Maggie Kenny

A conversation with Maggie Kenny

• What led you to choose psychotherapy or counselling as a profession?

  My path to becoming a therapist was shaped by both personal experience and a lifelong pull toward understanding the human experience. Growing up, I faced challenges related to anxiety, attachment, and early adversity, experiences that left me searching for stability and connection. Over time, and through my own journey in therapy, I experienced firsthand the healing that can come from being truly seen, supported, and given space to grow. I’ve always been someone people naturally opened up to; where some shy away from others’ struggles, I’ve always leaned in, wanting to understand and offer support and insight.
  
  My interest in psychology, human behavior, and the nervous system deepened as I learned to regulate my own, shift unhelpful thought patterns, and begin to truly transform my inner world. I chose this work because I want to help others do the same, to feel more grounded in themselves, to reconnect with joy, and to live with a greater sense of self-worth and inner peace.
  
  Being a therapist allows me to walk alongside people as they make meaningful change in their lives, and I can’t imagine work more purposeful than that.

• Which philosophical approaches have influenced your professional development?

  My professional development has been deeply shaped by both psychological frameworks and spiritual philosophies that center the body, mind, and soul. Beyond traditional talk therapy, I’ve found immense value in somatic work, breathwork, and nervous system regulation practices. My own experiences with hypnotherapy and altered states of consciousness opened me to the power of the subconscious and the importance of reconnecting with the self beneath our defenses.
  
  I’ve been influenced by Carl Jung’s work on the shadow and the unconscious, and the idea that healing requires us to meet and integrate the parts of ourselves we’ve learned to reject. Louise Hay’s work taught me how the body holds emotional truth, while Kristin Neff’s self-compassion research offered a profound reminder that healing doesn't come through force, but through care.
  
  One philosophy I return to often is by Mooji: “Step into the fire of self-discovery. This fire will not burn you, it will only burn what you are not.” To me, therapy is that fire: a transformative process where we shed old patterns and come home to our true selves. These teachings have instilled in me a reverence for the human spirit and the courage it takes to heal.

• Which particular aspects of health or the human journey are you interested in?

  I’m deeply interested in the journey from unconscious to conscious—helping people bring awareness to the patterns, beliefs, and protective parts that once kept them safe but now limit their growth. I’m drawn to shadow work, attachment theory, and the nervous system as keys to understanding how we relate to ourselves and others. I believe in the profound power of the mind-body connection, and often integrate breathwork, somatic awareness, and yogic principles into the healing process.
  
  I’m also passionate about the healing that happens when we feel emotionally safe enough to tell our stories, when intimacy and vulnerability become strengths rather than threats. Whether it’s through exploring our attachment wounds or embracing the “hero’s journey” of self-discovery, I believe therapy offers a sacred space to come home to ourselves, in body, mind, and spirit.

• What methods do you use?

  I take an integrative, client-centered approach, drawing from a range of evidence-based and experiential modalities. These include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT), Attachment-Based Therapy, Internal Family Systems (IFS), and Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP).
  
  I also incorporate somatic practices, nervous system regulation, and breathwork to support healing on both emotional and physiological levels. My work is trauma-informed, and I tailor each session to meet the unique needs of the person in front of me, supporting both insight and embodied transformation.

• When do you think the client will start to feel that progress is being made?

  Progress looks different for everyone, but many clients begin to feel a shift within the first few sessions, often through a sense of being deeply heard, gaining clarity, or feeling more connected to themselves.
  
  As we build safety and trust in the therapeutic relationship, clients typically start noticing changes in how they relate to their thoughts, emotions, and patterns. Small but meaningful insights, emotional breakthroughs, or moments of relief often signal that healing is underway.

• How has therapy made a difference in your life?

  Therapy has been life-changing for me. When I began my own healing journey, I was anxious, unsure of myself, and often led by parts of my unprocessed shadow. Like many of my clients, I struggled with self-doubt and emotional overwhelm. Over the years, working with a skilled and supportive therapist gave me the space to explore my inner world with honesty and compassion. I was able to process grief, confront limiting patterns, and gradually step into a fuller, more grounded version of myself. That consistent, attuned presence, someone who could witness me through safe and healthy attachment, was key to my transformation.
  
  Therapy helped me come home to myself, and now I feel privileged to offer that same kind of space to others.

• What do you like most about being a therapist?

  What I love most about being a therapist is that it never feels like “just a job” it’s a calling, a part of who I am.
  
  I truly couldn’t imagine doing anything else, and I don’t see myself ever retiring from this work. Supporting clients on their healing journeys is not draining for me, it’s life-giving. It’s an incredible honor to be invited into someone’s inner world, to witness their growth, and to walk beside them through moments of vulnerability and insight.
  
  I feel immense joy in seeing clients become gentler with themselves, more self-aware, and able to move through life with more inner peace and ease in their hearts. That, to me, is everything.

• Can you share the name of a book, film, song, event or work of art that inspires you?

  A film that deeply inspires me is Awakenings with Robert De Niro and Robin Williams.
  
  It tells the story of a psychiatrist who discovers a way to temporarily bring patients out of catatonic states, revealing their inner worlds after years of silence. What struck me wasn’t just the medical breakthrough, but the reverence and humanity with how these patients were treated. It’s a powerful reminder that beneath even the quietest suffering is a person with memories, meaning, and a desire to be seen.
  
  It mirrors what I believe therapy can offer: a reawakening to life.