10 Questions with Mairead Cleary

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

• I have been working with people in various capacities for 15 years. But 12 years ago I participated in a therapeutic process that caused a dramatic and life changing shift for me. That was it. I had found my calling. I came back again and again, year after year to support others participating in this process and in 2014 began training to be a facilitator while simultaneously training in Gestalt therapy.

• Which philosophical approaches have influenced your professional/personal development?

• I am primarily guided by a nature-based philosophy. I believe that whatever our question might be... the answer lies in nature.
  I am heavily influenced by Taoist philosophy, the Soulcentric work of Bill Plotkin, and Terry Real's work on psychological patriarchy.
  I believe there is a turning that is being called for and already happening in our world... a turning toward the feminine principle, a turning toward nature, a slowing down to take stock of where we are, where we've been, and where we want to move towards if we are to navigate our way through our climate and global crises.

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

• I am always interested in the whole picture with each person. We can't really separate one part of our body from the rest. In the same way we can't separate ourselves out from the systems that we live as part of. So I'm always curious about the myriad things that are happening around the story that you're telling, and what the complete picture of your life looks like. There's so much rich information in the relationship between you and your environment, how it impacts you and how you impact it.

• What method/s do you use?

• It's important for me that you feel held in whatever you're facing in yourself. The present-centred, compassion-focused approach I use creates a solid holding. From there I support you to build strength to deal with the problems that are showing up in your life.

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

• When you start to see yourself responding differently to a situation, that's where the magic is.

• How has therapy made you a better person?

• I have infinitely more understanding and compassion for the behaviours I see and hear about in people. Therapeutic work has shown me and allowed me to experience that we're all in the same boat. People might look like they've got it all together, but everyone has pain. Everyone has hurt. Everyone has bad days where it's a struggle to get through, but they show up and do their best anyway. I have a lot of respect for that.

• What do you like most about being a therapist?

• I love the relational component of working with people. There is no greater privilege than to sit with someone in the depths of their pain or silence or joy and to share that moment with them.

• Do you ever have 'bad hair' days?

• I have plenty of them... literally. Curly hair is far more demanding to manage than straight!
  But I've built a solid support base around me over the years, so I always have someone to laugh about it with when I need it most.

• What do you think is the most significant problem we face, in the world today?

• I believe our most significant problem is our disconnection from Nature, and from natural systems & cycles. Our natural world, our natural resources, our wildlife, our forests and even our own human species have become commodities.
  But the massive upsurge in demand for green space during COVID has shown that there is an appreciation for and desire to be in Nature. And extensive research explains this in-built draw towards Nature. Spending time in Nature is one of the greatest things we can do for our physical and mental health.
  

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

• The book 'Soulcraft' by Bill Plotkin.
  The book 'Rest' by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang
  The book 'The power of place' by Winifred Gallagher
  The book 'Switch' by Chip & Dan Heath
  The film 'Instinct' with Anthony Hopkins
  The song 'Into the mystic' by Van Morrison
  The song 'Spirit Bird' by Xavier Rudd
  The song 'Bring 'em all in' by Mike Scott
  The song 'Change' by Tracy Chapman
  The song 'Life on Earth' by Snow Patrol
  The song 'Human' by Rag 'n' Bone Man
  The song 'Vor í Vaglaskógi' by Kaleo