Caoine

05/08/2025

S U R R E N D E R

Powerful and comforting words from Mary Coughlan on being in addiction.

‘’The hardest part is stopping
Find somebody you can talk too
Get new friends
You only need one good person in your life
Who knows all the good and the bad
Does not shame you for it
Does not scold you for it
You are the way you are because of what has happened to you’’

03/08/2025

‘’There really is no better place than our lovely little island in the Sunmer’’⛰️🌊🧘🏻🎶🎤 Séamus & Caoimhe

31/07/2025

T H A N K
Y O U 💐

The time has come for me to say goodbye to Knock Counselling Centre.
It has been an honour and a privilege to work as a therapist in this truly special place.

The healing spirit of Knock is somthing I will carry with me always. The breathtaking gardens, the peaceful meditation walk, and the deeply reflective atmosphere of this sacred space has informed and enriched my practice in ways I will carry with me always.

The small mindful acts of lighting a candle, surrendering the burden to somthing bigger than us, sitting on the back bench talking to a stranger in the adoration chapel, they too, giving themselves permission to surrender thier woe to somthing bigger than themselves. Sitting in the memorial garden sharing a cuppa with a client, bearing witness, trying to figure out how to put one foot in front of the other - sipping, crying breathing, surrendering, grateful- repeat.

These sacred surroundings offered more than beauty; they provided stillness, depth, and a quiet invitation to listen—to both others and to the self. That spirit shaped how I held space for each person who came through my door. For that, I am forever grateful.

To all of the clients I’ve had the privilege to work with: thank you for your trust. It has been a gift to witness your courage, growth, and healing. To my dear colleagues thank you for your continued guidance, wisdom, knowledge and support. - I could not have done it without you.

To the wider Knock shrine staff —your warmth and kindness will never be forgotten.

As I begin this next chapter, I leave with a full heart, deep gratitude, and a continued commitment to this work and where it leads me next.

With sincere thanks💐

Le Gřa
Angi

29/07/2025

17/07/2025

💗💚

"If you didn’t do it at forty, then do it at sixty. The only thing that matters—is that you do it!"

My grandmother, who lived to be 97, always told me that life only gets better with time. And now? I finally understand what she meant.

Age is a funny thing. We live in a world obsessed with timelines—marry by this age, succeed by that age, retire by another. Miss a milestone? Society tells you the moment is gone forever.

But here’s the truth: that’s a lie.

If your twenties were full of doubts, make your forties wild.
If your forties were consumed by responsibilities, dance through your sixties.
If you didn’t burn brightly back then—ignite now.

There’s no deadline on joy. No expiration date on reinvention. No too-late for dreams.

So wear the bold colors. Book the ticket. Learn the language. Start over.

Because late? Is always better than never.

✨
— Tilda Swinton

15/07/2025

14/07/2025

🍃How I Work 🍃

At CAOINE I work with women in an integrative woman centered counselling approach which focuses on the unique needs and experiences of women. Often within a framework that acknowledges societal and systemic factors impacting their mental health. It emphasizes women's strengths, promotes empowerment, and considers the psychological, physical, social, cultural, and spiritual aspects of women’s lives and the overall impact on their wellbeing.

Put simply 🍃

What is it like to live in your world right now? what is it like to live in your body right now? What are your relationships like?
Are you coping?
What does safety look like?
How are your heart and mind interpreting the world you live in?
Could they be impacting the issues you’re facing?
Are you resourced for progression?
Do I have the capacity to develop the parts of myself that require growth?

Healing is not easy…

At CAOINE we explore the chaotic and prickly world of healing in a safe space.
In female focused psychotherapy there is an emphasis on the 'what happened to you' as opposed to 'what is wrong with you'.

How can we manage limitations, live well within our bodies, our homes and relationships with the resources and capacity we have.









(📣 www.caoine.ie - opening September 2025)

14/07/2025

We look forward to seeing you on Friday at the launch of ‘Seeking Safety’. In Boyle Family Resource Centre with Roscommon Women's Network - RWN

Looking forward to coffee, chats and empowering conversations.

See you then💜

All are welcome to join us at our launch of Seeking Safety in Boyle Family Resource Centre on Friday 18th July from 10am-11am. We will have guest speakers including women whose lives have been positively affected by the Seeking Safety therapy program. For more information contact Angi Dixon adixon@rwn.ie.
Tea/coffee and refreshments served.

