Susi Lodola Counselling

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Susi Lodola Counselling

Psychotherapy Center

Counselling for Adults & Teens
Online and in-person Co. Wexford

Professional psychological service helping ADULTS & TEENS
CBT & Psychotherapy helping you to work through life's challenges. TREATMENT FOR:
General Anxiety
Social Anxiety
Health Anxiety
Post Natal Depression
OCD
Depression
Binge Eating
Weight and Body Image concerns
Stress management
Self-esteem issues

22/02/2026

As we mark Eating Disorders Awareness Week, I want to highlight something that is still too often missed in practice.

Eating disorders and disordered eating in midlife and older clients are often under diagnosed.

Last year, I wrote about this in my IACP article, looking at the role of body image, menopause, and wider psychological and social factors through a biopsychosocial lens.

A newly published scoping review supports this concern:
Vaidyanathan et al. (2026), Eating disorders and disordered eating behaviour in older adults: a scoping review (Journal of Eating Disorders).

The review found that eating disorders and disordered eating in older adults are a significant but under recognised public health issue, with women most commonly represented in the research. It also highlighted factors such as body image distress, menopause related changes, bereavement, caregiving stress, social isolation, and co occurring anxiety and depression.

This is such an important reminder that these difficulties do not only affect younger people. In midlife and older clients, they may sit alongside other concerns and be less visible, which increases the risk of under diagnosis.

If you are a therapist or allied health professional and want to learn more about working with binge eating, bulimia, and body image difficulties, I run a two day training in April where we look at assessment, formulation, and practical ways of working with these presentations.

20/02/2026

This year I’m introducing a new IACP approved for CPD course focused on working therapeutically with bulimia and binge eating, including the role of body image, shame and self criticism.
In clinical practice, these difficulties often sit alongside anxiety, low mood, perfectionism or trauma, and they can be easy to miss until trust has developed. This training is built from extensive experience supporting clients with binge eating and bulimia, and it is designed to help you feel clearer and more confident in how you assess, formulate and intervene.
We will look at what maintains the cycle, how to work with ambivalence and secrecy, how to stay steady around food and weight related conversations, and how to support change in a way that is both evidence based and compassionate.

08/02/2026

This week I started the next course in the Professional Certificate in Adolescent Psychotherapy with a really wonderful, engaged group. One of the topics we discussed was PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT during teen therapy. It always leads to interesting discussions.

Research generally supports that involving parents is linked with better outcomes overall, and there’s also evidence of a small added benefit in treatments for adolescent depression when caregivers are involved.

In my own work, I tend to start with an initial intake session with the teen and parent(s)/guardian(s). It gives everyone a shared starting point, gives the teen a safe space to suss me out and helps me explore what’s been happening, what each person is worried about, and what they’re hoping to get out of therapy.

Sometimes parents are involved in between-session supports too and in regular review session. I tend to provide information on teen development and around various mental health issues to help parents understand what might be going on with their child.

What tends to be helpful about involving parents

* It helps the therapy “land” at home, not just in the room
* Parents can support change between sessions
* It can reduce misunderstandings, blame, and power struggles
* It gives parents practical ways to help (without turning them into a co-therapist!)

And what can be tricky

* Teens can worry: “You’ll tell them everything.”If they believe that, it’s much harder for them to open up.
* Parents can (very understandably) want detail, reassurance, or quick answers.
* Therapy can get pulled into family dynamics, who’s right, who’s to blame, whose side the therapist is on.

For me, it always comes back to clear boundaries from the start:

* what confidentiality means for the teen
* what I can share with parents (usually themes, progress, and how they can support , not personal disclosures), and the limits around safety and safeguarding

I’m really curious: how do other therapists work with parental involvement when they’re seeing teens?

And if any parents are reading : what feels supportive when your teenager is in therapy, and what feels confusing or excluding?

05/02/2026

🌟Due to a last minute cancellation one place has become available on the course starting tomorrow.

Call me on 0879184590 if you are interested.

02/02/2026

A quick update, the adolescent course in February is now fully booked, thank you so much to everyone who has signed up,

If you were hoping to join, the next adolescent course begins in August, places will be limited again so it is worth having a look early if it is on your mind.

All of my professional training courses are IACP approved for CPD hours, they are practical and focused on what you can actually use in the therapy room, the aim is to help you enhance your clinical skills and strengthen your practice over time.

