It can boost mental wellbeing.

8 years ago

What do you need the most when you’ve had a crap day? Like, a really crap day? Like one of those days when you gag on your toothbrush, stick the mascara wand into your eyeball and stub your toe on the way to the kitchen… all before 8am. Then, upon arrival at work, you’re called […]

8 years ago

You may not have heard about Dyspraxia, also known as DCD, but the fact is that six per cent of Irish school children live with this hidden disorder and many have not been diagnosed yet. This means that on average there is one child in every classroom with Dyspraxia. The ramifications of this debilitating disorder […]

8 years ago

We have all heard stories about the Irish care system – good and bad – and the outlook for those in and coming through foster care is often tinged with pessimism and hopelessness. Mental health issues, addiction, abuse, crime. Aside from the trauma of a child being taken from their natural family home, there are […]

9 years ago

Shane Griffin spent his childhood moving around at least 19 residential units foster care. He went from home to home and experienced sexual abuse along the way. He was so desperate for help – he wrote this moving letter to a judge in his case. Now he has grown up, he tells the Irish Times […]

9 years ago

This is a question that has interested me since I first became intrigued with the condition of Dyspraxia, otherwise known as Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). Characterised by poor balance, coordination, and attention, as well as difficulty with fine and gross motor movements, this condition affects at least one child in every classroom in Ireland. Unfortunately, […]

10 years ago

In the blurry aftermath of the murder of Clodagh Hawe and her three beautiful sleeping soldiers, we have all somewhat moved on. Those four faces still visit our thoughts in quiet, disbelieving moments but our lives have since returned to a normal routine. Media speculated, women’s groups spoke out, and we gasped in shock and […]

10 years ago

In the perfect scenario, we end relationships with a big row, pack up our bits and move on in our lives comfortable in the knowledge that we are now free to travel the world and work on our revenge body. However, when there are children involved, it means that your ex-partner will always be in […]

10 years ago

How do Irish children with severe clumsiness (or Dyspraxia) experience physical activity? This is a question that has intrigued me since I first became interested in Dyspraxia, otherwise known as Developmental Coordination Disorder. Dyspraxia is characterised by poor balance, coordination, and attention, as well as difficulty with fine and gross motor movements, this condition affects at […]

10 years ago

When you are a mother abroad on business and are awoken at 7am with a barrage of phone calls from Ireland, your immediate reaction is to lose your head fretting about all the most terrifying eventualities that could have happened to your kids. So, when you realise it’s just all the national media broadcasters in […]

10 years ago

Parenting trends come and go… and there are some we are relieved to see the back of. Physical punishment was very trendy in the pre-Noughties but thankfully parents have become more educated and empathetic about the harmful effects of spanking. The positive parenting movement is one founded on this premise: how would you feel if […]

11 years ago

So far we’ve looked at what mindfulness is and why it’s important for our health, as well as how mindfulness can be facilitated for young children. However, my work is built on a solid foundation of “Happy Parent = Happy Family”. Because you are the driving force behind your family’s holistic health – physically, psychologically […]

11 years ago

A Psychologist has the lowdown

11 years ago

As a psychologist at Sugru Child Development and Contextual Play Therapy Services, I engage with families from all over Ireland dealing with issues from prenatal woes to teenagers needing extra coping strategies. We employ the most up-to-date research in positive parenting research to forge a new way for parents to learn how to promote holistic well-being in […]

11 years ago

As a psychologist at Sugru Child Development and Contextual Play Therapy Services, I engage with families from all over Ireland dealing with issues from prenatal woes to teenagers needing extra coping strategies. We employ the most up-to-date research in positive parenting research to forge a new way for parents to learn how to promote holistic well-being in […]

11 years ago