Careers in Psychology Event

This event is hosted by My Psychology Ireland.

We bring together a range of psychologists from across the variouls professions to speak to students, graduate & early career psychologists.

Please keep an eye on our event page where we will update our Psychologist Panel.

Psychology Panel

Dr Rachel Gately (Educational Psychologist) 

Rachel is a chartered psychologist from Galway who established Solas Psychology in 2020 after discovering a need for the provision of high quality psychological services in the West of Ireland. She offers a range of psychological services and enjoys working with children and families to affect positive change where possible. Rachel has over 13 years' experience working with children, young people and families. She is registered as a chartered psychologist with the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI) and also maintains her registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) in the UK. She is a committee member of the PSI Special Interest Group, Psychologists in Private Practice.

She completed her doctoral training in Educational and Child Psychology at the University of Birmingham between 2010 and 2014 and has experience of guest lecturing to students on this course. She completed her thesis on children in the care system and as a result, has developed a specialist interest in this area. Since qualifying, Rachel has worked as a Local Authority educational psychologist, as a child and family therapist in the charity sector and as clinical lead for a diagnostic autism team. She has also worked as part of a multidisciplinary NHS team concerned with the diagnosis of autism in young children up to the age of 4. She is trained in a diverse range of therapeutic approaches including Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy, Theraplay, and Video Interaction Guidance. In addition to her interest in the field of developmental trauma, she has specialist interests in autism and the identification and treatment of primitive reflexes in early development.

Yvonne Cunningham (Educational Psychologist)

Catherine Rice (Counselling Psychologist)

Catherine is a Counselling Psychologist with over eight years of comprehensive training and experience. She holds a doctorate in Counselling Psychology from Trinity College Dublin and has worked with a wide range of clients, from children to older adults, in various settings, including the HSE, TCD Student Counselling Service, Jigsaw, and several voluntary mental health and disability services.

Catherine is trained in multiple psychological approaches, including Person-Centred Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT), and Psychodynamic Therapy. She works in an integrative way, meaning she combines different psychological theories and techniques to suit the unique needs of each person. Her therapeutic approach is strongly grounded in person-centred and psychodynamic theory. This means she believes in the importance of building a trusting, collaborative relationship with each client and takes the time to understand their unique experiences. Through this approach, she explores how past relationships and experiences influence current thoughts, feelings, and behaviours, helping clients gain insight, make sense of challenges in their lives, and work toward meaningful change.

Catherine works with a wide range of mental health challenges, providing compassionate support for issues such as anxiety, depression, stress, relationship difficulties, trauma, low self-esteem, and more. She also helps clients navigate life transitions, manage overwhelming emotions, and cope with everyday stressors. As a member of the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI), Catherine is committed to upholding the highest standards of professional ethics and ongoing learning. She currently works with adult clients at My Psychology Ireland.

Dr Patricia Barber (Counselling Psychologist)

My Psychology Ireland was founded in 2022 by Dr Patricia Barber. Patricia is a HCPC registered Counselling Psychologist and a Chartered member of the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI).

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Patricia worked in Scotland for five years prior to moving back to Ireland where she worked within the NHS. In 2021 she opened her own practice in Galway City which has quickly expanded to My Psychology Ireland.

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Across her career she has worked in a variety of mental health teams, including working within secondary and higher education colleges, third sector organisations and the National Health Service (NHS). Patricia is passionate about working with children and young people dealing with anxiety & depression. Patricia has worked extensively with individuals who have experienced trauma of various natures  and has a passion for providing evidence based psychological therapy to survivors of abuse.

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As a Counselling Psychologist Patricia is trained in Person Centred and Cognitive Behavioural therapy.  She also has experience working with parental alienation, reunification therapy and family based therapy.

Dr Gerry Dolan (Clinical Psychologist) 

Dr Gerry Dolan is a Clinical Psychologist with special interests in identity and childhood adversity. Gerry has a background in the armed forces, and has published a number of academic and mainstream articles around individual/social identity. Prior to completing his doctoral training, Gerry trained in CBT and has worked within the NHS, charitable, prison and homeless settings. Gerry completed his Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at Trinity College Dublin in 2022 and since then has worked in both primary and secondary care child services. More recently he has moved to a role specialising in Neurodiversity across the lifespan

Dr Malie Coyne (Clinical Psychologist)

Dr. Malie Coyne is a Chartered Clinical Psychologist, Bestselling Author, Parent, and

Clinical Psychology Lecturer for the Doctor of Psychological Science at University of

Galway. Malie released her award-winning book “Love in, Love out: A compassionate

approach to parenting your anxious child” with Harper Collins Ireland in July 2020. Malie

is Psychological Lead and Co-Author on the A Lust for Life Primary Schools Programme,

which is reaching one third of primary schools in Ireland, and she is currently working

on the Secondary Schools Programme. She sits on the A Lust for Life Mental Health

Advisory Panel. Malie has a special interest in neurodiversity and is conducting autism

assessments with Solas Psychology. With her considerable experience of working with

clients throughout the lifespan, Malie is fast becoming one of the leading voices in

compassionate self-care in Ireland. Through her advocacy work, public speaking and

print, radio and television contributions, Malie shines a light on mental health issues

and promotes meaningful wellbeing throughout the lifespan. Malie lives in Galway with

her husband and two little ladies.

For more of her work, see www.drmaliecoyne.ie or follow Malie on Twitter (X) and

Instagram (@maliecoyne) or Facebook / Linkedin (Dr. Malie Coyne).

Hannah Cummins (Assistant Psychologist)

Hannah is currently an assistant psychologist working within Primary Care Child and Family Psychology, HSE West. Prior to this, she worked as an assistant psychologist and as a research assistant at Cancer Care West. She has applied her skills in other settings in order to build her experience, such as working as a support worker for the Peter Mcverry Trust and volunteering with the Samaritans, Ability West, and ASSC, the child and adolescent accompaniment service.

Hannah completed her Bachelor of Arts (International) degree in Psychological Studies and German in 2019, completing an Erasmus year in Berlin, before continuing on to the HDipA (Psychology - Conversion) in 2020 and the MSc in Health Psychology in 2021, all at the University of Galway. She aspires to become a clinical psychologist.

Megal Oglesby

Megan is a first-year Trainee Clinical Psychologist at the University of Galway, and the PSI Early Graduate Group Co-Conference Coordinator. She holds a BA in Cultural Anthropology and later earned an MSc in Psychology (Conversion). Megan was part of the inaugural cohort of the MSc in Applied Clinical Neuropsychology at Trinity College Dublin which ignited her passion in neuropsychology. She has clinical research experience with individuals with Multiple Sclerosis and has worked with LGBTQIA+ older adults to improve dementia services within this community. She has also worked in a combined research and clinical role with ischemic stroke patients. In addition, Megan has volunteered with two services within a mental health charity and most recently helped to organize the PSI EGG conference this September.

The event will include

6pm-6.45pm Q&A session with Psychology Panel.

Break

7pm-8pm for smaller breakout groups were you will have the chance to speak in smaller groups to the psychologists.