Welcome to Psychotherapist Ireland

Are you looking for a psychotherapist in Ireland, e.g. Cork, Dublin, Galway, Limerick, or Waterford? Or maybe somewhere else in Ireland?

Finding a psychotherapist or a counsellor in Ireland is not easy to navigate. Here's a guide on how to do it:

BEFORE THE SEARCH:

1. Assess Your Needs: Before you start looking for a psychotherapist, it's essential to understand what you need help with. Psychotherapy covers a wide range of issues, from anxiety and depression to relationship problems. Some specialise in specific areas such as domestic violence, childhood neglect, and sexual abuse. Knowing your specific concerns will help you find a therapist with the right expertise.

2. Identify Your Preferences: Consider what additional requirements you might have

   • Lived Experience: if you’d prefer a therapist with a specific lived experience, such as a queer therapist or a black therapist. Some people prefer seeing people of a specific gender. Alternatively, you can consider therapists who work with the respective community and welcome members of the respective community, even if they don’t have the respective experience themselves.

   • Client Focus: Maybe you’re looking for indications as to what type of clients they work with; that could be marked on their profile with tags, such as “Queer Allied” , “Open Relationships Non-Monogamy”, or “Single Mother”.

   • Setup: In-person only, online only, or hybrid, e.g. mostly in-person with an occasional session online

     • Location: If in-person or hybrid, then the location matters. How far are you willing to travel? If you live in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Waterford, or Galway, it might be easier to find a therapist closer to you. Otherwise, you might have to drive to a town nearby, e.g. Athlone, Sligo, Navan, Killarney, Cavan, Wexford, Dundalk, Drogheda, Naas, Kilkenny, Ennis, Portlaoise, etc.

       • Some psychotherapists are not based in the cities, so even if you live in a rural area, there might be one nearer to you than the closest city or town

       • Some people are willing to travel further so they see specifically a psychotherapist who

         • is outside of their area

         • has a specific client focus or expertise.

   • Affordability: How much are you willing to pay? Some therapists have a fixed amount, others work with a sliding scale - you might need to apply if you may be eligible.

   • Language: If English is not your native language, are you comfortable to do therapy in English? Or would you rather find someone who provides therapy in your native language? There’s no right or wrong here!

     If you don’t have preferences like any of those, that’s perfectly okay.

3. Consider Your Level of Commitment:

   • Short-term vs Long-term: Are you thinking about short-term therapy that treats symptoms? Or long-term deep work that enhances your resilience? If long-term, how long do you have in mind - e.g. 1-2 years or longer?

   • Frequency: How often would you like to go to therapy - once or twice a week? Some people go to psychotherapy for the same reason others go to the gym 3-4 times a week — for fitness, just not physical, but mental.

THE SEARCH:

1. Use Online Directories:

   • An affordable option is the Irish Psychoanalytic Clinic by the Irish Institute of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy (IIPP)

   • IACP Directory: The Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (IACP) offers an online directory of accredited therapists. You can search by location, specialization, and other criteria.

   • Psychology Society of Ireland (PSI): PSI also provides a directory of registered psychologists who offer psychotherapy services.

   • Therapist Directories: You can use online therapist directories like Psychology Today or Therapy Directory, which often list psychotherapists in Ireland.

   • Black Therapists Ireland provides a list of therapists in Ireland who are black. All of them are trained, affiliated with professional bodies, experienced and passionate about their work.

   • Insight Matters provides a list of therapists in Ireland who are queer or queer friendly.

   • NOTE: if you want free mental health support, especially in a case of emergency, you can contact the Samaritans or specialised helplines such as the Dublin Lesbian Line.

2. Take Word of Mouth with a Pinch of Salt: Personal referrals can be valuable in finding a therapist, but it tells you who was a good match for them; that doesn’t necessarily mean that the same therapist would be a good match for you, too. The therapeutic alliance is unique between any pair of a therapist and a client.

3. CRITICAL: Research and Check Credentials, Accreditation, and Qualification

   • NOTE: Currently in Ireland, anyone can call themselves a therapist or a counsellor if they’d like to even if they don’t have any qualification, as while it’s not ethical, it’s not illegal for the moment. This is expected to change in the next few years when CORU begins regulating the professions of therapy and counselling in Ireland.

