What is the place of our feelings in our lives?  That might seem a strange question for a counsellor to be asking, but it’s one that is less straightforward than it might seem at first sight.  Even within the world of counselling and psychotherapy, there are different views about the place of feelings.  Some therapists strongly encourage the expression of feelings and believe that...

I’ve recently read two novels- coincidentally, both by Irish writers- which have explored how we make significant personal choices in our lives.  In both Love And Summer by William Trevor and Brooklyn by Colm Toibín, the main character finds herself at a crossroads, forced to decide between radically different courses of action. All options involve conflicts of love, relationship...

There’s a lot in the news at the moment about the approaching tenth anniversary of the attack on the Twin Towers on 11 September 2001.  I was fortunate in that no one I knew personally was affected.  For many people, this is an anniversary of immense personal grief as well as a public occasion for remembrance.

Like most people, I can still remember where I was and what I was doi...

Many insights into aspects of human experience can be found in literature, theatre, cinema and other art forms.  A few weeks ago I saw a play at the Young Vic, The Beauty Queen of Lenane (www.youngvic.org/whats-on/the-beauty-queen-of-leenane) which left me with a lot of feelings and thoughts.

I was actually quite irritated by the first half of the play as I felt it was drawing on ...

For many people this is summer holiday season, time to relax, unwind, and enjoy a brief escape from the usual routine.  But sometimes holidays themselves turn out to be stressful experiences.  Family relationships can become strained; travel arrangements are plagued by delays, cancellations, traffic jams; minor accidents or ailments cause upset; the weather is always unpredictable; ...