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Appointments to the Counsellors and Psychotherapists Registration Board
From Department of Health
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Health
Published on
Last updated on
The Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, has reappointed the following members of the Counsellors and Psychotherapists Registration Board with effect from 25th February 2023 until 24th February 2027.
Brian Gillen is a practising psychotherapist, writer and Director of LifeChange Psychotherapy and Counselling in Dublin. He is a member of the Irish Council for Psychotherapy (ICP) and the Irish Association of Humanistic & Integrative Psychotherapy (IAHIP), for which he previously authored a strategic planning report. He has significant boardroom experience in both the public and private sectors. He was formerly CEO of Glanpower Ltd., a green energy company, and International Director for Workplace Options, a global provider of employee assistance and counselling services. As a member of Dublin City Council from 2004 to 2007, he consulted on the Corporate Policy Group and Corporate Plan for Dublin, and also chaired the Arts, Culture & Leisure Strategic Policy Group, devising a 5-year strategic plan for Dublin. In each board role he has pursued rigorous and careful preparation and planning processes whilst maintaining inclusivity and creativity to achieve balanced and workable goals and outcomes. Brian’s academic qualifications include an MA in Psychotherapy, a Postgraduate Diploma in Public Relations, a BA Degree in Sociology & English and a Baccalaureate in Philosophy. As a former Jesuit and secondary school teacher he also holds a Higher Diploma in Education.
Ms Jordan has been working as a psychotherapist for the past 12 years. She qualified with a Masters in Counselling and Psychotherapy from the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Institute of Ireland (NCPII) in 2010 and also holds post-graduate qualifications in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Clinical Supervision. Prior to working as a psychotherapist, Ms Jordan worked as a senior member of the national co-ordinating team in POBAL, charged with the development and implementation of social inclusion related government and EU programmes. In that capacity Ms Jordan served on fifteen regional boards set up by Government, including PAUL Partnership Limerick, Tralee Area Partnership and West Limerick Resources. Ms Jordan also holds a teaching qualification and has worked in educational development work overseas. She currently operates a private practice, bringing with her an experience of having worked as a psychotherapist within a range of marginalised communities, with families affected by substance usage and with domestic refuges. Ms Jordan was appointed to CORU’s Counselling and Psychotherapy Board in 2019 and subsequently appointed to the Council of CORU in 2020.
Rachel Mooney is a Chartered Psychologist and an Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (IACP) Accredited Counsellor and Supervisor. She has also studied Sensori-motor Psychotherapy. She holds an MBA in Healthcare Management from Smurfit Business School. Rachel has worked in the field of Counselling and Psychotherapy since 1993. Her work has taken her across Europe and as far away as Israel when she co-organised a Global Conference in Jerusalem in 2000 when working with ICAS International. She has a particular interest in developmental trauma and the influence on choices made in adult life as a consequence of early life traumatic experiences and events. Rachel was Director of the Health Service Executive (HSE) National Counselling Service in the East Coast until her retirement from the HSE in October, 2022. She worked collaboratively with Directors of Counselling in each HSE Community Healthcare Area to ensure the highest standards of practice were followed as well as ensuring consistency of service nationwide.
Gillian O’Brien is a Senior Manager with Ernst & Young. Prior to this, she held a variety of roles with Jigsaw: The National Centre for Youth Mental Health. In 2014, she was appointed to the role of Clinical Director and was responsible for the quality and safety of Jigsaw’s growing network of youth mental health services nationwide.
Gillian is a clinical psychologist by training; she completed her undergraduate degree in psychology in Trinity College Dublin and her doctoral training in Queen’s University Belfast. Gillian also has a Professional Diploma in Clinical Leadership from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. Prior to joining Jigsaw, Gillian worked in a variety of child and adolescent mental health settings in Dublin, Northern Ireland and Central America.
The following persons were nominated and appointed by the Minister for Health with the consent of the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment.
Patrick Benson qualified as a Psychiatric Nurse in 1969 in Dublin, undertook postgraduate training in General Nursing in London and qualified as a Clinical Tutor. He is also a trained ISO Quality Auditor. He served as Assistant Director of Nursing in Mayo and Sligo and was appointed Director of Nursing for Sligo/Leitrim/South Donegal Mental Health Service in 1985. He undertook Management Development Training with the Institute of Public Administration in Dublin on all aspects of Change Management, Industrial Relations, Negotiation and Investigation Procedures. As Director of Nursing, he has been responsible for the transformation of the mental health services in the region and introduced a nurse-led model of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Addiction Counselling, Systemic Family Therapy and Community Mental Health Nursing with direct access by General Practitioners. He has seen a major change of services from a hospital-based model to a full team-orientated community model of provision. During his time as National President of Mental Health Nurse Managers, he provided leadership and was an agent of change in the provision of integrated community-based services. He was also involved in the development of education programmes in third level and ensuring standards were achieved to allow full accreditation of such programmes. He also encouraged nurses and other disciplines to undertake postgraduate opportunities and was the first service in Ireland to have a psychiatric nurse registered as a nurse prescriber. During his career, he has been a strong advocate for patients’ rights and as a complaints officer for the service his objective was ensuring difficulties experienced were addressed and positive outcomes achieved for all concerned.
Dr Catriona Bradley started her career as a community pharmacist and currently leads the regulation of CPD for pharmacists, as Executive Director of the Irish Institute of Pharmacy (IIOP) on behalf of the pharmacy regulator The Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI). The Irish Institute of Pharmacy is based in the Royal College of Surgeons, where Catriona collaborates with colleagues across Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, Psychology and Healthcare Leadership to support postgraduate learning for healthcare professionals. She is deeply committed to the delivery of person-centred care. Her qualifications in pharmacy, legal studies, quality improvement and coaching provide her with a breadth of skill and knowledge. Caitriona’s career, which spans business, academia, professional regulation and leadership, enables her to draw on a wide range of experience and expertise. Her lived experience, as a parent, wife, daughter, friend, sibling, patient and carer, provide her with rich insights into the needs of people, families and communities. She is committed to good governance and is a board member of her local primary school. She welcomes opportunities to contribute to society at both local and national levels and is committed to the success of the CORU Council and Executive.