You can check my website for all upcoming courses and dates, including what is currently open for booking.

24/01/2026

One of the biggest blocks therapists name when it comes to teens is not theory, it is “Where do I start, and how can I work ethically and responsible with teens?”

Across the Certificate in Adolescent Psychotherapy, you will be guided by a highly experienced teaching team, each covering a key piece of competent adolescent work allowing you to work with teens in line with IACP guidelines.

What we cover:

I will take you through
* adolescent specific intake, including how to involve parents in a way that supports the work
* turning intake information into a clear case formulation
* assessments that help you gain insight and track progress
* CBT with teens, taught in a flexible, practical way
* creative approaches that help teens engage

Dr Malie Coyne will take you through Emotion Focused Therapy
* supporting adolescents to work with emotion, needs, and relationship patterns

Clodagh Ni Ghallachoir will cover legal and ethical practice with under 18s
* confidentiality, consent, guardianship, safeguarding, and documentation, mandatory reporting

Orlaigh Byrne will cover neurodiversity
* adapting your approach for ADHD, autism, learning differences, and sensory needs, supporting neurodiverse teens in the therapy room

You will leave with a clear understanding of child development and how to use appropriate interventions to match the teen brain development, lots of handouts, readings, worksheets, and lecture notes you can use straight away. After completing the course, you will be ready to work confidently and ethically with adolescent clients.

To make it easier for different schedules, I have organised 3 course dates across different days

* Fridays on February course
* Saturdays on August course
* Mondays on October course

If none of those days work for you, get in touch. I may add a fourth course this year if there is enough interest.

A few words from past participants
“Really practical, I could use the material straight away.”
“Clear structure for working with teens, it took away a lot of my uncertainty.”
“The intake and formulation piece made everything feel much more joined up.”
“The legal part clarified things I had been worried about for ages.”

17/01/2026

One of the questions I often get asked is: “Does this course qualify me to work with under 18s, or what age can I work with after completing it.”

In Ireland, there is not one single body that “licenses or accredits” you to work with under 18s. It comes down to two things, your insurance cover, and your competence to do the work safely and ethically.

That is exactly where this course fits. It is designed to build the specific skills you need for adolescent work, and it is aligned with the IACP guidance. The course is structured to help you develop real competence and confidence with adolescents, and it is approved by the IACP for CPD hours as well.

We start with developmental psychology so you can make sense of what you are seeing in the room, what is typical for this stage, what might be a red flag, and how development shapes emotions, behaviour, identity, and relationships.

From there we move into adolescent specific intake and assessment, how to ask the questions in a way that works with teens, how to assess risk, and how to build a picture that is clinically useful.
We spend time on case formulation too, so you are not just collecting information, you are learning how to organise it into a clear hypothesis that guides what you do next. A big part of that is learning how to manage parental involvement, how to keep the young person at the centre while still working appropriately with parents or guardians, and how to explain your role clearly from the start so everyone knows what to expect.

Legal considerations and confidentiality are woven through the course in a very practical way, because this is often where people feel most unsure. We talk through consent, disclosure, safeguarding, and the real life grey areas that come up when you are trying to protect the therapeutic relationship while also meeting your responsibilities.

We also give proper attention to neurodivergence in the therapy room, not just labels, but what it looks like moment to moment, how communication can be misunderstood and what helps you adapt your pace, language, and expectations so the work stays respectful.

We cover CBT in a way that actually fits adolescent life, we bring in creative methods that help you engage a young person who cannot or will not “just talk”, and we look at emotion focused work, alongside person centred therapy, so you can understand when each approach is most useful.
You also will learn from guest lecturers, who spend a lot of time in these specific areas, and you get a broader, more grounded sense of what adolescent work really involves day to day.
If you are interested I will put a link in comments for more info and how to book. Next course starting soon.

09/01/2026

Just a quick reminder that bookings for the February course will close on 1st Feb.

You can find detailed information on my website and the link to the courses is in my bio, or email me info@susilodolacounselling.com and I’ll send you all the information.

28/12/2025

The next Professional Certificate in Adolescent Psychotherapy is starting on the 6th Feb 2026.
The course dates are:
6th Feb 9.30 – 4.30
13th Feb. 9.30 – 4.30
27th Feb. 9.30 – 4.30
6th March 9.30 – 4.30

Training days are fully online via zoom.
Registration closes on 1st February and there ar 3 places left at the moment.

