About Me
Welcome from Steven O' Riordan
I’m an integrative psychotherapist with over 16 years of experience working alongside people in social care and community settings. These experiences have brought me into contact with people from many different walks of life and shaped how I understand the complexity of being human.
I don't claim to have the answers - far from it! I’ve come to appreciate that our experiences, relationships and histories shape how we understand ourselves and the world around us. Sometimes, the very ways we’ve learned to cope and protect ourselves can also leave us feeling stuck or disconnected from parts of who we are.
My interest in understanding ourselves and what helps us live more fully extends beyond my work as a psychotherapist. Meditation and contemplative practice have been part of my life for many years, alongside an evolving interest in and practice of Celtic spirituality, mythology and ancestral wisdom. Poetry, music and time in nature also offer me ways of slowing down, paying attention and finding meaning in everyday life, beyond myself.
Alongside my core professional training, my work draws on body or somatic approaches, mindfulness and depth psychology, as well as a personal practice rooted in Celtic shamanic traditions, contemplative practice and ancestral wisdom across traditions. I also offer psychedelic integration and preparation, and co-facilitate psilocybin retreats with the InwardBound Institute. InwardBound has been pioneering Irish and Celtic psilocybin retreat work since 2018. As part of the retreat team in the Netherlands, I support both individual processes and the wider group experience.
All of these experiences and interests have shaped how I approach my work and deepened my sense that we are so much more than our struggles, our pasts or the ways we have learned to cope and protect ourselves. Thank goodness for that.
At the heart of my work is a belief that beneath the layers we build to cope and protect ourselves, something whole remains - something waiting to be remembered, rediscovered, and welcomed more fully back into our lives.
Areas of Interest and Experience
How Can I Help?
I have experience working with a wide range of concerns, including (but not limited to):
- Men & masculinity
- LGBTQ+/GSRD
- Trauma & difficult life experiences
- Psychedelic integration & preparation
- Anxiety, stress & burnout
- Relationships, attachment & boundaries
- Life transitions, identity & meaning
I also work with grief, depression, self-esteem, family dynamics and many other concerns that can arise at different points in life.
Therapy is not about fitting you into a particular approach. Instead, we work collaboratively to understand what you are experiencing and find ways of working that feel meaningful, supportive and appropriate for you. I aim to create a space where there is room to explore not only what you are struggling with, but also what may be asking to emerge, change or be better understood.
Approaches to Therapy
Working Through What Matters
Our sessions offer an opportunity to explore what's happening in your life, make sense of your experiences, and become more curious about how you think, feel, and relate to yourself and others.
I bring warmth, curiosity, and gentle challenge to our work, while leaving room for things to unfold in their own time. Together, we can explore what feels important to you and consider what might help you best right now.
Online Counselling
I provide online therapy across Ireland and Europe, providing a secure and confidential space to speak openly from wherever you are.
While online therapy is different from meeting in person, it can still offer a meaningful space for connection, reflection and therapeutic work, with the added flexibility of meeting from your own space.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) explores how our thoughts, emotions, bodily sensations and behaviours influence one another. It can help you recognise patterns that may be keeping you stuck and develop practical strategies to make changes in your everyday life, working towards goals that matter to you.
I’ve completed additional training in CBT to support clients who value a more structured, practical approach to understanding difficulties and working towards change.
Psychedelic Integration & Preparation
Psychedelic integration is the process of exploring, understanding, and gradually bringing the experiences and insights of a psychedelic journey into your everyday life.
Together, we can make sense of what you experienced, spend time with what has emerged, and explore how your insights might continue to unfold in your life, relationships, and sense of self.
My approach is informed by my training with the InwardBound Institute, pioneering Irish and Celtic psilocybin retreats since 2018, and my ongoing experience supporting and co-facilitating psilocybin retreats in the Netherlands, working with both individual and group processes.
Gender, Sexuality, Relationship Diversity (GSRD)
Gender, Sexuality, Relationship Diversity (GSRD)
I offer affirming psychotherapy for people whose identities, relationships or experiences fall within the spectrum of Gender, Sexuality and Relationship Diversity (GSRD).
Having worked for many years in LGBTQ+ community services, I recognise that everyone's experience of identity, relationships, belonging and self-expression is different.
Therapy can offer an opportunity to explore these experiences, navigate challenges and make sense of what matters to you, without having to fit into someone else's expectations.
You are welcome to bring all parts of who you are into our work together.
Body Psychotherapy
Gender, Sexuality, Relationship Diversity (GSRD)
Sometimes, understanding our difficulties through thinking alone isn't enough.
I draw on Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, a body-focused approach to therapy that explores the connection between our body, emotions, thoughts and behaviour. This can help us recognise patterns and responses that may be difficult to put into words but are held in the body.
By gently noticing bodily sensations, tension and nervous-system responses, we can begin to understand how past experiences continue to affect us today, develop new ways of responding, and reconnect with our own strengths and resources.
Trauma Focused Therapy
Mindfulness-Based Approach
Mindfulness-Based Approach
Trauma-focused therapy explores the impact of overwhelming or difficult life experiences on how we feel, think and relate to the world around us.
I recognise that trauma work takes time, and that trust and a sense of safety develop differently for each person. My approach is informed by additional training with the Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute (SPI), bringing awareness to the connection between the body and emotions in the present to help you reconnect with your own strengths and resources.
Mindfulness-Based Approach
Mindfulness-Based Approach
Mindfulness-Based Approach
Mindfulness-based approaches cultivate present-moment awareness and acceptance, supporting individuals to notice thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations without judgment.
By developing this capacity for mindful attention, people can respond to difficult emotions with greater clarity and ease. This practice strengthens emotional regulation, slows thinking and supports well-being.
It involves being receptive to current experiences, thoughts, and sensations without trying to control or suppress them.
Accredited Psychotherapist
I am an accredited member of the Irish Association of Humanistic and Integrative Psychotherapy (IAHIP), and I work in line with their Code of Ethics to ensure safe and professional practice.
Laya Healthcare Approved Psychotherapist
I am an approved Psychotherapist with Laya Healthcare. Counselling sessions may be covered for Laya members, depending on their specific health insurance plan and benefit limits.