In 2021, in addition to our pre-existing services, The Counselling Centre also now provides EAP Counselling for employers. Larger providers of EAP are not always able to meet the specific needs of small to midsize companies, and therefore are not always an ideal solution for these employers.

At The Counselling Centre, we offer bespoke EAP packages. Contact us to discuss how we can be of service to you as an employer.

The Counselling Centre's opening hours have changed, and are now:

• Monday - Friday: 10am to 10pm
• Saturday: 9am to 4pm
• Sunday: Closed

To enquire about counselling room rental at The Counselling Centre, or to enquire about one of our therapeutic services, contact us here.

Counselling and Psychotherapy are essential services, and as a result are permitted to continue during COVID-19 restrictions. Since re-opening for face to face meetings after the end of the initial lockdown period last year, The Counselling Centre has continued to provide a safe meeting space for clients and therapists to meet.  To ensure the safety of all of our visitors, we have implemented a number of policy and procedural changes. These include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Room usage and session starting times have been staggered to limit persons entering the building at the same time.
• All rooms have been fitted with moveable Perspex barriers.
• All rooms have been refitted to ensure that they meet social distancing requirements.
• Counselling Rooms are cleaned and sanitised by therapists prior to each session.
• The centre is cleaned and sanitised every day.
• Clients are asked not to arrive early for appointments.
• One person maximum at a time in waiting area.
• Hand sanitisers have been stationed throughout the centre. All visitors are asked to sanitise their hands on entry and exit.
• Visitors are asked to wear a mask when visiting the centre.
• Visitors are asked to comply with social distancing while at the centre.

These are difficult times for us all, and it is more important than ever that we look after our mental health. The Counselling Centre will continue to take all reasonable measures to ensure that our therapists can continue to offer face to face counselling safely at the centre.

For more information on our COVID response plan, please enquire with your therapist, or contact the centre directly here.

​Due to the increasing demand for our Affordable Counselling Service, The Counselling Centre is seeking to recruit additional Counsellors and Psychotherapists.

Applications will be accepted from Counsellors & Psychotherapists who are fully qualified and insured, and are members of IACP or an equivalent professional body. Pre-Accredited and Accredited members are welcome to apply.

Successful applicants will form a panel for sessional work. 

Applications will be accepted in the form of C.V. and cover letter. For further information or to apply for this position, contact David Hamill at sdcounsellingcentre@gmail.com

What is Stress?

Stress in a natural reaction, which helps us to cope when certain events place strong demands on us in the course of our everyday lives. Accidents, financial problems, work problems, family and relationship difficulties all lead to stress.

With proper coping skills we can meet our stressful challenges head-on and aspire to achieve our full potential. Some people even thrive on stress and it motivates them to get things done.
Stress and anxiety can affect your interaction with friends and family, your working relationships, and adversely disrupt the overall quality of your life.

Studies have also revealed that stress triggers panic attacks, irritable bowel syndrome, somatic illnesses, phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder, addictions, suicidal ideation, self-harm, low self esteem, and many other debilitating conditions. Studies have even shown that stress can increase the growth rate of cancer cells in the body.

Stress can manifest itself in sweating, palpitations, rapid heart beat, faintness, dizziness, dry mouth, shaking, crying, shouting irrationally, etc.

Your body produces adrenaline and cortisol (which is a by-product of adrenaline) in order to energise and prepare itself to face stressful events. Your body needs to relax between stressful episodes; otherwise your over stressed body is producing more of these chemicals than it can healthily manage.

Unless you learn to manage your stress effectively you are at a high risk of "burning out", and this will in turn have a negative and harmful impact on your physical and mental health.

Stress affects everyone differently and therefore requires a wide range of different coping strategies to manage. You should choose the strategies which work best for you in any given situation.
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It is impossible to eliminate stress from your life (in fact, a certain amount of stress is required to function normally). However, it is imperative that you learn the skills necessary to manage it. By effectively managing your stress on an ongoing basis, you improve and expand your coping skills and your life and health will improve accordingly.

The Empower Yourself Series of books (republished here as articles) evolved as a common sense step by step approach to personal dilemmas that can happen to anyone, at any time, during their lifetime. Our aim is to reach as many people as possible in order to help them to empower themselves.

You are the person best equipped to identify what you need to live a happy and satisfying life. In these articles we aim to provide you with essential information and therapy skills to enable you to deal with your immediate problem on a 24/7 basis.

Think of this collection of articles as a toolbox that will assist you in building up your own skills and in so doing, help you to use the talents that you have to deal with what is causing anxiety, stress, panic attacks, and anger in your life.

Each category of articles in the series is a stand alone, single problem solution based aid.

