Our People

Dr. Damien Connolly is a Chartered Senior Clinical Psychologist with the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI) and a registered Practitioner Psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC - UK)

Damien specialises in assessments for Autism, ADHD, and Intellectual Disability for children and adolescents. Damien has over 22 years of wide-ranging experience as a psychologist in both public and private sector healthcare organisations in Ireland and the UK, specialising in the care and support of individuals with Intellectual Disability, mental Health conditions and autism across the lifespan. 

Dr Michael Coughlin is a Senior Clinical Psychologist who obtained his Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (DClinPsych) from the University of Glasgow. He brings a wealth of experience from working in the NHS in Scotland. Since returning to Ireland in 2015, Michael has worked in various settings including Children Disability Service, residential services, and paediatric neuro-disability. Michael is experienced in completing a wide range of psychological assessments and in providing therapeutic support to children, young people, and their families in a neuro-affirmative and solution-focused manner. Michael is passionate about working collaboratively with families and adhering to evidence-based best practice guidelines.

Dr Clare Cullen is a Clinical Psychologist, who obtained her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (DPsychSci) from University College Dublin. She is experienced in working with individuals across the lifespan, from young children to older adults, experiencing a wide range of difficulties. Clare has worked in various settings, including Primary Care and CAMHS, Children Disability Services, Adult Mental Health and other hospital-based services. She is very committed to evidence-based practice and has worked in mental health research, both in Ireland and Canada. 

Clare is experienced in carrying out a wide range of psychological assessments and in providing therapeutic support to young people in a way that is individual to them, their strengths and their needs. She has also provided individual consultation to parents and facilitated supportive parenting groups.

Clare is passionate about creating a warm and non-judgemental space, where the voice of each young person and their family is prioritised. She uses a collaborative, strengths-based approach to ensure that young people and their families experience a meaningful Autism identification process that is guided by best practice. 

Dr. Bríd Davis is a Clinical Psychologist with extensive experience in both clinical practice and academic research. Bríd obtained her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (DPsychSci) from University College Dublin. Bríd also holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Psychiatry/Neuropsychology from the University of Limerick. Over the course of her career, Bríd has worked across a broad spectrum of clinical settings, including: Primary Care, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), Children’s Disability Services (CDNT), Adult Intellectual Disability Services, and community/ inpatient Adult Mental Health settings. Bríd's clinical experience also extends to specialised hospital-based services, including oncology, stroke and acute neurology, internal-medicine, neurorehabilitation, and paediatric mental health.

Before pursuing clinical training, Bríd worked in academia as a post-doctoral research fellow and guest lecturer. Bríd has published widely across a diverse array of disciplines, including medicine, psychiatry, paediatrics, mental health, neuropsychology, and cognition. Bríd's work has been disseminated at both national and international conferences, reflecting her commitment to advancing knowledge in these fields. Bríd regularly contributes to the academic community as a peer reviewer for several high-impact journals, ensuring the integrity and quality of scholarly discourse. This academic experience, combined with her educational background, deeply informs Bríd’s clinical approach, enabling her to incorporate the latest advancements in psychological science into her evidence-based practice. With expertise in both applied psychology and research, Bríd provides psychological assessments and tailored interventions for individuals of all ages dealing with emotional, behavioural, and developmental challenges.

Bríd works to create a warm, supportive environment that empowers individuals and their families to navigate life’s challenges. She is particularly skilled in conducting neurodivergence assessments, adopting a neuro-affirmative approach to ensure that each individual's unique neurological profile is acknowledged, understood, and celebrated. With a commitment to fostering inclusion, Bríd supports neurodivergent individuals and their families with a compassionate, holistic perspective that honours their individual strengths.

John is a Senior Educational Psychologist with over twenty years’ experience working with children and young people with disabilities. For 10 years, John has provided assessments and therapeutic intervention for children while working as a psychologist in the public sector disability with an Early Intervention Service and a School Age Service with the HSE and a Children’s Disability Network Team.

John attained his undergraduate psychology degree from Trinity College Dublin and graduated with a Masters in Educational Psychology from University College Dublin. John is also a qualified teacher and has taught at secondary and primary level as a Special Education Teacher. John has also worked at The Open University as a lecturing in Psychology. John also worked in the Disability Support Service of Technological University Dublin.

John’s research interests focused on the provision of education for children with disabilities, such as DCD/Dyspraxia, in the Irish education system and has presented at the Psychological Society of Ireland annual conference on the topic.

