Maxine Walsh Counsellor & Psychotherapist

17/06/2026

One of the quickest ways to make someone doubt themselves is to tell them they’re overreacting.

Sometimes it’s true.

But sometimes it’s a way of avoiding accountability, shutting down a conversation, or dismissing feelings that are uncomfortable to hear.

If you’ve spent years being told you’re “too sensitive” or “too much”, you may have learned to question yourself before you’ve even had a chance to understand what you’re feeling.

Not every feeling needs to be acted on.

But every feeling deserves to be acknowledged.

You don’t need to shrink yourself to make other people comfortable.

16/06/2026

from 2024 but relevant for anyone new to meditation! Its not about clearing your mind!

14/06/2026

Taking a few weeks away from work to rest, reset, and refill my own cup.

See you soon!

28/05/2026

If your house feels a bit tense, emotional, or chaotic lately… this is your reminder that stress is contagious.

And for parents of kids sitting the Junior Cert and Leaving Cert next week: your nervous system matters too.

A lot of Irish parents are carrying the pressure as if they’re the ones being examined — trying to hold everything together, keep everyone calm, organised, motivated, fed, rested, optimistic.

That is a lot.

Your child does not need a perfect household this week.
They need a regulated adult presence more than another lecture, panic spiral, or timetable discussion.

Try to remember:

* calm is contagious too
* rest helps memory and concentration
* nobody performs well under constant fear
* exams are important, but they are not a measure of human worth

Be gentle with them.
And maybe be gentle with yourself too.

24/05/2026

Hi All, just wondering if anyone has done some training with ICPS.ie or “Institute for counselling and psychotherapy studies” and how you found it?

Thanks!

Explore counselling & psychotherapy courses in Ireland with ICPS College. Accredited Diploma's, CPD courses. Live-Online Lecturer Led Courses. Start your Counselling & Psychotherapy journey today or upkil for Qualified Counsellors & Psychotherapists

19/05/2026

Your intrusive thoughts are not secret evidence of who you “really” are.
They’re often your brain scanning for danger, morality, shame, fear, control, or certainty — and picking the thing that would upset you most.

The fact that a thought horrifies you usually tells me more about your values than the thought itself ever could.

You do not need to confess every intrusive thought.
You do not need to punish yourself for having a human brain.
And in therapy? You will not shock me.

Shame thrives in silence. Speak anyway.