Katie specialises in ...
Anxiety is the most common mental health issue in Ireland today. Our brains and bodies are designed to become anxious in a dangerous situation (if our life is in danger, if we are being attacked). Our fear triggers, what is known as, the fear fight flight response. It can lead to physical symptoms e.g sweating, palpitations, hyperventilation. There is often a negative thought cycle maintaining anxiety. The problem arises when people aren’t aware how their thoughts can trigger this response. Through psychotherapy you can learn to uncover the causes of your anxiety and help you manage it so it is no longer problematic.
Everyone will go through periods of feeling down in their life. Depression is characterized by a general low mod and a loss of things previously enjoyed by others over a prolonged period of time (weeks or months). Depression is debilitating for the person experiencing it and it is important to seek help so that you are not left struggling alone. The prolonged emotion of sadness can make you feel trapped and fear you may never escape this ‘darkness’. Psychotherapy will support you in developing coping strategies by reframing your thoughts and developing more helpful behaviours.
Postnatal depression develops after a woman has had her baby. The transition into motherhood is one that mothers can assume is easy and effortless. This myth can be damaging and lots of personal issues can arise for a woman at this time and old losses can be triggered and past traumatic events revisited. These combined with hormonal changes can impact heavily on women at this venerable time. This depression is often compounded by society’s expectation that a woman ‘should’ be happy during this period. Attending therapy can help recover a sense of who you are and connect or reconnect to your baby.
One in four of us experience some form of Sexual Abuse in our childhood. One of the problems victims have is in recognizing the enormity of what has happened to them. An overwhelming feeling of shame can trap them from speaking about what happened for fear of being dismissed. If you have experience any sexual activity as a child, this constitutes sexual abuse. If you experienced any non consensual sexual activity as an adult, in particular where the person involved was older or in a position of power over you, this constitutes sexual abuse. Childhood sexual abuse can cause major mental health problems in adulthood. It is important to know that you do not need to recount the details of your experience to be able to work through it and help you to achieve peace and healing with yourself and your body.
Anger is a normal emotion and when expressed in a healthy way is not problematic. However, anger can escalate into rage where a person behaves aggressively and in an out of control manner. This can have huge negative impacts on your relationships. In psychotherapy we will work on practical ways to stop the adrenaline rush, that happens, when you experience intense anger and will help you uncover the reasons why you may feel this way. By identifying your ‘triggers’ we will be able to identify what your ‘internal script’ is playing out in these moments which will ultimately help you understand and manage your anger outbursts.
While death and loss are an integral part of life, we usually struggle when we lose someone or something close to us. The mourning process is both painful and normal, however it can be overwhelming and complicated and you may need help to integrate this loss into your life. Therapy can help you facilitate your journey through grieving so that you may learn to live again.