IJCP Volume 20 • Issue 4 • Winter 2020
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The Irish Journal of Counselling and Psychotherapy formerly • Volume 20 • Issue 4 • Winter 2020 • The Wisdom of Our Elders • The creative arts offer many unique contributions to psychotherapy and Equality, Diversity counselling: A student’s subjective review • Why there is still a need for Pride celebrations in Ireland? & Inclusion • ‘That safety of naming’: exploring internalised homonegativity in LGBTQ+ therapists and its impact on therapeutic work • Psychotherapists’ Lived Experience of Psychological Blind Spots: Findings from a Hermeneutic Phenomenological Enquiry Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy IJCP Volume 20 • Issue 4 • Winter 2020 Contents From the Editor 3 Our Title In Autumn 2017, our title changed The Wisdom of Our Elders 4 from “Éisteach” to “The Irish Journal By Dr Karen Ward of Counselling and Psychotherapy” or “IJCP” for short. The creative arts offer many unique contributions to 8 psychotherapy and counselling: A student’s subjective review Disclaimer: By Eileen M. Higgins The views expressed in this publication, save where otherwise Why there is still a need for Pride celebrations in Ireland? 11 indicated, are the views of By Dermot McCarthy contributors and not necessarily the views of the Irish Association for ‘That safety of naming’: exploring internalised homonegativity 15 Counselling and Psychotherapy. The in LGBTQ+ therapists and its impact on therapeutic work appearance of an advertisement in By Neil O’Connor this publication does not necessarily indicate approval by the Irish Psychotherapists’ Lived Experience of Psychological Blind 22 Association for Counselling and Spots: Findings from a Hermeneutic Phenomenological Enquiry Psychotherapy for the product or By Melanie McGovern service advertised. Book Review 29 Next Issue: 1st March 2021 Poetry 30 Deadline for Advertising Noticeboard 31 Submissions for Next Issue: 1st February 2021 For more information regarding advertising please contact Hugh Editorial Board: O’Donoghue, Communications and Mike Hackett (Chair), Cóilín Ó Braonáin, Hugh Morley, Maureen McKay Media Officer by email: [email protected] Redmond, Kaylene Petersen, Annette Murphy, Terry Naughton, Lynne or by phone: (01) 214 79 33 Caffrey. Editor: Scripts: Mike Hackett Each issue of IJCP is planned well in advance of the publication date and Design and layout: some issues are themed. If you are GKD.ie interested in submitting an article ISSN: for consideration, responding to 2565-540X the Therapist’s Dilemma or wish to contribute a book or workshop review Advertising rates and deadlines: or Letter to the Editor, please see Contact the IACP for details. (Early booking essential) ‘Guidelines for Submitting Articles’ © Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy – IACP on the IACP website, www.iacp.ie. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in, or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, Contacting IJCP: photocopying, recording, or otherwise), except for brief referenced extracts for the purpose [email protected] of review, without the prior written permission of the copyright owners. Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy Volume 20 • Issue 4 • Winter 2020 IJCP From the Editor: being somewhat irrelevant due to the significant societal change and acceptance of LGBT+ people, while simultaneously exposing the impact of heteronormativity and minority stress and the findings of recent studies exploring LGBT+ mental health challenges, Dermot makes a case for Pride to continue and become even more inclusive despite all that’s been accomplished. In the second piece, Neil O’Connor presents a remarkable insight into the lived experiences of LGBT+ therapists’ “internalised homonegativity and its impact on Dear Colleagues, to each, exploring themes from therapeutic work”. Neil’s work the past, present and future. stresses the vital importance of Hello and welcome to the Winter What is particularly striking is the “cultural competency education 2020 Issue of the Irish Journal of humility with which they reflect on for therapists, and the central role Counselling and Psychotherapy on their myriad contributions to our played by therapist self-examination the topic of Equality, Diversity & profession over time. We are all and engagement with personal Inclusion. Due to the success of the indeed truly blessed to stand on the process” a useful call to action to all recent IACP Conference on the same shoulders of such giants. of us, irrespective of our sexuality. theme, we present five articles, Exploring creative arts through Our final academic work comes some of which broaden and build her own lived experience as a from the IACP Research Bursary on the areas offered at the 17th psychotherapy student, and mother Award winner for 2020, Melanie October event. Further, our content of a child diagnosed with Autism McGovern from Galway. Melanie’s represents a diverse cross-section Spectrum Disorder, Eileen Higgins work represents a phenomenological of our professional community provides a rich account of this