Please don't hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions.
The course is fully aligned with the IACP standards of working with under 18s.

22/12/2025

Schools in the Counselling and Mental Health Pilots will receive new wellbeing funding, which is really positive to see.

Since this pilot began, I’ve been privileged to be involved in the training of the Education Wellbeing Practitioners who will be working in some primary schools as part of this programme.

Their role focuses on supporting young children early, in an environment that is familiar and accessible to them. Having wellbeing support embedded within everyday school life, rather than as a separate service, can make a significant difference.

I really hope this programme continues to be rolled out to more schools in the future. There is such a need and more and sustained funding alongside dedicated practitioners can have a lasting impact for children, families, and school communities.

21/12/2025

As the year comes to a close and the longest night is behind us, the days may still feel heavy and dark, but there’s often a quiet sense that something is shifting. This point in the year can invite reflection on how we’ve been coping, what has taken its toll, and what we might need a little more of as we move forward.

At the same time, this season has a way of stirring things up. Old dynamics can reappear, emotions can feel closer to the surface, and small moments can land more heavily than expected. Before you realise it, you might feel unsettled, on edge, or overwhelmed.

Viktor Frankl spoke about the space between stimulus and response — the small pause where we have some choice in how we respond. I was reminded of this recently when visiting his museum and the apartment in Vienna where he once lived. It’s a quiet, ordinary place, which somehow makes his reflections on human choice and inner freedom feel even more real and usable in everyday life.

That “space” isn’t something we magically have. It’s something we practise creating, often in very small ways. Slowing the body down, noticing what’s happening internally, naming the feeling rather than acting on it straight away and noticing your thoughts.

At this time of year, that space often shows up in ordinary moments:
• Stimulus: “Are you still doing that job?”
• Immediate urge: Defend, snap, shut down, over-explain.
• The space: I notice I feel criticised and tense.
• Response: Choosing to change the subject, answer briefly, or reminding yourself that this comment doesn’t define you.

Sometimes that space is no more than a breath, a pause, or a quiet “noticing”. That space doesn’t mean staying calm all the time or pretending things don’t hurt. It simply means giving yourself a moment before reacting on autopilot.

As I’m finishing up for the year, I want to thank everyone who has worked with me over the past year — those who placed their trust in me in the therapy room, in supervision, and those who attended my courses. I’m wishing you some space to slow down and take care of yourselves over the weeks ahead.💜🌟

16/12/2025

In therapy, eating difficulties are often not what clients first come in for.

Bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and body image distress frequently sit alongside anxiety, low mood, trauma, or long-standing stress. They can remain hidden for a long time, shaped by shame, secrecy, and common misconceptions about who develops eating disorders and what they look like.

In April 2026, I’ll be running a two-day training focused on the recognition, assessment, and treatment of bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and body image distress. We’ll be looking closely at the research evidence around what treatment is most effective, how to apply this in day-to-day clinical work, and when referral to specialist services is needed.

Dates: 24 & 25 April 2026
Online | €280

Link to book on my website

Address

Retail Centre, Wellington Bridge, Co. Wexford
Tallaght
Y35AE2X

Telephone

+353879184590

Website

http://www.susilodolacounselling.com/

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Our Story

Professional psychological service helping adults and adolescents work through life's challenges such as anxiety, depression, bereavement in a safe and confidential environment.

Most people face challenges in their life at some time. However sometimes the challenges become too much and you can feel helpless and overwhelmed. It could be anxiety over the uncertainty over the future, stress in work, loss of a loved one, depression, or problems in your relationship.

Counselling can be of great support for anyone experiencing difficulties in their life and talking to a counsellor will help you find clarity and help you find a way out of feeling helpless.

Counsellors listens attentively and patiently in a non-judgemental way and understand the difficulties a client is facing from their point of view. Counselling is a way of enabling choice or change and it does not involve giving advice. Instead a counsellor will enable the client explore various aspects of their life and feelings. By talking about it in a free and open way, which is often not possibly with friends and family, the client is given the opportunity to grow and find options that they may not have considered before. The counsellor may help the client to look at the options and help the client decide the best way for them.