Mary Kilraine Hannon Counselling, Psychotherapy and Play Therapy, Galway

Adult Psychotherapy & Counselling can provide a safe supportive place to find new ways to address a crisis in work or a relationship. Psychotherapy works on long standing problems often rooted in difficult traumatic early life experiences which when spoken about in detail can enable you to make better choices in relationships and life in general.

Adolescence is a complex developmental stage. It is distinct from childhood and it is not adulthood. Adolescent Counselling therapy helps teenagers and their families to negotiate the difficulties that can sometimes emerge at this time. These include challenges in relationships at home, school, moving to secondary school and again moving onto third level education. Other issues include bullying, sexuality issues, eating disorders, withdrawal, depression, anxiety, self injury, aggression, suicidal thoughts, family changes and grief and bereavement. Counselling can help teenagers understand and make sense of their feelings/behaviour and who they are and want to be. Bottled up feelings may emerge and psychotherapy offers an opportunity to explore these feelings. This brings the possibility of making feelings easier to understand and to take action. It can also be the place where they learn about relating with a safe and caring adult.

Play Therapy is a way of helping children work through issues they may be experiencing. I use a variety of techniques such as non-directive and directive play, talk, and sand therapy to help children who are experiencing difficulties with their emotions or behaviour. I usually integrate several therapeutic methods to find which one works for each individual child.