enquiry into “psychotherapists’ lived from student voices, to practising remarkable vehicle for personal professionals, researchers and the transformation. Eileen’s work was experience of psychological blind wisdom of senior clinicians. We selected to provide additional spots”. Through this exploration, hope you enjoy the brief respite from testimony to Eoin Stephen’s we are reminded of our duty as all things COVID-19 related and find conference 2020 submission both people and professionals to something to revitalise, nourish and “’Working Therapeutically with Adult “question not only our subjectivity prompt your winter reflections in the Autistic Clients: A Neurodiversity but others short-sightedness … months ahead. Perspective”. Her final thought is for it is only through the potency Our first article by Dr Karen Ward perhaps a useful reminder to all of of awareness that we have the gives voice to the elder members us engaged in personal process potential to change”. This final piece of our professional community. work; “when words fail, art may offers much as we all strive to hone Perhaps often overlooked, their prevail!”. our personal and professional ethos tremendous experience and wisdom, Next, two articles add different of Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity. accumulated over many decades perspectives on the topic of Finally, on behalf of the Editorial can often remain locked away and LGBT+ dynamics, building on Dil Committee of the IJCP, I would like out of sight. Including these voices Wickremasinghe’s conference to offer you, your families and those in this issue provides richness and submission “Inspiring Change in Self you care about our very best wishes context to our current practice and and Society”. In the first, Dermot for Christmas and the New Year and contextualises our profession as McCarthy explores “Why there is a brighter, less worrisome 2021 we undergo further change and still a need for Pride celebrations ahead. growth. Karen selects five wise in Ireland”. Addressing both the elders and asks four questions assumptive position of LGBT+ Pride Mike Hackett. Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy 3 IJCP Volume 20 • Issue 4 • Winter 2020 Practitioner Perspective The Wisdom of Our Elders By Dr Karen Ward The Interview Questions For this reflective piece, I felt that open-ended questions, of a more philosophical nature, would elicit the insight and erudition of the 5 participants while allowing them the opportunity to offer their perceptions about the counselling and psychotherapy profession and mental health in Ireland. Their words are presented verbatim as I made a conscious decision to purposely step aside to allow their sagaciousness shine forth. These were: • How do you view the Irish mental health system of the past? • How do you view it presently? ithin our counselling and senior colleagues, the pioneers • What are your dreams for the Wpsychotherapy community of our profession and how most future of mental health in Ireland? resides a deep repository of of us only hear their wealth of • What do you see as your wisdom and knowledge from experience at various AGMs or personal contribution to Irish our most seasoned members. Forums, if at all. I felt there was a mental health with the principle The voices of our elder, more dearth of their insightful specialist that ‘one person can make a experienced professionals, experience in written form difference’? in essence the pillars of our especially those who are founders community, are perhaps more of IACP, the largest association Interviewees Short Biographies & vital than ever in our vastly for the profession in the country. Contributions changing world. Inspired by the ‘Viktor Frankl’ Ursula O’Farrell was one of the Having been a member of the series of interviews published in founding members of IAC (a former Irish Association for Counselling the Irish Journal of Counselling incarnation of IACP) in 1981 and and Psychotherapy (IACP) for & Psychotherapy (IJCP)1, I invited was Cathaoirleach from 1991 over 19 years, I am increasingly some of our elder associates – 1995. She set up her private conscious of the diversity within and ex-Cathaoirligh to answer 4 practice in the early ‘80s and our client cohort and indeed within philosophical style open ended retired in 2015. She has written the counselling community. This questions. Patricia Kennedy, Joe several books on counselling journal, the many conferences Heffernan, Ursula O’Farrell and based on the courses she gave in and workshops available today Cecilia Homan kindly gave me Maynooth College for many years. provoke thinking on wider issues their heartfelt answers to the Patricia Kennedy, with a BA, MA including those of inclusivity and past, present and future of our and PhD in psychology from UCD, equality. In this context, I began profession along with well-known has been a stalwart member of to reflect on the wisdom of our psychiatrist Ivor Browne. IACP for many years. She was 1 Written by Prof. James C. Overholser and published in the IJCP with Part 1 appearing in Spring 2018, Part 2 in Summer 2018 and Part 3, in Autumn 2018.