Our Little Bag of HOPE

Lorraine graduated from the National University of Ireland, Galway with a BA in Psychology and English before completing her Postgraduate Diploma in Psychology. She attained a First Class Honours in her Masters of Health Psychology with the University of Ulster and is currently completing her Professional Doctorate in Health Psychology. She is a member of the Psychological Society of Ireland and the British Psychological Society, whose ethics she firmly abides by.
Lorraine works with women who are struggling to cope with the toll of being a mother alongside the various other roles and responsibilities we are expected to take on. After becoming a mother, our own sense of purpose and our core identity can suffer while everything else takes priority. As a result, we place our family on a pedestal and strive towards ensuring everyone else’s needs are met. Often this leads down a cul-de-sac of personal unfulfillment, which may lead to feelings of fatigue, anxiety, depression, resentment and various physical complaints. The premise of Lorraine’s work is grounded firmly on the Ecological Model of Health, which assumes that health is determined by influences at various levels (McLeroy, Bibeau, Steckler & Glanz, 1988). Lorraine believes that our thoughts, feelings, beliefs, physical routines, social norms and spirituality, and the interplay between these components, lead to the quality of our overall wellness. As such, one component cannot be successfully treated without an investigation of the world in which the client chooses to survive or thrive in. Choice Theory (Glasser, 1998) underpins much of Lorraine’s work, by equipping clients with the knowledge and skills to find their own unique path forward, rather than prescribing individuals with predetermined treatments. Lorraine believes that each person has a unique path to follow and that true health and happiness comes from living a life that’s aligned to one’s authentic identity, purpose and passion.