Psychotherapy Training and Accreditation
John graduated in 1995 with an M.Sc. in Counselling Psychology from Trinity College Dublin. He is a Chartered Counselling Psychologist with the Psychological Society of Ireland (M1388C).
John has trained in a number of therapeutic approaches including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Person Centered Therapy (PCT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR), Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), Complicated Grief Treatment (CGT), Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT).
John has additional training in CBT for Insomnia (CBT-I) and ACT for Insomnia (ACT-I).
Counselling and Psychotherapeutic Approach
John specialises in the treatment of insomnia. He uses CBT-I (the recommended first line and gold standard treatment for insomnia) as the main therapeutic model to treat insomnia and complements this with ACT-I.
Insomnia often coexists with conditions such as anxiety, depression, stress, PTSD and chronic pain. Treating insomnia and its coexisting condition leads to faster and more enduring improvement in both sleep and the associated condition. When insomnia is left untreated it can worsen or prolong the coexisting condition and reduce the effectiveness of treatment for that condition.
CBT-I is an evidence-based, short, and structured approach for treating insomnia that provides long-lasting improvements. Unlike the use of medication to treat sleep problems the benefits of CBT-I do not cease at the end of therapy. Instead, sleep continues to improve if the strategies learned continue to be used.
The length of CBT-I varies depending on the individual needs of the person with insomnia, with an average duration of 4 to 6 sessions attended on a weekly or sometimes fortnightly basis.
Counselling Experience and Areas of Interest
John has gained extensive experience providing counselling/psychotherapy for a wide range of mental health issues with diverse client populations. He has worked as a clinical lead therapist for organisations in both the charity and corporate sector where he also developed and implemented mental health and wellbeing programmes.
John has a special interest in and passion for helping anyone experiencing insomnia having experienced it firsthand. He is therefore well placed to talk the talk and walk the walk!
