Rainbow Minds Centre

21/07/2025

Not Just Angry: The Inner World of Adolescent Males
Thursday 28th August 2025, 6:00–8:15pm (online)

🔹 Why this Workshop Matters
Adolescent boys are often the least likely to seek therapy, and the most likely to be misunderstood when they do. Too often, their struggles are dismissed as anger, resistance, or apathy — when underneath, many are carrying deep shame, confusion, and unmet emotional needs.
This webinar opens up space to reflect on how we, as therapists, can better see and support the boys behind the mask. Through relational insight, developmental grounding, and a focus on the emotional lives of young men, we’ll explore what it means to offer something real, safe, and attuned in the room.
Join us in this much-needed conversation.

🌿 Workshop Overview
Not every boy who comes to therapy speaks.
Some arrive behind crossed arms, one-word answers, or the shrug that says “I’m fine.”
Others carry a weight too big for words — masked by silence & shame, humour, or bursts of anger they can’t quite name.

This 2-hour online workshop is for anyone working with adolescent boys who wants to understand more of what sits beneath the surface. We’ll explore how masculinity is shaped, how shame takes hold early, and how so many boys learn to make themselves smaller, harder, or louder in order to survive. And we’ll talk about how we as adults can meet them there.

💬 Who is it for?
While this workshop is primarily designed for therapists and mental health professionals, those in allied roles — youth workers, educators, mentors — as well as parents or carers of teenage boys may also find it deeply valuable.

👥 Facilitated by James Byrne
Accredited Psychotherapist (IACP, BACP, EPATH/WPATH), supervisor, and founder of Rainbow Minds Centre & AAPCI.
James brings a grounded, real-world approach to working with teenage boys — informed by years of clinical practice working with boys and men, creative work, and deep care for the complexity of this stage of life.

🎟 Cost & Access
Free for AAPCI members
€20 for non-members (plus booking fee)
Recording available to all who register (live attendance encouraged)

📅 Thursday 28th August 2025
🕕 6:00pm – 8:15pm (Irish time)
📍 Online via Zoom

🔗 Register your place now

Thursday 28th August 2025, 6:00–8:15pm (online) Not every boy who comes to therapy speaks. Some arrive behind crossed arms, one...

23/05/2025

🎓 Call for Abstracts: Emerging Research in Adolescent Mental Health 🧠
Part of the AAPCI Conference – Friday, 7th November 2025 Crown Plaza Blanchardstown

We’re proud to have our speakers for the day already lined up — a powerful mix of voices across adolescent psychotherapy, counselling, and education. But it’s equally important to us that emerging voices have a space too.
After all, you are the future of adolescent healthcare.

Are you a current student or a recent graduate (within the past year) with research that deserves a wider reach? Would you like to share your work with a professional audience at a national conference?

Then we invite you to apply for:
🧪 Emerging Research in Adolescent Mental Health
🔹 5 presenters delivering lightning talks (up to 10 minutes each)
🔹 Each followed by a short Q&A
🔹 A panel of expert judges will award a prize for the most impactful presentation
🔹 Selected speakers receive a free ticket to the full conference
We’re looking for fresh ideas, meaningful insights, and contributions that will shape the future of adolescent mental health.

📩 Submit your talk title and a 250-word abstract to admin@aapcireland.com
🗓 Submission deadline: June 20th, 2025
📣 Open to: Current students and those who have graduated within the past year
🌐 For full conference details, visit:
https://www.aapcireland.com/events
🎟 Early bird tickets have been extended — don’t miss your chance to be part of this groundbreaking event.

AAPCI Conference 2025: The Future of Adolescent Mental Health – Bridging Gaps, Creating Change📅 Date: Friday, November 7, 2025📍 Venue: Crowne Plaza Dublin-Blanchardstown⏳ Time: 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM🎟️ 7 CPD Hours AwardedThe Association of Adolescent Psychotherapists and Counsellors in I...

