- Life-Enhancing Changes
- Coping with Stress
- Coping with Depression
- Trauma Therapy
- Addiction Management
- Relational Issues
- Family Systems Therapy
Members of the:
British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists and bound by the BACP Code of Ethics.
Our Pastoral Counsellors are:
Padraig Gallagher & Ruth Groff
- We can allow this rhythm to be disrupted either by others or by our reluctance to keep in step with our own emotional, psychological and spiritual development.
- We can grow to fear change in that we convince ourselves that it will undermine the stability that we have created for ourselves in the midst of our own 'stuckness'. Challenge the workable, liveable mediocrity that enables us to survive the harshness of our own personal reality.
Pastoral Counselling is about enabling us to rejoin the rhythm of God's sacred dance. It combines the best of modern psychological theory with the insights that God's holy word has to offer so as to guide us on our pilgrim journey.
It is a truly holistic approach that is respectful of the person's own story and beliefs, but which shows that transition and change can be a very positive and powerful force for good in a person's own life and relationships. A wonderful discovery of the goodness and peace that God longs for us to enjoy as we join in the sacred dance of God's creative love at the heart of creation.
The liberating, life-giving word of God tells us that we can have life to the full. That we can make changes that are alive with hope and that draw us forward with a renewed sense of our own dignity.
Good modern psychological theory has begun to accept that we are spiritual as well as human beings. In our counselling therapeutic approach we draw upon the Person-Centred [Rogers] and Constructive-Developmental [Kegan] theories.
- Both of these therapeutic approaches have a profound respect for the dignity and integrity of human person.
- Both ensure that the client is in control of and has ownership of the therapeutic process.
- Both strive to enable and empower the client to better understand that restless creativity within, which is constantly striving to transform and open self up to new levels of personal development.
- Both respect personal development as a life-long process of longing to make sense of our life experiences for we are unavoidable meaning-makers.
All of us go through difficult times that make demands of us emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually. Even though we have tried to cope and deal with them, they return causing frustration, anger, stress and depression. We can get professional help to deal with these issues.
Pastoral Counselling
Modern psychology accepts the importance of spirituality for good physical and mental health. Health psychology has taken the lead in researching such things as the power of prayer in combating illness, and the importance of faith and faith communities in prevention of and recovery from physical and emotional illness.
Today there is an increased interest in the teachings and practices of meditation that has opened the door to a longing for richer spiritual experiences in many people's lives. To meet these needs, more and more therapists are learning to integrate spirituality into psychotherapy.
Pastoral counselling is a totally integrated approach which respects the spiritual dimension of our lives. It is not about turning people into believers. Like any good counsellor, the pastoral counsellor respects the dignity and the freedom of every human person. A professional pastoral counsellor will never speak about God or belief unless the client first raises the issue and wishes it to be included in the therapeutic process.
Ruth brings to the therapeutic process 22 years of working with individuals and groups who are often described as being on the margins not only of society but of life.
She has been responsible for developing outreach programmes to the homeless, the elderly and youth in Chicago. While working in parish and hospital chaplaincy ministries, she obtained a Masters in Pastoral Studies and became a Certified Spiritual Director.
After leaving parish ministry, she obtained a post as the manager of Social Workers for a non-profit organization that provided housing for men and women who were homeless and who had mental health, addictions and trauma issues.
Recently, she obtained her Masters in Pastoral Counselling and Psychotherapy at Loyola University, Chicago. Ruth specialized in Karl Rogers Person-Centred therapeutic approach, and complimented this with Trauma Therapy. She is a member of the British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists.
Padraig brings to the therapeutic process 25yrs of working with: Religious communities; Parish communities; Youth Projects; Retreat and Renewal Ministries; Prison and Addiction Ministries.
For six years, he was the Director of an International Pastoral and Retreat Centre in Scotland where he was responsible for developing spiritual direction and renewal courses for clergy, religious and lay ministers; programmes that address the "change of life" issues for those who had been engaged in front-line ministries for many years and were now seeking to bring their experience and insights to other areas of mission and evangelism.
After completing his term as Director, he studied Pastoral Counselling and Psychotherapy at Loyola University, Chicago, where he became acquainted with Kegan's work on the Psychology of Change at Harvard University. On completion of his Masters, he was engaged by the Illinois Department of Correction working as a Substance Abuse therapist within the prison rehabilitation programme for drug offenders. Recently, he returned to the UK to take up his present post as Priest in Charge at St Teilo's, Caereithin.
We are committed to:
Respecting the freedom and dignity of the human person.
Not abandoning the process.
Allowing the client to be in control of the therapeutic process.
Client confidentiality.