   • Once you have a list of potential therapists, research their credentials, accreditation, and qualifications. Ensure that the psychotherapist is accredited by a reputable professional body in Ireland, such as IFPP, IACP, PSI, or IAHIP; alternatively, an accreditation from EAP will be also respected. Accreditation indicates that the therapist meets specific professional standards, they are unique for each accrediting body and can vary significantly:

     • ratio of hours of client therapy hours to hours of supervision , e.g. some psychotherapists are required to attend 1 session per week with their supervisor during their training regardless of whether they had 2 clients or 20 clients that week; for others that could be less frequent

     • number of hours of personal therapy, e.g. some psychotherapists are required to do 16 sessions of psychotherapy per year during their training while others are expected to attend twice a week throughout the whole year (approx. 80 sessions per year for a period of a minimum 4 years); a therapist can only work as deep with clients as they have worked themselves.

     • number of hours of client therapy

     • ⚠️ Compare the hours required by each accrediting body

AFTER THE SEARCH:

1. Contact Potential Therapists:

   • Reach out to the therapists on your list. You can do this via phone or email. Ask about their availability, fees, and any questions you have regarding their approach to therapy.

   • Inquire about the initial consultation or assessment session, which many therapists offer to assess whether they are a good fit for your needs.

2. Assess the Therapeutic Relationship:

   • While it’s pricey to see more than one therapist, if you can, it’s highly recommended that you see two or three before you decide who you want to commit to seeing.

   • During your initial consultation, pay attention to how you feel when speaking with the therapist. It's important to have a good rapport and feel comfortable with them, as the therapeutic relationship is crucial.

   • During the consultation, consider how you feel in the physical space: is the room cozy, do you feel safe in it, is it warm? How you experience the space can impact your experience with therapy and how you experience your therapist. That doesn’t mean you should seek luxury, but you shouldn’t settle for a place that feels hostile or looks rundown.

3. Fees and Payment: Discuss fees and payment arrangements with the therapist. Some therapists in Ireland require payments in cash while others via bank transfer or Revolut. Find out if they accept health insurance or if you'll be paying out of pocket.

4. Check Accessibility and Location: Ensure that the therapist's office is accessible to you in terms of location, transportation, and hours of operation. If it’s important to you, you can also ask if there’s a toilet and/or a waiting room on the premises, as that could vary from therapist to therapist.

5. Ask About the Therapist's Approach: Different therapists use different therapeutic approaches. Discuss the therapist's approach and whether it aligns with your preferences and needs.

6. Legal and Ethical Considerations: Confirm that the therapist is compliant with legal and ethical standards, including data protection and confidentiality. Ask them about the accrediting bodies they are associated with.

7. Trust Your Gut Feeling: Ultimately, choose a therapist you feel comfortable with. You can try a few sessions (usually, up to 3) and reassess whether the therapy is meeting your needs. Do remember that it does take a leap of faith, you’re just getting started. Typically, trust takes some time to build.

Remember that finding the right therapist might take some time, so be patient in your search. The therapist you choose should be someone with whom you can build a trusting and productive therapeutic relationship.

You have more questions?

We started Therapist Ireland with the mission to answer any questions you might have in relation to psychotherapy in Ireland.

So far we’ve answered your question on how to pick a therapist in Ireland, but maybe you have a follow up question or two?

Let us know and we can answer within 48 hours.

Or upvote the question you want to see answered next.

Who’s behind this project

Vessy Tasheva

• Bio: Vessy is a Senior Trainee Therapist with IIPP and an IFPP Student Member, graduated MSc Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, started journey in psychotherapy in 2017.

• Client Focus: Adults, in one-on-one setting

• Specialising in relationship issues, anxiety, depression, self esteem, sense of self, self-trust, codependency, skin-related issues, somatic issues, early life trauma, (in)fertility, pregnancy

• Communities / Allyship: LGBTQ+, Gender Identity & Expression, Open Relationships / Ethical Non-Monogamy, Immigrants, Black Heritage

• Language: practicing both in English and Bulgarian

• Availability: taking new clients via the affordable Irish Psychoanalytic Clinic by IIPP

• Location: in-person, in the heart of Dublin city center - 11 Herbert Pl, Dublin, D02 RC93, Ireland