Sarah McDermott Psychotherapy

18/12/2024

Posted • ❤️🎄 Christmas looks different for everyone and can be a difficult time of year for so many reasons. Give yourself permission to look after yourself over the Christmas break.

18/09/2024

Over the past two days, I attended the ASIST (Applied Su***de Intervention Skills Training) course, which was facilitated by and . I can't recommend this course enough. It was informative, interactive, structured and very well prepared. The framework provides a clear pathway in how to connect with people who may be feeling suicidal. These courses are facilitated nationwide and are open to all members of the public.

15/09/2024

Posted • You might think you're in control of unwanted emotions when you ignore them, but they control you.

Internal pain always comes out—always. The best way to cope with amplification is to sit with your emotions. Giving yourself a small moment of reflection to process a tough emotion can improve your relationships and your day to day experience as a whole. Try to really see yourself in that moment.

Ask, how can I best support myself in this moment? What do I need? The answers to these questions could be as simple as taking few deep breaths, placing your hands over your heart or belly, going for a short walk, or making a cup of tea.

13/09/2024

I'm delighted to share that I am now an accredited Supervisor alongside being an accredited Psychotherapist with the Irish Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (IACP).
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Receiving this news today was particularly poignant as it's 10 years ago this weekend that I attended my first class of my first year of my undergraduate degree. At that time, getting to this stage in my career seemed like lightyears away.
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It has been a long road to reach this point in my career, and although it has been challenging at times, it has been immensely rewarding.
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With the completion of my Diploma in Integrative Supervision and the accreditation process, I can now offer other therapist's support and guidance, and I'm looking forward to
embarking on this next chapter of my career.
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As always, I'm forever grateful to all the wonderful clients that I have worked with over the years and continue to work with.
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07/07/2024

Posted • 🍓 OCD - obsessive-compulsive disorder - is not an adjective or a personality trait or quirk. Using phrases like ”I’m a bit OCD” to refer to being a bit particular, tidy, or a bit bothered when something is out of place, ignores the reality of living with OCD, which can be incredibly distressing, all-consuming, and disabling.
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🍓 When we use phrases like ”I’m so OCD” or ”I’m a bit OCD” we often end up perpetuating misconceptions about OCD even if that isn’t our intention: OCD is still very misunderstood, and many people still don’t know what it really is, or that it can be about *any* theme, not just about things like contamination or tidiness.
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🍓 In general, if you enjoy it, it’s not OCD: someone cleaning because they feel accomplished and happy after it is entirely different from someone cleaning because they’re scared that something horrible will happen if things aren’t perfectly clean.
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06/07/2024

Dr Colman Noctor, Child and Adolescent Pyschotherapist, talks about how the use of metaphor in the film Inside Out can help children and young people tackle complex mental health topics.

In my opinion the Inside Out movies are a must-see for everyone 💙♥️💛💚💜

Dr Colman Noctor, Child and Adolescent Pyschotherapist at St Patrick's Mental Health Services, takes us through how the use of metaphor in the film Inside Out can help children and young people tackle complex mental health topics.

15/05/2024

Absolutely 💯 Therapy is for anyone at any time 💜

Therapy is for anyone at any time. You do not need to have trauma or be in crisis. Therapy is a safe space to explore your feelings and relationships at any time.

17/04/2024

Posted • Reducing mental health stigma in our society is about taking the shame and judgment out of tending to mental health difficulties.

Your nervous system (and how it functions) is shaped by past experiences, trauma, groups and systems you’ve experienced. Your nervous system evolved to help protect you from danger. As such, trauma reactions and mental health difficulties are linked to your nervous system, not something inherently wrong/bad about you. And when you become aware of these patterns of reactivity you have the opportunity to take responsibility for your healing.

✅ Here’s how behavior & emotions can be understood through a nervous system lens:

FIGHT response (activated sympathetic nervous system)
- Irritability, anger, aggression, criticizing, blaming

FLIGHT response (activated sympathetic nervous system)
- Anxiety loops, fear, rumination, panic, avoiding, perfectionism)

FREEZE (dorsal vagal immobilization)
- Stuckness, trouble getting out of bed, spacing out, dissociation, depression, shame

FAWN response (over reliance on ventral vagal + dorsal vagal)
- People-pleasing, avoiding conflict, difficulty saying “no,” trouble with boundaries, loss of s

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References: Polyvagal Theory (Stephen Porges), Schauer & Elbert’s 6 trauma responses, and
Walker’s 4 F Trauma Typology.
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13/04/2024

Posted • Intimately knowing your inner critic is critical to stepping into your power.

It isn’t that we want to destroy the inner critic, because it is part of who we are. Understand the inner critic, that negative internal voice that puts you down and tells you that you “should” be better, different, or farther along the path than you are.

Even when we have breakthroughs, the inner critic judges us for not having realized things earlier. Where and when did this inner critic begin? Whose voice is it? Does an image come to mind? Often when we look behind the inner critic we find fear, pain, shame and loneliness. That young scared kid is what we need to take care of. Caring for that part of us helps us step back into our power.

Have some compassion for your inner critic when you discover who they truly are.

08/04/2024

Happy Monday! ☺️☔️🌧🌦

Posted • It’s not Monday’s fault for being a Monday. Don’t worry though. Every Monday you have experienced you have always got through. You’ve got this.

26/03/2024

A reminder to us all as well as the teens trying to navigate their place in the world 💜

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23/03/2024

Posted • Your nervous system has a HUGE part to do with burnout…

Let me break down this cycle for you.

When you are on the road to burnout, what often happens is :

1️⃣You initially have some energy to complete tasks (whether that work, caregiving, housework)

However the more tasks you have the more burdened (& stressed you become

2️⃣The more tasks you get, the more anxious & overwhelmed you become. This can take you into a fight/ flight response. And the anxious/ glittery energy, can take you down the road of “pushing through” & “hustling.”

3️⃣ In this place you are disconnected from your body & therefore without this interoceptive awareness, you miss out on the signals from within. Not connecting to being tired, overwhelmed or even needing the toilet.

4️⃣ Eventually you burnout: feeling low, frazzled, exhausted & trapped. Your body can’t withstand being in fight/ flight forever, & takes you to a dorsal vagal shutdown.

5️⃣ You may rest for a short while & feel a little better

And then you repeat the cycle all over again…

The problem?

Repeating this cycle repeatedly impacts your RESILIENCE.

Meaning the bounce back each time, will take longer & you will get burnt out quicker each time. Plus longer term you are prone to illnesses, high blood pressure & things like chronic fatigue.

22/03/2024

Posted • .holistic.psychologist Maybe it’s time we start learning how to actually feel our emotions, how to actually be there for someone, and how to grieve. Our anxiety is because we just haven’t learned how

07/03/2024

Posted • Drop a 💚 if you can relate!

02/03/2024