Owen Smith (he/him/his)

Owen’s fee is €80 for an Individual and €90 for a Couple

Psychotherapy Training and Accreditation

Owen is a qualified and accredited humanistic and integrative psychotherapist, who successfully completed four years postgraduate training at Turning Point Institute/University College Cork.  He is a registered member of the Irish Council for Psychotherapy (ICP) and he is an accredited member of both the Irish Association of Humanistic & Integrative Psychotherapy (IAHIP) and the Irish Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (IACP).  As a result, he abides by these codes of ethics and good practice – in other words, robust standards which inform and protect the service that clients receive.  He is also a member of the accreditation committee of IAHIP.

Owen is currently completing advanced training in Relationship Therapy at the NAOS Institute, London, as well as within the area of Compulsive Sexual Behaviour with the Contemporary Institute of Clinical Sexology (CICS), UK.

Owen is additionally a CORU registered social worker.  Since 2011 he has been employed as a Medical Social worker at a large Dublin inner-city acute teaching hospital where he has supported patients and their loved ones across medical and surgical specialties such as sexual health & infectious diseases, geriatric medicine, oncology, palliative care, cardiology, cardio-thoracic & general surgery, and general medicine.  He has previously worked as a Medical Social Worker in a hospice setting, as well as within inpatient psychiatry and community mental health.

Counselling and Psychotherapeutic Approach

Owen works with individuals as well as with couples and multi-partnered relationships.  His practice is primarily informed from a humanistic and person-centred lens, but also by a psychodynamic approach, psychosynthesis and gestalt.  Owen passionately believes that, given the right conditions, we as human beings have the capacity to realise our true selves and our potential.

“I believe in the inherent value and uniqueness of each individual. This means that I look at what best fits your needs and situation, using different approaches and techniques, rather than assuming a ‘one size fits all’”.

Owen provides a confidential, non-judgmental, compassionate and safe space, where he accompanies each individual in their healing and growth journey.  He places emphasis on the establishment of the therapeutic relationship between client and therapist.  He regards this as a fundamental factor in achieving effective outcomes and positive change, where both the client and psychotherapist are each active partners.

Counselling Experience and Areas of Interest

Owen provides both individual and relationship therapy.

Individual therapy

Owen is experienced in working with a number of presenting issues, some of which include:

  • depression/low mood;
  • anxiety
  • trauma
  • gender, sexuality/sexual orientation, relationship diversities (GSRD); LGBT
  • relationship issues
  • confidence/self-worth
  • bullying
  • bereavement, grief and loss
  • illness and coming to terms with a diagnosis/prognosis;
  • sexual health (e.g. STIs, HIV PEP & PREP / sexual risks / chemsex harm reduction; compulsive sexual behaviour (or what some people have referred to as “sex addiction”)

Relationship therapy

Many couples can experience varying problems within an intimate relationship.  Owen works with couples and also with diverse types of intimate and multi-partnered relationships (e.g. consensual and ethical non-monogamy, polyamory, open relationships) in areas such as communication difficulties, conflict, “stuckness”, infidelity, trust issues, reduced desire & intimacy or perhaps a sense of drifting apart, to name but a few.  He will support you to understand and manage dynamics between you and your partner.  The therapy process can help to uncover and work through difficulties that may be keeping each of you in familiar but unhelpful patterns.  Owen, in other words, will support and enable you to develop ways to move to a more positive and happier space.

Owen also has an interest in the area of sexualities and sexual orientation, and how presenting issues (such as stigma, shame, internalised homophobia, oppression) can affect LGBTQIA+ mental health and psychological well-being.

He is currently undertaking a PhD within the School of Nursing, Psychotherapy & Community Health at Dublin City University.

  Iacp Logo 

Articles by Owen Smith (he/him/his)