The Council and its working groups work voluntarily and focus on: Administration & Finance, Statutory Registration, Accreditation & Professional Standards, Membership, Complaints, the iacat online Journal and PR & Media Relations. The council ensures that the Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics is maintained and adheres to legislation, protocols and guidelines, ensuring safe practice for both clients and members. The Executive Council (Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, Treasurer) also liaises with regional groups.
Aisling Brennan qualified with an M.A. in Art Therapy from CIT/Crawford College of Art and Design Cork. She also holds an MA in Applied Spirituality and Bachelor of Education. Aisling runs a private practice 'True Self, True Art' in Co. Laois. She primarily works with children, the elderly and those with additional needs.
Contact chair@iacat.ie
Angie originally qualified as an Architect with a B Arch Sc, Dip Arch(Hons) Degree and has practised as an architect in Ireland, England and Germany as well as being an Architectural Lecturer in Two Universities in the UK where she has also acted as a mentor to students in the University of Suffolk. Angie recently graduated from the MA in Art Therapy, CIT Cork and now practices in Dublin.
Contact: vicechair@iacat.ie
Having completed her degree in Applied Social studies in 2004, Nichola went to work for fifteen years as a senior member of a Community Youth Project in intercity Dublin. It is here that Nichola rekindled her childhood love of visual art, theatre and dance as a medium to engage, encourage and develop young adults to find their passion and reach their potential. Through collaborative working relationships with the community, choreographers and visual artists, Nichola facilitated small- and large-scale projects.
Highlights of this work include “Policing Dialogues” which culminated in a six-week residency in The Lab, and “Natural History of Hope” in the Project Arts Centre. Nichola holds an ALCM Dip In Drama from the London College of Music. Nichola holds a master’s degree in Dramatherapy graduating from Maynooth University in 2016. She now runs her own practice which includes a consulting and working residency in a North Dublin Inner City preschool and after Schools Project. Working with children, teenagers and parents, Nichola uses embodiment, projection, role (EPR) and play within the therapeutic process. Providing a safe space to explore and gain better insights into relationships, loss, bullying, anxiety and low self-esteem. With the aim of coming to a deeper understanding of oneself, unlocking our true potential to engage authentically with the world around us. Nichola works in one to one or group Dramatherapy settings. Nichola has a particular interest in working with teenagers, and currently works with all age groups from children, to teenagers to adults.
Contact treasuer@iacat.ie
Noémie is a qualified Dance Movement Psychotherapist, running her private practice Moving Souls (http://movingsouls.
Contact secretary@iacat.ie
Maggie Dagge is a Dramatherapist specialising in trauma informed DvT. Unique to this practice is the physical interaction between client and therapist towards a mutual journey to discover the anxieties that influence and impact on a person's life. Maggie works with adults and children in both school/institutional settings together with private practice. She also runs the Irish DvT practice group. Maggie, who has a background in professional theatre and venue management also uses DvT with performers, directors, teachers, therapists, social workers and trainers.
Contact treasurer@iacat.ie
Heather TurkingtonHeather is an HCPC registered dramatherapist based in County Armagh in Northern Ireland. She graduated from Maynooth University in 2018 and works full-time as a dramatherapist in an adult male mental health residential facility. Heather is the Northern Irish Allied Health Professions (AHP) rep for dramatherapy in AHPFNI (Allied Health Professionals Federation Northern Ireland), and also holds the role as the Northern Irish Link Person for BADth. (British Association of Dramatherapists). Heather works as a dramatherapist with MindWise, a charity that works in conjunction with referrals from the NHS. Heather is extremely passionate about ensuring dramatherapy is widely accessible within the healthcare system and that reaches its full clinical potential. She has a specific interest in mental health and specialises in one-to-one sessions. Heather is excited to be an IACAT council member and see what the year ahead holds for the creative arts on our island.
Since completing her Post Graduate Certificate in Arts in Healthcare settings, Vicky has gained a wealth of experience in healthcare environments. She has worked with all age groups, from 5 year olds to retirees, through image making. Vicky then completed her extensive training as an Art Psychotherapist and has worked with adults in mental health, substance misuse, and recovery. Over the past few years Vicky has worked with adolescent clients and young children in schools. She specialises in dealing with bullying and building resilience with those affected by these behaviours. Other areas of Vicky’s experience include autistic spectrum disorders, sensory impairments, as well as emotional and behavioural disorders. Creative expression within a therapeutic relationship can have a powerful impact on maintaining good mental health, and this is something that Vicky has dedicated her working life to. Art Psychotherapy can help to resolve conflicts and problems for individuals of all ages, backgrounds, and genders.
Leslie Jabara Wrenn is a music therapist from the United States. She received her MME-MT from the University of Kansas and holds US board certification (MT-BC). Living in Ireland since 2015, Leslie has worked with clients of all ages and abilities in Dublin, Kildare, and Wexford. She currently specialises in working with children with Down syndrome.
Leslie has received additional training in Lámh, Hanen, and from Down Syndrome Education International. She holds a BMus from Northwestern University (Chicago, USA). Leslie is a classical and traditional musician and performs with the RTÉ Philharmonic Choir and in sessions around Dublin and Wicklow.
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Anna is a qualified Dramatherapist, working in North Kildare and Meath, with a Masters in Dramatherapy from Maynooth University (2016) and an Honours Degree in Applied Social Studies (Social Care) from the Institute of Technology Blanchardstown (2009). Anna is an accredited member of the Irish Association of Creative Arts Therapists (IACAT).
For several years Anna was a support worker to adults with intellectual disabilities, providing extensive experience in areas such as Dramatherapy, and she works with children in schools and in her private practice, where she also sees adult clients. The areas covered range from anxiety, depression, body image, ASD, to life transitions and parental separation/divorce.
Anna also specialises in the area of childhood bereavement, following her completion of the Professional Certificate in Children and Loss with the Irish Hospice Foundation and RCSI (2020), and she has completed the ASIST - Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training course as well as the Irish Sign Language (ISL) to Level 4 standard.
Anna offers sessions to groups and individual clients. She also runs workshops either alone or with therapists from a varied range of disciplines.
Email: annashinnors@gmail.com
Contact 087 992 1746 or info@iacat.ie
Rowena is an artist and art therapist based in the Midlands, Ireland. Her work uses digital media, photography, animation and socially engaged practice to explore the diverse issues surrounding social inclusion, disability and access to cultural participation experienced by marginalised groups.
As an art therapist, Rowena has a special research interest in and focus on the use of digital practices and online therapy. She also works with film-making through digital narrative to facilitate an understanding of individual experience and its impact, and as a tool to aid self-discovery and recovery.
Contact journaleditor@iacat.ie
Dr Maggie O’Neill is a researcher in the Irish Centre for Social Gerontology, National University of Ireland, Galway. She researches and writes widely on Irish literature, culture and society. She has been co-editor of IACAT Journal since 2013.
Contact journaleditor@iacat.ie
