Andrew McLellan

Andrew’s fee is €90 per 50 minute session

Psychotherapy Training and Accreditation

Andrew holds a Diploma and BSc (Hons) in Counselling & Psychotherapy (first class) from PCI College & Middlesex University. His post-graduate training includes a Diploma in Relational Gestalt Supervision and Diploma in Relational Gestalt Therapy from Dublin Gestalt Centre, and two years’ training in Somatic Trauma Therapy with US practitioner and author Babette Rothschild. Andrew’s continuing professional development includes: Individual Gestalt Therapy and Gestalt Couples Therapy (GATLA); Working with Gender Identity and Working with Parents of Gender Dysphoric Children & Adolescents (Pink Therapy, London).

Andrew is accredited as therapist and supervisor by the Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (IACP) and is an accredited member of the European Association for Counselling (EAC). In line with the ethical codes of these professional bodies, he completes further training each year, and attends regular clinical supervision as well as his own personal therapy.

Counselling and Psychotherapeutic Approach

Andrew offers you an attitude of acceptance as a person, a willingness to understand what is going on for you right now and how you see yourself in the world, and a commitment to be honest and real with you as you work together. Research suggests that the relationship between therapist and client is a significant factor influencing healing and growth in counselling and psychotherapy. Andrew will work with you to create a therapeutic environment that facilitates growth towards your full life potential, through developing a professional therapy relationship that is also genuinely human.

He works to provide a space in which clients may become more aware of their feelings, experiences, underlying beliefs about life, habitual patterns of behaviour or of relating to others, and how these may be impacting and shaping their life right now. Through dialogue and exploration, the goal is that clients come to know themselves better, so that this self-awareness may inform their choices or behaviour. While some clients will begin to gain useful awareness straight away, for others this may take some time, as for many it is the first time that they have really been invited to explore their feelings.

Some clients have come to distrust their emotions and body sensations or see them as ‘symptoms’ to be got rid of, and may see themselves as ‘logical’ or ‘rational’ people. Many clients have come to believe, through their experiences, that certain emotions are ‘bad’, ‘negative’, ‘unacceptable’, or ‘unmanageable’. Cut off from these emotions, or overwhelmed by them, they find themselves stuck, confused or lacking an inner sense of direction in life. Andrew views all emotions as valid responses to life situations, which can give us valuable information about what is going on.

Whether or not we are consciously aware of them, feelings, emotions, and how they are experienced in the body, play a huge part in all our choices and behaviour. Andrew seeks to support clients safely to experience, explore and manage (regulate) their own emotions, rather than avoiding / distracting from, repressing or being overwhelmed by them. The aim of this greater awareness is to strengthen each client’s own inner sense of direction for their life.

We are social animals, and relationships (with family, friends, partners, co-workers and with ourselves) shape our lives and impact our mental health. Through paying attention to, and sharing honestly our experience of each other as client and therapist, clients may gain awareness of how they relate to others (and to themselves), and safely experiment with new ways of relating, both inside and outside the therapy room.

In theoretical and philosophical terms, Andrew’s approach is fundamentally relational, humanistic-existential and an integration of person-centred, embodied-experiential and contemporary relational Gestalt approaches. His practice is also informed by the more humanistic among the psychodynamic theorists (including Bowlby, Winnicott) and by a keen interest in how therapists and their clients can benefit from scientific advances in understanding the brain and nervous system.

As an accredited clinical supervisor, Andrew’s approach is an integration of Relational Gestalt and cyclical models. He seeks to co-create supervisory relationships of genuine dialogue and mutuality, in which practitioners may find space for embodied reflection, exploration and challenge, to support their work, their ongoing development as practitioners, and their fulfilment of the many other ethical and legal requirements of their profession.

Counselling Experience and Areas of Interest

Andrew has a wide range of counselling experience gained in private practice working alongside a team of GPs at a busy Dublin medical centre since 2011. His therapeutic work with adults aged 19 to 70+ includes men and women experiencing: anxiety, panic attacks, depression, struggles around understanding or accepting identity (personal, sexual, gender), work-related stress, bullying, bereavement, loss, chronic and serious illness, fear of death, loneliness and isolation, difficulty forming or maintaining healthy relationships, difficulty identifying, feeling or managing emotions, communication issues, separation and divorce (personal or parental), childhood or adult trauma including narcissistic abuse, lack of meaning, direction or confidence, spiritual crisis, problematic behaviour patterns, career change, retirement, and many other life crises and challenges. In recent years, Andrew has worked with and provided a supportive therapeutic environment for several adult clients who have identified traits, or who have received a formal diagnosis of ADHD/ADD or autism spectrum condition (including so-called ‘high functioning autism’ and Asperger syndrome).

He works with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender clients (18+) within an affirmative framework. This means that he seeks to co-create a safe space, in which LGBTQI+ clients may gain greater understanding and acceptance of their own unique identity.

Andrew was born and grew up near Belfast and his first degree was in Music. As a young adult, he gained significant life experience providing pastoral and emotional support for the seriously ill, the dying and bereaved families in two Dublin hospitals. He then studied arts management and worked as a producer in theatre, music, opera and dance for more than a decade before qualifying as a therapist. In addition to his private practice, Andrew was involved in the training of therapists for a number of years, as a lecturer and group therapist.

Clinical Supervision

About Me

Andrew works full-time as therapist and supervisor, based at Mind and Body Works. He was born and grew up near Belfast, and his first degree was in Music, a lifelong passion. As a young adult, he then gained significant life experience providing pastoral and emotional support for the seriously ill, the dying and bereaved families, in two Dublin hospitals. He later studied arts management and worked as a producer in theatre, music, opera and dance for more than a decade before qualifying as a therapist in 2012. Having trained and performed as a classical musician to a high level as a young person, he has recently returned to playing the ‘cello after a gap of some 20 years.

