Antonia Colom-Timlin MIAHIP, MEMDR All-Irl., Reg. ICP, Reg. ISSTD. 

 

 

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Or email: Antoniacounselling@gmail.com

 

 

 

Accreditations, Memberships and Affiliations:

I am fully accredited member of the Irish Association of Humanistic and Integrative Psychotherapy (IAHIP), and registered with the Irish Council for Psychotherapy (ICP). Registered with the All-Ireland EMDR Association  and with the International Society for the Study of Trauma and dissociation (ISSTD). 

 

Education:

  • Professional training programme to treat post Complex Trauma and Dissociative Disorders, with the Centre for Advanced Studies in Trauma and Dissociation in Virginia, USA (starting Year 4 in 2023).
  • Masters in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy from the University of Oxford, UK.
  • Fully certified in Eye-Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR).
  • BA (Hons.) in Integrative Counselling & Psychotherapy from IICP, Ireland.
  • 4 year Professional Diploma in Integrative Counselling & Psychotherapy in the Tivoli Institute in Ireland.
  • Post Graduate Dip. in Art Therapy.
  • Additional training in Somatic Experiencing, Hearing Voices and Cultivating Inner Dialogue, Rational and Irrational Psychopharmacology for Complex Trauma and Dissociation, Trauma-sensitive Mindfulness, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Reality Therapy and Motivational Interviewing, Understanding Psychosis, Working with Dreams, Family Constellations, and End of Life/Palliative emotional care, and ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) trained.

My professional experience

I have been working in the field of mental health for 17 years and have worked with adults, children, teenagers and couples. Prior to becoming a therapist, I was involved in education and I worked as a student counsellor with international teenage students. I also worked as a volunteer in outreach services with women involved in prostitution in Dublin. I set up Maynooth Counselling and Psychotherapy in 2007, which continues to provide counselling services to the Maynooth community under the direction of Helen Vaughan. I worked in the Village Counselling Service in Tallaght, with children and young people struggling with a variety of issues, using play and art therapy.  Currently, I work online only and specialise in working with trauma, dissociation and anxiety disorders, and combine EMDR, body-oriented practices (such as somatic therapy, movement, breath and yoga practices, and polyvagal therapy), and mindfulness and self-compassion practices. Here are some of the things I have been involved in:

  • I have experience as a lecturer and clinical practice supervisor, training counselling and psychotherapy students at undergraduate level and supervising research dissertations, and as a presenter in community education programmes. I have adapted, together with a colleague, the Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy programme so that it is safe for trauma, and we are currently developing an online programme to teach self-regulations skills to people with trauma.
  • I have participated in a large trauma therapy supervision group with therapists from all over the world, led by Dr. Kathy Steele and Dr. Dolores Mosquera, both internationally recognised and widely published in the field of trauma.
  • The 3-year professional training in Trauma and Dissociation I am completing is internationally recognised and is delivered by the oldest trauma and dissociation organisation in the world.
  • I am currently a participant, together with one of my clients, in the largest prospective treatment outcome study (up to 2023) of Dissociative Disorders, run by Dr. Bethany Brand in Maryland, USA.
  • I am also involved in a peer support group with other therapists in Ireland that work with Dissociative Disorders and Trauma. 

Some personal information.

I am in my late 40s, of mixed Irish/Spanish heritage, and speak three languages fluently. I live in Co. Kildare with my husband Damien. In my free time, I enjoy reading, cooking, walking, hiking, growing food, and travelling to Mallorca to see my family. I am a part-time beekeeper and a volunteer with my local Tidy Towns organisation. I practice meditation, compassion practices, HearthMath heart coherence and mindful yoga regularly.

 

I have personal experience of infertility and have no children, and have also personal experience of having a rare (and invisible to others) genetic condition that took many years to get diagnosed (Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome) and that there is still very little awareness of, especially in Ireland. These experiences have given me an understanding of what others in similar situations might live through, and how silent and invisible the pain can be. It has also helped me understand how frustrating it can be to get specialised help and support for people with Complex Trauma and Dissociation. In Ireland, there are no specialised units to help people with these conditions and, as of yet, there is very little awareness within the medical field in Ireland of Dissociative Identity Disorder. It also puts me in the unique position to be able to offer hope, and that childlessness or having a rare disorder, just like trauma or dissociation, can be transformed with the help of others, into something positive that leads to growth and resilience.