24/03/2025

We’re delighted to share that our next intake for the Diploma in Gender, Sexuality and Relationship Diversity is going really well 🌈 A few places are still available, and we’re offering a special early bird discount until May (€1500 instead of €1700). That said, places are expected to fill fast.

If you're interested, please don’t wait — head to www.rainbow-minds.com/gsrd-diploma to find out more and arrange an interview 🧠💬

22/03/2025

🌈✨ Today’s a big day. I’m honoured to be speaking at the Trauma in Education Conference, hosted by the brilliant team at TSK.

My talk is titled:
"Managing Diagnosis – The Intersection of LGBTQ+ Identity and Neurodivergence in Adolescents."
It’s a deeply personal one.
Today is also my 38th birthday, and the 5th anniversary of Rainbow Minds, the centre I founded to serve LGBTQ+ and neurodivergent communities with care, presence, and pride.

And today marks the first time I’m publicly sharing the REPT model — a clinical framework I’ve been developing quietly in my work for the past couple of years.
REPT (Relational, Emotional, Processing, Transitional) helps us hold the emotional and identity impact of diagnosis, especially in young people navigating shame, difference, and becoming.

This talk is for therapists, educators, and anyone walking alongside adolescents trying to make sense of themselves in systems that often miss them.
It’s about identity, trauma, visibility, and presence — not pathologising, but witnessing.

💬 "I will stay with you while you find the words. I will not rush you to be someone you’re not. I will honour the becoming."
— That’s the heart of the work.

Thank you to everyone who made space for this conversation today.
If you’d like to connect, learn more about Rainbow Minds, or hear about our upcoming trainings, I’d love to hear from you.
🖤

18/01/2025

03/12/2024

Last night, I was texting a friend who introduced me to Rilke. We ended up talking about the stormy grey weather of Brittany—how sometimes being in it means observing rather than sailing through it. It got me thinking about Rilke’s idea of living the questions and knowing when to watch and when to sail. Shame feels like that sometimes—like a storm you can’t control but can learn to sit with. Being q***r is its own ocean too, full of unknowns and beauty, and I’m still learning to navigate it. Community and friendship? They’re the people on the shore, waiting to guide you or just be with you while you figure it out. I miss the ocean, the clarity it gives me and how small I feel (in a good way) when I am there—but maybe this is its lesson: sometimes the answers come when we stop searching and just let the waves be

11/11/2024

Unlocking Limiting Beliefs in Our Men's Group – Are Unspoken “Rules” Holding You Back?

In our recent men’s personal development group, we dived into the hidden beliefs that can keep us from fully living and connecting. Inspired by the work of pioneering therapist Virginia Satir, we explored some common “rules” many of us follow without realising. These beliefs often sound familiar:

“It’s not okay to see what’s going on.”
“It’s not okay to feel.”
“It’s not okay to express.”
“It’s not okay to ask for what you want.”
“It’s not okay to take risks.”

They may not seem like rules at first glance, but think about it: how often do these ideas play out in the everyday moments of our lives? Maybe we don’t speak up when our food is cold at a restaurant, avoid asking our partners or mates for support, or keep silent when something’s really bothering us.

These “rules” limit our lives in subtle but powerful ways, affecting our relationships, confidence, and well-being. Breaking free from them starts by noticing how they show up—and questioning if they’re truly serving us.

What unspoken “rules” are you following? Are there other beliefs holding you back from asking for what you need, sharing what you feel, or showing up as your full self?

When we start identifying these limiting beliefs, we give ourselves permission to break them. Let’s talk more about this—drop a comment or DM us to learn more about our men’s group and our journey towards more authentic, empowered lives.

Inspired by Virginia Satir.

04/11/2024

🌈 Why might LGBTQ+ clients feel hesitant about therapy?

For many LGBTQ+ individuals, therapy can feel like stepping into the unknown. Sadly, we often hear from clients at Rainbow Minds that previous therapy experiences left them feeling judged, misunderstood, or even “pathologised”—as if their identities were seen as “issues” to be fixed rather than celebrated.

