Bairbre Kelly: Counselling&Psychotherapy

06/08/2025

In a time of so much hostility and struggle, it's important to celebrate the wins!!!! I am so happy to see that IACP have finally made a public statement in support of the campaign to ban counselling notes being used in court cases of sexual assault, r**e and violence! I have been supporting Ruth Coppingers campaign for many months with our group Therapists Against Harm and we have often felt like we were banging our heads against a wall when trying to be heard so when those in positions of influence like this are willing to join with us in this fight we are very proud of our efforts and dedication ❤️

18/07/2025

On this day in 2016 this arrived in the post! After almost 4 years of hard work and alot of sacrifices I was officially a fully qualified counsellor! I remember walking on the beach in Bettystown with my husband and being so scared. How the hell was I ever going to make a business out of this dream I had pursued? How on earth would I be able to connect with
clients? And above all, what if I turned out to be a load of sh*te!?!!
Well 9 years on and it’s been one of the most incredible experiences I’ve ever had! I feel I am so lucky to do this job and to meet the clients that I get to work with! I can honestly say that every client has influenced and shaped the person I am both professionally and personally!
Here’s to many more years doing what I love to do ❤️❤️

12/07/2025

Undiagnosed neurodivergence: the real impact

When I look at this photo I am filled with sadness. In fact when I look at any photo from my childhood I feel sad. I see a little girl who was painfully sensitive. It was like I was raw to the world. The only spaces I felt comfortable in were when I was with a handful of people but even then I was always on edge waiting for the message to be sent that I was different/odd/faulty. So the safest space was being alone which was a lot of the time as I didn’t have siblings. But just because it was safer doesn’t mean it was happier. I was so lonely. I craved connection but I just didn’t know how to do it safely. At various stages I found myself making friends and it was amazing. Suddenly I was experiencing the things I saw others doing: being invited to peoples houses, being asked to join in, people being happy to see me…..but inevitably something always happened where I would find myself confused and hurt, wondering what I had done that resulted in the invites stopping, the games carrying on without me, the girls ignoring me rather than including me….i always presumed it was something to do with me not being “good enough” so after the tears had dried I would have to carry on alone again. But that type of thinking takes its toll on a little girls heart.
And even now, as a woman of a more
mature vintage, I can still meet that little girl occasionally! Friendships still confuse me. People confuse me. I don’t understand how and why people can be so thoughtless when it comes to others feelings! I am confused by the social games, that dance people tend to do where they say one thing yet do another. I find it all so emotionally exhausting that I usually resign myself to just being alone.

Being a late diagnosed neurodivergent woman is a double edged sword; on one hand it’s exhilarating to finally understand, accept and like the person I am, quirks and all! But on the other hand it can be so emotionally charged as I now look at this little girl and wish someone could have explained to her that she was a beautifully kind and sensitive soul trying to make her way through a world which was harsher and less gentle. So now when I feel her rise with sadness when relationships confuse and hurt me, I tell her gently that how she sees the world may leave her more vulnerable to hurt but it’s also what gifts her with so much creativity, empathy and awareness.
And I wouldn’t swap it for anything ❤️

02/07/2025

Trigger warning:

Another life wiped out in an epidemic of gender based violence 💔 RIP Sarah Montgomery

Yesyerday I had the honour of joining a small gathering outside the four Courts in Dublin to show support for Nikita Hand who has been dragged back into the traumatic environment of our judicial system at the hands of her convicted abuser in his quest to “appeal” the conviction. At the very last minute the abuser withdrew part of this appeal (supposed witnesses and alleged “evidence” to discredit the victims character were withdrawn as they would never have survived cross examination) meaning the victim of his crime had to endure more unnecessary trauma at his hands. And the abuser didn’t even bother to turn up to court. The appeal is continuing on the grounds that the abuser feels he wasn’t treated fairly. The irony is not wasted on me

As we stood outside there was so much support shown towards our message: bus and taxi drivers beeped and waved, and passer-by’s shouted “yes!!”. There was no doubt that people could see exactly what was going on and they were so supportive!