The strategies outlined in this series can be used by anyone as needed throughout their life, regardless of gender, culture, religion, political affiliations, ethnicity or sexual orientation. However we stress that this series of articles is not an alternative to prescribed medical interventions, or to therapy itself, but rather to support them.

Those considering therapy, or those who have no knowledge or experience of therapy whatsoever, or who are fearful of what therapy involves, will benefit greatly from the articles extracted from the Empower Yourself Series. The series is also a helpful reference / guide to those who are already in therapy.

The strategies and information outlined in these articles may give the reader an insight into what might happen during counselling sessions. This in turn may help to reduce the mystery, stigma, and fear-factor sometimes associated with the counselling process.

Embracing the strategies detailed in the Empower Yourself Series will empower you on a personal level, and will also promote both your physical /mental health, and help to improve many other aspects of your life.

Be sure to bookmark the updates page on our site, or subscribe to the RSS feed, so you don't miss out.

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The information above is extracted from The Empower Yourself book series, written by Mariad Burke and Dr. Phil Robert. Dr. Phil Robert can be found online at: www.philrobertcounsellor.com.

Some more of Dr. Robert's work can be found at : www.youtube.com/channel/UCvf7cfpoDr1aXPJco6edbVA

Disclaimer: The material presented above is provided for general information purposes only and does not constitute care, treatment or other professional advice. Should you require specific help, you should seek the assistance of an appropriately trained professional person.

​Earlier this year we added Room 4 to The Counselling Centre. This addition means that we have now increased the capacity of the centre to provide Counselling & Therapeutic services by 100%. This addition to capacity was needed, as the demand for our services continues to grow.

When The Counselling Centre first opened its doors in 2016, we provided a room rental service for Counsellors and Therapists. In 2018 we now also offer two additional services: Psychotherapy for Students of Counselling & Psychotherapy, and the Affordable Counselling Service.

The Counselling Centre was created to meet the demand for a professional centre, custom designed for Counselling & Psychotherapy. Over the last two years we have grown to meet additional needs in this sector, and it is our aim to continue to grow and develop so that we remain the premier provider of Counselling and Therapy rooms in South Dublin.

We are exceptionally pleased with how The Counselling Centre has grown and evolved in it's first two years. Our website will be updated soon to reflect the aesthetic changes that the centre has undergone through its maturing. Most of all, however, we are excited to see what developments the next two years will bring.

At The Counselling Centre we aim to support and meet the needs of individuals who are training to be professional Counsellors and Psychotherapists. Becoming a professional Counsellor requires a commitment to undertake the journey of personal discovery.  A core component of training in the field of Counselling and Psychotherapy is the undertaking of one’s own therapy, as it is not possible to guide and accompany a person to psychological depths that you have not yet reached yourself.

We also understand that the journey towards qualification as a professional Counsellor and Psychotherapist is an expensive one. To this end, we have a number of therapists at The Counselling Centre who have agreed to set aside a portion of their client hours to offer Psychotherapy for students of Counselling and Psychotherapy at a reduced cost. 

To apply for this service please visit our Students of Counselling and Psychotherapy page.

As you might be aware, back in August we launched our Affordable Counselling Service. Now that this service has been in operation for a couple of months, we have really noticed how great the need for such a service is.
 
It very quickly became clear that there is a great need for more affordable, yet professional Counselling & Psychotherapy services in the Dublin area. Right from day one the amount of enquiries that we have received regarding the Affordable Counselling Service have been higher than expected. We were aware that there was a need for our service, but perhaps we were not aware just how great the need was.
 
In recent years a number of affordable counselling services in the area have closed. This has led to a gap where many people who have need of professional counselling and psychotherapy have not been able to avail of it due to the cost.
 
Also of note is the fact that in recent years there has been a change in the dialogue around mental health. This has led to a greater understanding and acceptance around mental health concerns (although much still remains to be done). More and more people, who may have suffered alone in the past, are becoming aware of the benefits that Counselling & Psychotherapy can bring for our mental health. This has led to a greater number of people looking to access these services; but as not everyone has the same means, cost has been a prohibitive factor for some.
 
At The Counselling Centre, we are doing our part to help address this need for lower priced therapy in Dublin. Since we have launched the Affordable Counselling Service, we have successfully matched over 90% of enquiries from people looking for affordable counselling, with fully qualified therapists who can provide them with the service that they require.
 
At The Counselling Centre we have a number of fully qualified Counsellors  & Psychotherapists who have set aside a number of hours each week to offer professional Counselling & Psychotherapy at an affordable rate. If you wish to avail of this service please get in touch by calling us on 083 3509099 or by filling out the enquiry form here.