Many of our clients and even some of our therapists shared how they’d left a previous therapist’s office feeling they had to hide parts of themselves, uncertain if they’d ever feel entirely accepted in a therapeutic space. Sadly, stories like these are all too common, and a lot of folks never return to therapy or feel very anxious about starting again.

As we’ve learned about the unaffirming experiences many clients have faced, we recognised the need for more comprehensive training in Ireland. That’s why we launched the GSRD diploma—the first in-depth training programme in Ireland for therapists to better support LGBTQ+ clients. (But that’s a story for another day!)

At Rainbow Minds Centre, we’re here to change the narrative. We’re committed to creating an affirming, inclusive, and safe space where your identity is respected, valued, and understood. Therapy should feel like a place to be seen, not a place to shrink.

If you’re ready for therapy that celebrates all of who you are, we’re here to support you. 💚

👉 Follow and to learn more about creating safe and inclusive mental health spaces.

03/11/2024

🌈 Shame is a feeling so many of us carry, but for gay men, it can live deep inside impacting almost every aspect of life and is painful.

I came out when I was 16, and for much of the past 21 years, I’ve wrestled with shame—some of it imposed by others, and some internalised within myself. For a long time, I felt that in order to be loved or accepted, I had to edit parts of who I was. And, if I’m honest, there are still days I catch myself doing this. That’s the work I continue to do on myself.

My understanding of my sexuality has evolved over the years, and I see myself as more on the bi-spectrum these days. But because I’m married to a man, I’m often seen and read as a gay man in my day-to-day life, and for the most part, that is ok (or is it internalised bi-erasure, I am not sure). And with that comes the unique experience of shame many of us know all too well—the feeling that who we are isn’t quite “right,” that we’re “too much” or “not enough.”

Reading The Velvet Rage by Alan Downs helped me put words to some of this pain and reminded me that I’m not alone, if you are gay or bi man who has worked with me it is one of my usual recommendations. These struggles are part of a larger story that many of us share, a story of surviving in a world that often teaches us to hide or minimise ourselves.

I want you to know: You deserve to live free from shame. You deserve to feel safe, to take up space, and to embrace every part of who you are without apology. Healing from shame is possible, and it’s a journey we don’t have to take alone and a journey I personally feel needs to be taken in community at times.

If any of this resonates with you, know a community here at Rainbow Minds is ready to support you. Let’s walk this path together and build lives that celebrate us exactly as we are. 💜

23/10/2024

Join Chrys for Found Treasure - A Healing Art Workshop on Sunday November 10th, 2-5PM!
💬 This gorgeous little workshop has had excellent feedback about being a lovely gentle place to explore, express, and process.
💞 This is a non-clinical therapeutic art workshop, where we will bring creativity and self-care together.
💎 Engage in two expressive exercises, including Found Treasure, where you will blindly select some prompts to dig deep with.
🖌 All art supplies, (plus tea and biccies ☕️) included – but feel free to bring your favourite pen set or paints if you like.
✨️ Spaces are very limited in this safe and intimate environment, with a maximum of seven people in the room.
🎫 Fee is €25, DM to secure your place!

22/10/2024

Understand Your Mental Health – Affordable Counselling in Dublin 2 & Online

Openings for low-cost sessions mornings, afternoons and evenings

Are you feeling overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, or life’s challenges? You’re not alone, we have been there and want to support you. At Rainbow Minds, 42 Mount Street Upper or from the comfort of your own home online, we offer affordable, professional counselling designed to fit into your life.

Imagine a space where you can truly be yourself, especially if you’re part of the LGBTQ+ community, neurodivergent, both or neither.

We create a safe, affirming environment where you’re heard, respected, and supported. Our services are for everyone—no matter your identity or background.

Mental health challenges can feel isolating and impossible to manage.

We provide compassionate, low-cost counselling that helps you regain control, find balance, and feel empowered again.

With flexible in-person sessions in Dublin 2 and online therapy options, we tailor our services to suit your schedule and needs.

Reach out today to learn more or to book your first session. Your mental health matters, and we’re here to help you every step of the way.