Women's Collective Ireland Western Region Drug and Alcohol Task Force Roscommon Safe Link Seeking Safety

01/07/2025

P R I M A L
S C R E A M

What would I say if this woman came into the counselling room?

I would venture: Nothing.

Because there is nothing.
There are no words to lend to what has happened.
To what some of us are carrying.
The death of a child?
A trauma too great to speak off?
When Alzheimer’s robs us of our loved ones.

The pain is too primal, too animalistic, too fundamentally incommunicable for notions like “consolation”.

But there has to be some way of representing the experience that we as women still struggle to ‘’caoine’’ or put ‘’voice’ too.

In this image of ‘Woman with dead Child’ while this image is about child loss, it could be representative of any loss. The self, the part we lose to Alzheimer’s, the parts we lose to illness and disease and death itself.

the artist Kollwitz gives it to us straight. There is no need for tact in grief . She doesn’t fuss around with style or narrative- the grief- is the narrative. She gives it to us straight: an etching, of grief scratched out of charcoal in
Half human, half monster form.

The monster like image is filled with everything that grief is,
Sadness, anger, despair, futility, hopelessness and consume.

We become monstrous when we are isolated, beyond reach. And nothing is more isolating, more incommunicable to those around us watching this unfold.

So when we cannot summon the words
Maybe that is just enough of a place to start?

Make friends with the monster
Let it pull up a chair
Sit together
Don’t ask anything of each other
Hold each other
Travel together
Keep each other safe
That’s enough for now.

Grief can make monsters of us all.




Image: ‘Woman with Dead Child’ - Kollwitz 1903

30/06/2025

B E G I N
A G A I N

Dear Body
You turn forty five today
You are a better fit than 40.
You didn't throw the dress away from 13 years ago,
not because you wanted to fit into it,
but because you didn't want to let that part of yourself go.
you never let go - not once.
We had some really difficult times
We had some really great times
You went back to college
You studied through a pandemic
You homeschooled 2 small humans through a pandemic
a Junior Cert and a Leaving Cert.
After putting your kids to bed
You would jump in the car
to do the night shift with mum
We had some really difficult nights
we had some really great nights
You graduated
twice.
They weren't there to see you
But, they got you there.
There was a wake up call
Your health took a hit
You had some really difficult days
You had some really difficult days
So,
Quietly and without decleration
You,
Began again.
Regained your health
Found a sport that you love
Found a tribe that gets you
You got the therapy
You got the medication
You got the right people around you
You embraced the ‘grief stripe’ in your hair that refused to be coloured over, no matter how many times you tried.
You,
You embraced the parts that would not be hid or silenced.
So,
Dear 45
You are a better fit
You are the pair of shoes I have been looking for all this time
There is wiggle room with you.
20’s where the shoes that are tight and pinchy but you force yourself into them anyway to feel accepted.
30’s are the ‘weird low heel queen mum outfit years - am I this person now?
40's are the - f**k this, f**k the fascinators - where are my converse and concert T-shirt?!
I’m claiming myself back.
The ceiling arrives at 40
At 45
You become your own best friend.
All the shi*e
All the baggage
All the stuff you have been holding on too.
Gone.
Done.
You have been knocking for a long time trying to get in .
There is nothing no one can give you
That you can’t get for yourself.
Dear 45
When was the last time you chose
‘Yourself’
‘What happens if you are on pause for long enough’?

Dear 45 for all the goodbyes and endings I have reconciled over the years. I thank you for the doors that have opened in their wake and that every version of myself that I let go for a stronger one to grow in her place.

There is a past version of you that would be so proud of the growth and progress you have made.

25/06/2025

💜 Today is Go Purple Day! 💜

Go Purple Day is about showing support for survivors and people experiencing domestic abuse spreading the message that help is always available, join An Garda Síochána and domestic abuse services across Ireland in raising awareness and standing united against domestic abuse.

Purple stands for love, strength, dignity, and independence—values that reflect a community committed to ending abuse.

Even a small act like wearing purple sends a strong message: You are not alone.

📸 Pictured: Letty, our Community & Family Development Support Worker, and Angie Dixon from the Roscommon Seeking Safety Programme.

Seeking Safety is an evidence-based integrated treatment programme for women who have experienced trauma, addiction, gender-based violence, and/or mental health challenges. Its core goal is to help participants gain safety and learn to manage addictive behaviors, emotions, impulses, and past trauma.

Together, we can build a future with zero tolerance for domestic abuse. 💪