Andrew’s other interests include horticulture, literature, film, history, science, astronomy, and current affairs. He enjoys escaping from the city to Ireland’s natural wild places in his spare time and is an enthusiastic hillwalker, cyclist and swimmer.

My Supervision Model

Andrew’s view supervision as a collaborative process and a formal working relationship within which a supervisee reflects on and discusses their client work, on a regular basis. It is a dynamic learning and development environment, in which both parties learn and grow together.

Andrew’s approach to supervision is humanistic and integrative – an integration of the Relational Gestalt and Cyclical Models (Page & Wosket). he seeks to co-create supervisory relationships of genuine transparency, trust, dialogue and mutuality, in which practitioners may find space for embodied reflection, exploration and challenge, to support their work, development – including the business aspects of a private practice – and fulfilment of the many other ethical and legal requirements of our profession.

A former lecturer in counselling ethics, Andrew places high importance on our responsibility as practitioners to approach ethical dilemmas with seriousness and courage, guided by the professional bodies as we monitor our work through supervision to ensure competence, effectiveness, ethical and professional standards and our lifelong development.

My Experience as A Counsellor, Psychotherapist and Supervisor

As supervisor, Andrew has been qualified and accredited since Nov 2020, and supervise pre-accredited and recently accredited, as well as very experienced therapists and supervisors.

He has a wide range of counselling/psychotherapy experience gained in private practice, having worked alongside a team of GPs at a busy Dublin medical centre from 2011 to 2018, before establishing his practice at Mind and Body Works. Andrew’s therapeutic work with adults aged 18 to 70+ includes clients experiencing a wide range of issues (see his therapist profile on this website for details).

Andrew works with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender clients (18+) and supervisees within an affirmative framework. This means that he seeks to co-create a safe space, in which LGBTQ+ people may gain greater understanding and acceptance of their own unique identity.

In recent years, Andrew has developed a strong professional interest in the neurodiversity perspective and neurodiversity movement in psychology and sociology. This involves a shift away from regarding naturally occurring neuro-developmental variations in humans (what we know as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, etc.) as medical disorders (a model which focuses on diagnosing perceived deficits and ‘disabilities’) and towards an approach which encourages those who differ from a supposed ‘normal’ to develop their strengths (in some cases, giftedness), and to find ways to support themselves around their diverse internal and interpersonal / relational challenges (strengths-based model).

In addition to his private practice, Andrew was involved in the training of therapists for a number of years, as a lecturer and group therapist.

My Training and Qualifications

Andrew holds a Diploma and BSc (Hons) in Counselling & Psychotherapy (first class) from PCI College & Middlesex University. His training since qualifying includes a Diploma in Relational Gestalt Supervision (2 years) and Diploma in Relational Gestalt Therapy (2 years) from Dublin Gestalt Centre, and two years’ training in Somatic Trauma Therapy with US practitioner and author Babette Rothschild.

His practice is also informed by the more humanistic among the psychodynamic theorists (including Bowlby, Winnicott) and by a keen interest in how therapists and their clients can benefit from scientific advances in understanding the brain and nervous system (Somatic Trauma Therapy, insights from the Sensorimotor approach). His continuing professional development has focused on informing myself and renewing skills around many aspects of human diversity: Autism Informed Therapy (Eoin Stephens); many webinars and conferences on Neurodiversity, especially modern understandings of autism and ADHD; Individual Gestalt Therapy and Gestalt Couples Therapy (GATLA); Working with Gender Identity and Working with Parents of Gender Dysphoric Children & Adolescents (Pink Therapy, London).

Andrew is currently (2022) part of the first cohort of trainees on the IACP accredited Practitioner Certificate in Working with Autistic Adults (Ausome Training, Eoin Stephens, Evaleen Whelton).

My Membership of Professional Associations

Andrew is accredited as therapist and supervisor by the Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (IACP). In line with the ethical codes of his professional body, he completes further training each year, and attends weekly clinical supervision as well as regular group peer supervision and his own personal therapy.

My Areas of Interest in Supervision

The foundation of Andrew’s supervision work is the Relational Gestalt approach which has three main elements: field theory (with an emphasis on awareness of the relational fields of client, supervisee and supervisor); embodied phenomenological exploration (moment to moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, sensations, in the supervision session); and the co-creation of a transparent and congruent dialogical relationship between supervisor and supervisee (modelling and supporting the supervisee in the co-creation of healthy, authentic working relationships with their clients).

He finds that the Cyclical Model (Page & Wosket) integrates well with this approach, and supports working with supervisees to: structure and focus each supervision session, ‘sharpen the figure’ (selecting one theme, therapeutic, professional or ethical, or an individual client issue); and to integrate new awareness which they can bring back into their work, supporting their ongoing development as practitioners. Part of congruence and transparency, for him, is to risk bringing into the supervisory space, at times, not only his immediate experience of the supervisee, but also relevant aspects of his professional experience or knowledge, if these come into awareness during a session.

In addition to previous training on gender and sexual diversity, Andrew has gained knowledge about the neurodiversity perspective, particularly in relation to the mental health difficulties which often arise for autistic adults (whether diagnosed, self-identified, or neither), and for those who experience traits of what is described in the medical model as ADHD. As an enthusiastic advocate for equality, diversity, self-awareness and lifelong learning, Andrew is always happy to share my insights into this widely misunderstood area of our field with interested supervisees, and to learn from them.