Meet Our Team

“If you take responsibility for what you are doing to yourself, how you produce your symptoms, how you produce your illness, how you produce your existence—the very moment you get in touch with yourself—growth begins, integration begins”. –Fritz Perls

Hank O’Mahony – Director.BA MA MIAHIP

Hank O’Mahony is a graduate of New York University with a Masters of Education. Studying with Sol Alinksy in the 1960’s he worked with a number of community groups on self development and leadership training. Since coming to Ireland in 1972 he has continued his work in education. Meeting with Joan and Eoin O’Leary in 1974 he began training in Gestalt Psychotherapy as a solid and safe method of promoting personal development. In 1983 he joined Joan O’Leary in providing the training for Gestalt Psychotherapists. This led to the establishment of the Irish Gestalt Centre. During this time he has been involved in developing the training courses and helping to further the aims of the IGC.

Tricia Norris – BA[Hons] PGCE Dip. IGC MA FRSA BACP Senior Registered Practitioner [Counselling and Supervisior]

Tricia Norris is a BACP senior registered practitioner [Counselling and Supervision ] with more than 20 years experience in the field. After initial counsellor training at COMPASS in Liverpool she trained in Gestalt Therapy with Joan O’Leary and Hank O’Mahony . Subsequently she completed an MA at Keele University and an Advanced Psychotherapy and Supervision Training at PHYSIS with Professor Petruska Clarkson.Tricia has acted as an external examiner to university counselling courses and taught counselling up to Masters level. Since 1999 she has worked part time as an Accreditation Assessor with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. Tricia’s private practice includes individual therapy, supervision, training and consultancy.

Gill Naylor – Dip IGC, BACP.

Gill Naylor graduated from the Irish Gestalt Centre in 1982. Since then she has worked in private practice working with individuals and couples. Her earlier training was in group process with the Northern Churches Training. Since her graduation she has worked in various colleges and universities teaching Human Development, counselling, assertiveness and communication skills. She runs personal Development skills groups around the North West of England, mostly in her home town of Liverpool. Her particular areas of interest are bodywork and sexuality issues. She has worked as a trainer with the Irish Gestalt Centre for the last sixteen years.

Karen Ilean Shorten – MIAHIP MIACP MICP MEAU

Karen trained in the Institute for Creative Counselling and Psychotherapy, The Irish Gestalt Centre and supervision training with the Personal Counselling Institute. Karen has been practicing as a psychotherapist for the last 16 years working with supervisees, individuals, groups. She also teaches students Gestalt theory in practice. For the last 5 years she has been involved in running the Personal Development Programme of the Irish Gestalt Centre with Joan O’Leary and Hank O’Mahony.

Dan McCarthy B.A., H. Dip. Ed., MIAHIP

Dan graduated from N.U.I., Maynooth College, with a degree in Sociology and History in 1974. He taught in Milford, Co. Donegal from 1976 to 2009 and was involved in the development and implementation of Lifeskills programmes. This work sparked an interest in personal development and he attended a number of workshops in the Irish Gestalt Centre in the late 1980’s which eventually led to participation in the training programme from 1989 to 1993. He continued to work in education and from 2000 to 2009 he worked as a Home/School/ Community Liaison Co-ordinator while developing his own private practice.

In 2005 he completed a Diploma in Supervision with I.G.C. He now works full time in private practice as a therapist and Supervisor.

Brenda Boland – Dip IGC. MIACP.

Brenda graduated from the IGC in 2004 and also completed a post-graduate diploma in play therapy. She is currently completing an Msc. in Gestalt Psychotherapy at the Metanoia Institute. Brenda works in a private practice with Adults and Children