projects from early design through to delivery, publication and implementation, ensuring research is embedded in clinical practice.

The Hub will support work across priority areas such as prescribing guidelines, precision psychiatry, psychological interventions and implementation research, informed by the priorities of frontline teams and shaped by lived experience. This approach reflects a clear ambition: to translate evidence into meaningful change for patients, families and services.

To underpin this work, the Hospital is investing in sustained research capacity, including long-term funding for established research programmes, new research roles, and dedicated support for clinicians who want to contribute to and lead research within a busy healthcare environment.

The Research & Innovation Hub builds on a strong track record of research and education at the Hospital. More importantly, it creates the conditions for future impact: deeper collaboration, stronger evidence, and care that continues to evolve in response to what patients and services need most.

04/02/2026

A thoughtful op-ed by Dr. Sonia Pillai, Senior Psychologist at St John of God University Hospital, featured online and in print in Monday’s Irish Independent, reflects on how grief shows up across our lives, not only in bereavement, but through change, transition and loss in its many forms. As she writes, “we’re in a constant state of loss and change, and therefore, grief”, offering a grounded and humane perspective on why grief is such a universal experience.

Dr Pillai builds on this in a recent episode of the Hospital’s podcast, The Stigma Shift, Understanding Grief: The Role of Compassion in Healing. The conversation offers practical insight and advice on approaching grief in a compassionate way, both for ourselves and when supporting others, and is available now on all major podcast platforms.

Listen to Dr Pillai's episode at the link in our bio.

03/02/2026

In January, St John of God University Hospital introduced an updated Open Disclosure Policy, alongside a series of staff education sessions focused on supporting its practical application across services.

Open disclosure is well established within the Hospital but the updated policy strengthens this approach, embedding a trauma-informed, recovery-oriented framework that also reflects the Hospital’s values of hospitality, compassion and respect.

We were pleased to work with Angela Tysall and Catherine Hand, Open Disclosure trainers and facilitators of the Open Disclosure Train-the-Trainer programme, in supporting the delivery of the education sessions.

Thank you to colleagues across the Hospital for their engagement and continued commitment to safe, ethical and transparent practice.

28/01/2026

At St John of God University Hospital, Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) is used to support people who are experiencing intense emotional distress, including grief and loss.

CFT recognises that during periods of loss, the nervous system is often operating in a heightened state of threat. This can show up as anxiety, self-criticism, shame, or a constant sense of being on edge. Rather than asking people to override these responses, CFT works with them, helping individuals understand why their system is reacting this way and how to respond with care.

Through practices that support emotional regulation, self-validation, and a sense of safety in the body, CFT helps people develop a kinder relationship with their internal experience. The aim is not to remove grief, but to reduce unnecessary suffering and support people to feel more grounded as they move through it.

26/01/2026

This week is Grief Awareness Week, a reminder that grief is a universal human experience, but one that is often carried quietly and alone.

In a recent episode of The Stigma Shift, Dr Sonia Pillai speaks about grief as more than bereavement. It can be the loss of identity, health, relationships, or a future we expected. She also reflects on the absence of timelines in grief, and the role of compassion and validation in helping people live alongside loss.

As conversations around grief take centre stage this week, this episode offers space to reflect, listen, and recognise that there is no right way to grieve.

You can listen by searching The Stigma Shift wherever you get your podcasts.

A thoughtful, accessible podcast from St John of God University Hospital in Dublin that aims to demystify mental healthcare and reduce stigma through expert conversations and relatable content. With each episode you get practical insights in a friendly, non-clinical tone. Whether you're personally e...

22/01/2026

As Grief Awareness Week approaches, it’s a good moment to acknowledge something we don’t talk about enough: grief is a natural human response, but it isn’t always something people can carry alone.

In this episode of The Stigma Shift, Dr Sonia Pillai reflects on how grief can begin to affect everyday life over time, from sleep and concentration to motivation and emotional wellbeing. Recognising when things feel unmanageable isn’t a failure. It’s often a sign that support could help.

The conversation gently explores how to notice when grief may need more care, and how compassion and validation can play an important role in that process.

Listen by searching The Stigma Shift wherever you get your podcasts.