And then we experienced something which just reconfirmed exactly why we have to keep doing this :
An individual started to video the group and then started to shout at us, screaming how we should be protesting to get immigrants out as they’re the reason for the increase in r**e , sexual assault and violence (which is 100% false information, the majority of such crimes are carried out by Irish people in Ireland (even proportionally) and mostly by someone close to their victim). We tried to ignore his ranting but he just got louder and more excited. Here was a “man” shouting at a group of predominantly women objecting that we are supporting an Irish victim. There were also other victims of sexual assault, r**e and violence in the group. It was disgusting.

Let me be clear: I stand with ALL victims of sexual assault, r**e and violence regardless of race, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, religion….,
And I stand against ALL perpetrators of sexual assault, r**e and violence regardless of race, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, religion……

If you don’t get that then frankly the issue is YOU so stop projecting and seek help.

30/06/2025

The other day I was going about my business as usual, driving along and singing badly to the radio. I phoned my m**s mobile phone which rang out so I called her landline. I haven’t called the landline in a long time, I think most people just communicate via text messages and mobile phone calls now. But I phoned the landline and it rang and rang until it stopped and I suddenly heard a voice I haven’t heard in almost 4 years. It was my dad’s voice. Somehow none of us had realised that the old voice message was still there. When I heard it my heart skipped a beat. For a few seconds it felt like he had answered the phone and I was about to have a chat with him. Those few seconds seemed to last for hours. When it registered with me what had just happened a wave of intense pain and grief hit me…and it hit me hard. I heard sobbing and realised it was from myself. I cried and cried until my head hurt as much as my heart.

I haven’t had a grief attack like that for a long time. Life is so busy that my mind is always occupied even if my heart always holds my dad’s memory. But in that moment every distraction dissolved and my mind and heart met for a few moments in the painful reminder that I will never call the phone and have my dad answer it ever again, never hear his voice and know that he is there. And it never gets easier, we just get better at being busy ❤️❤️

17/06/2025

Please share:

16/06/2025

On Wednesday evening, 18th June, the Dáil will vote on whether or not to continue to allow survivors of sexual assault, r**e and gender based violence to be abused and traumatised in our courts. As it stands Jim O’Callaghan is proposing that this government will allow it.

We are calling on ALL therapists to contact their local TDs and media outlets to demand that this does not happen!!!

We are calling on ALL therapists to join us outside Leinster House this Wednesday evening and show our solidarity in the call for a complete BAN on the practice of client counselling notes being used in the court cases of sexual assault, r**e and gender based violence. Please message with your name if you wish to join us

No more excuses because there are NO EXCUSES for this form of legalised abuse!

14/06/2025

Shout out to anyone who gets a stab of sadness every time they see the Father’s Day displays in the shops this weekend!

To those who have lost loving fathers, never had engaged fathers, only ever knew sh*te
fathers and those who are fathers themselves but can’t see their own children due to someone else’s agenda!

I see you all and I send you love this weekend ❤️

13/06/2025

11/06/2025

URGENT NOTICE:

URGENT NOTICE:

Email just received:

The government has decided to take statements on nursing homes tomorrow so Ruth Coppingers Dail presentation has been pushed forward to 7pm.

Gathering outside Leinster House now moved to 5pm so that everyone isn’t made to wait around for hours

So we will now meet outside Leinster House at 5pm instead!

Hopefully those who are planning to make it can still come!!!! I will be in Buswells from 4pm.

Please DM me if you’ve any questions

09/06/2025

Busy week ahead!!

Good morning fellow therapists!

Just a reminder that we will be meeting at the gates of Leinster House this Thursday 12th June at 3pm to show support and solidarity in our call for a COMPLETE BAN on counselling notes being used in court cases of r**e and sexual assault!! As it stands the current move in government is merely to AMEND the law which will result in a judge deciding whether counselling notes are allowed to be used in each case…..this is NOT good enough as our clients will still be at risk of their notes being misused and weaponised against them and therapists will still be at risk of being placed in a situation of being complicit with this abuse!

It would be great if everyone attending could bring along a sign to express our concerns. I hope to see lots of you there ❤️