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Booking Summary
Dr Julie O’Connell Kent
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Julie's fee is €120 per session
Psychotherapy Training and Accreditation
Julie is an accredited Counselling Psychologist who earned her Doctorate in Counselling Psychology (D.Couns.Psych) from Trinity College Dublin in 2018. She maintains her professional accreditation with the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI).Counselling and Psychotherapeutic Approach
Julie believes in a collaborative therapeutic process, working with each client to develop a shared understanding of their core challenges. By integrating evidence-based therapeutic knowledge with the client's innate expertise about their own life, together they find a new path forward. Her practice is integrative, drawing on techniques from Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT), Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT), and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to create a tailored approach for each individual. She holds the therapeutic relationship itself as the primary vehicle for positive change, creating a safe, trusting, and supportive environment where healing and growth can occur. Julie is a neuroaffirmative practitioner. This means she views neurodivergence—such as Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia, and others—not as disorders to be treated, but as natural, valid variations of the human brain. Her neuroaffirmative approach involves:- Celebrating Strengths: Identifying and leveraging the unique strengths, passions, and perspectives that come with a neurodivergent mind.
- Awareness of and Navigation of Masking: Creating a safe space where clients can reduce the exhaustion of camouflaging their authentic selves to fit neurotypical standards.
- Collaborative Support: Working together to understand individual sensory, communication, and social needs, developing personalized strategies for thriving in a world not always designed for them.
- Focus on Wellbeing: The goal is not to "fix" but to support mental health, build self-esteem, and address the distress that can arise from a lack of understanding or accommodation.
Counselling Experience and Areas of Interest
At the heart of Julie's work is a focus on emotion, particularly navigating the fear, grief, and shame that are an inevitable part of the human experience. She welcomes clients from all backgrounds and has a particular focus on serving the queer community and others who have experienced marginalisation. Many of the people she works with are deeply caring individuals with a strong sense of justice, who often grapple with feelings of anxiety and powerlessness in the face of world events or systemic challenges. Her therapeutic work supports them in addressing these feelings, fostering resilience, and reclaiming a sense of agency. Julie has over a decade of experience providing therapeutic support to both individuals and groups.Professional History
Julie's career has provided her with a comprehensive understanding of mental health care across diverse settings. Her extensive experience includes working within:- Primary Care services, offering initial assessment and psychological support.
- Specialist Secondary Mental Health services, providing therapy for ongoing and enduring needs.
- University Student Counselling services, supporting young adults through academic and personal challenges.
- Inpatient Mental Health units, working with individuals in acute crisis.
- Private Practice, offering specialist, long-term therapy.