A question I get quite often is why are you a therapist ? So I wanted to tell you all a little bit about me 🤍
“If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail” – Maslow. I find this quote conceptualizes my love for counselling and psychology. Maslow describes this hammer as the favorite tool individuals use and rely on across all situations, which at times can be self- destructive. Therefore, he suggests that we must learn new ways of thinking about and dealing with a variety of situations.
From a personal perspective, I have witnessed firsthand the effects psychological trauma and cognitive distortions can have. Growing up in a family that was generationally characterised by a history of addiction and abuse I witnessed the impacts of not honouring our emotions and acknowledging our pain.
From a young age I always thought about why people behave in such ways and particularly their story. As someone who has endured emotional abuse, therapy became a space for me to acknowledge, honour and understand what I went through. Knowing what it feels like to be ridiculed, scapegoated and torn down emotionally has shaped me in many ways and has formed me into a person who feels deeply for others and fostered a true goal of supporting others on their journeys through life. As someone who used many tools to cope with the impacts of emotional abuse: people pleasing, academic validation, denial etc. I know what it’s like to be in a place of self destruction and what it’s like to change the tools. I know the challenge of letting go, the uncertainty of it and the freedom and happiness that comes from setting boundaries, acceptance and discovering more about oneself.
My ethos is to help those people who are neglected, lost and suffering to use something other than a “hammer”.
Thank you for reading 🤍
Therapy With Mairead 