John has many years’ experience completing play based and developmental assessments to identify, support therapeutically and educationally children who present with developmental differences. He has worked collaboratively with families, children and young people to identify developmental differences such as Autism and to tailor supports to help meet their needs. John works from a neuro-affirmative and child centred approach always aiming to emphasize the child’s strengths.

  Rachel Maunsell is a senior Occupational Therapist with over ten years experience. She trained in Trinity College Dublin and spent five years working overseas in Singapore after graduating in 2013 before returning to work in Ireland in 2018.

Following a number of years working with adults, Rachel started to pursue her passion of working with children and young people. She spent the next two and a half years in Singapore working in a private practice and in local and international schools before moving home to Dublin in 2018. 

Rachel works with children from 15 months up to 18 years, with difficulties related to Autism, sensory processing challenges, difficulties with self-care, handwriting , gross and fine motor difficulties (DCD/dyspraxia), emotional regulation issues and executive functioning difficulties (planning, sequencing organising and performing higher level cognitive tasks).

Rachel loves collaborating with young people, their families and schools to create client and family centred goals. She finds it incredibly rewarding to see children and young people happy, confident and thriving. 

  Hilary O’ Neill qualified with an honours degree in speech and language therapy from Trinity College Dublin in 2003 and has been working as a speech and language therapist for the past 20 years. She is an expert in her field and has completed multiple post graduate training. She was awarded a distinction in a Masters in Human Communication in City University London in 2013. Her research on late talkers was later published in the International Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing research. She has also completed postgraduate certificates in ‘Research advances in Developmental Language Disorders’ from UCC in 2005 and ‘Speech Sound Disorders’ from UL in 2006.

She has practiced as a paediatric speech and language therapist across a number of services and has extensive experience working in clinics, preschools, schools and specialist educational settings. Hilary has also lectured on speech sound disorders in the University of Limerick.

Hilary is highly experienced in the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of children with a range of communication difficulties. She is passionate about supporting communication in children and works closely with their parents and schools to achieve maximum gains. 

Hilary works with children with a wide range of profiles, with a strong focus on autism. 

Niamh Brady is an experienced Senior Occupational Therapist who holds an honours degree from Trinity College Dublin, obtained in 2017. She brings a wealth of expertise, having spent three years in Singapore working in both an acute hospital setting and a private paediatric centre. Since returning to Ireland in 2020, Niamh has been actively working with children and young adults who require additional help and support to reach their goals.

Niamh is passionate about empowering children and their families by focusing on each child’s unique strengths and abilities. She adopts a child-led and parent-led approach, collaborating closely with families to set meaningful goals that align with the child’s interests and needs. Her approach is designed to help children not only achieve their developmental milestones but to thrive in their everyday environments. Niamh specialises in working with children and young people presenting with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), autism, sensory processing challenges, handwriting difficulties, and gross and fine motor skill delays.

In addition, Niamh has completed Modules 1 to 4 of Sensory Integration training through Ulster University and Sheffield Hallam University, enhancing her ability to deliver targeted, evidence-based interventions that promote the well-being and success of every child she works with.

Sinéad O’Sullivan is a Senior Occupational Therapist with extensive experience in both adult and pediatric therapy. She holds a B.Sc. (Hons) in Occupational Therapy from Trinity College Dublin and has worked across a variety of healthcare settings, including schools, clinics and community services. 

Sinead worked in a school setting for 3 years in Singapore before she returned to Ireland to further specialise in pediatric therapy, working with children and young people who present with developmental coordination disorder (DCD/dyspraxia), autism, sensory processing challenges, handwriting difficulties, gross and fine motor delays, and executive functioning difficulties.

In therapy, Sinead focuses on each child’s unique strengths and needs. She believes in empowering children to develop their independence through fun, engaging activities that promote skill development in a supportive environment.

Michael is a qualified Occupational Therapist (OT), having earned his BScOT degree from University College Cork in 2010. Over the course of seven years, he gained valuable experience working as an Occupational Therapist in various settings in London, including Neurological rehabilitation and orthopaedic rehabilitation.

In 2015, Michael furthered his expertise by obtaining a Masters in Sports Therapy from London Metropolitan University. Seeking additional challenges and experiences, he relocated to New Zealand and Australia in 2017, where he spent three years honing my skills in areas such as Concussion Rehab, Vocational Rehab, and Paediatrics.
His approach involves specialised training and extensive experience in utilising assessments and interventions tailored to individual needs. Michael is an invaluable member of the multidisciplinary clinic team, contributing significantly to autism diagnosis.

He specialises in developmental delay, upper limb rehabilitation, feeding difficulties, developmental coordination disorders, autism, and sensory processing challenges