Siobhan O Donnell
Siobhan O Donnell
Work Experience
Having supported children and their parents and families as an art therapist for over twenty years in schools and community organisations, Siobhan’s experience includes working with issues such as separation and loss, stress, anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, and supporting deeper reflection and personal growth. Siobhan has been in private practice offering art therapy to adults, children, and young people since 2018. She currently provides therapeutic support to children and families at Barnardo’s Children’s Bereavement Service.
Underpinning Philosophy
Siobhan has an interest in attachment which means the learned patterns of relationship that continue to impact on our embodied experience of ourselves, and our relationships with others. Sometimes our nervous systems have become overwhelmed by experiences that have felt like too much and so can’t be integrated. Phrases such as having a ‘gut feeling’ remind us of how much of our experiencing happens on a bodily level and is hard to think our way out of. Mindfulness based psychotherapy brings attention to what is happening in the moment. Enquiring together into what an experience feels like from the inside and bringing kindness to it, supports awareness without judgement. This allows a space for reflection and curiosity to explore feelings, thoughts and felt experience and to be open to the health in ourselves as well as the difficulty.
Academic Background
Siobhan holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Art Therapy (2001) and an MA in Art Therapy (2007) from Crawford College of Art (CIT Cork) and is an accredited member of IACAT, the Irish Association of Creative Arts Therapists. With an original background in fine art (BA Belfast 1989) Siobhan brings a creative and flexible approach to helping you to explore personal issues and concerns. Her own mindfulness practice and an interest in the body-based understanding of trauma led to training in Mindfulness Based Core Process Psychotherapy with the Karuna Institute in the UK. Now in the fourth year and completing practice hours for professional qualification, she is a registered Trainee member of the regulatory body, the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) and abides by their ethical standards. Siobhan is currently offering low cost psychotherapy to adult clients and regrets that she is not currently available to work with under 18s.
