Aisling Leonard-Curtin
M.Sc. Coun. Psych., C. Psychol., Ps.S.I.
Aisling Leonard‐Curtin is a Chartered Counselling Psychologist, peer-reviewed acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) trainer, functional analytic psychotherapy (FAP) trainer, and polyvagal theory consultant. She has experience working across a variety of settings including organisational, psychiatry, addictions, psycho-oncology, community, public, and educational settings.
Aisling teaches on multiple university courses at Masters and Doctorate level and regularly delivers ACT workshops internationally. Aisling is a published author, most recently co‐authoring The Power of Small published by Hachette Ireland, a number one bestseller in Ireland, which has been translated into four languages and released in North America by St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan. Aisling’s first book, an edited volume co-edited by Matthew Skinta, Mindfulness and Acceptance for Gender and Sexual Minorities was published by New Harbinger. Aisling regularly contributes to the media on how to make small but powerful changes when everything feels too much. She has been featured in multiple media outlets including the Irish Times, The Today Show, and Psychology Today.
Aisling is keen to bring this transformative approach out to as many people as possible.
Trish Leonard-Curtin
Psy.D. Coun. Psych., C. Psychol., Ps.S.I.
Dr Trish Leonard‐Curtin is a Counselling Psychologist who specialises in working with trauma and extreme emotional distress through a variety of approaches, including Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and Compassion Focused Therapy. She has had a keen interest in helping people connect compassionately with challenging emotions when they arise and empowering them to work effectively with difficult emotional experiences.
Trish is co‐director of ACT Now Purposeful Living and a part‐time lecturer on the UCC Coaching Masters. Trish co‐authored The Power of Small, a number one bestseller in Ireland. Trish has extensive experience working with trauma and psychological distress in adolescents and adults across a range of settings, including community, hospital, educational, primary care, private practice, and charities.
Having trained in many mindfulness-based approaches, Trish values the role of mindfulness in daily life and her therapeutic work. She continues to train in mindfulness interventions and co‐facilitates mindfulness‐based workshops.
Louise McHugh
BA, PhD
Professor Louise McHugh’s research interests are centered on the experimental analysis of language and cognition from a behaviour analytic and Relational Frame Theory perspective, including especially the development of complex cognitive skills such as perspective-taking and the process-level investigation of behavioural and cognitive psychotherapies including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Mindfulness-Based Interventions.
She has published over 90 papers on these topics and has received funding from several sources including the British Academy, the Leverhulme Trust, the Waterloo Trust, the Welsh Assembly and the HRB. Louise is a Marie Curie Fellow and a Fellow of the Association for Contextual Behavioural Science. Louise is also an ACBS Peer-Reviewed ACT Trainer.
Louise is a long-suffering Mayo supporter and a budding improv comedian.
Sarah Cassidy
BS, PhD Psych Sc
Dr Sarah Cassidy is an Educational, Child and Adolescent Psychologist. Her work is centered on the assessment and treatment of learning and emotional/behavioral difficulties with clinical populations. She is the Founder and Director at The Smithsfield Clinic, a private practice for children, adolescents, and their families using largely ACT and RFT based treatment methods. She has also worked as an educational psychologist within the Irish school system for the last 20 years.
Sarah is co-founder of www.RaiseYourIQ.com, a part-time lecturer in Maynooth University, and an active panel member of SCPA. She is also a professional member of the American Psychological Association and a chartered member of the Psychological Society of Ireland. Sarah is an ACBS Peer-Reviewed ACT Trainer and chairperson of the ACBS membership committee. In addition, Sarah is involved in various international research projects focused on using ACT and RFT interventions with young people in their schools and with their families.
THE EXTENDED ACT NOW TEAM
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