Meet our Team
MA in Gestalt Psychotherapy Team
Dr. Billy Desmond
Institute Director, MA Tutor, Clinical Supervision Tutor
PhD. MBA, Dip Gestalt, MSc Gestalt. Dip. Sup. Pg Cert Research Supervision. UKCP, IAHIP, ECP registered.
Billy lives between London and the rural west coast of Ireland. He is a UKCP and IAHIP registered Gestalt psychotherapist and supervisor.
As a working-class, cisgender, queer, white Irish (e)migrant, Billy brings a unique perspective and commitment to building collaborative partnerships across cultures and disciplines. His passion for embodied, collaborative, and disruptive approaches to research is rooted in his personal and professional experiences of exile and marginalisation, issues he now sees as central to justice-making.
Billy is an embodied practitioner-researcher and dialogical educator, with a strong interest in group work and embodied ways of knowing. He teaches as guest faculty at various Gestalt training institutes internationally and is a certified trainer of Developmental Somatic Psychotherapy.
He serves on the editorial boards of the Gestalt Book Series and the Gestalt Review journal. His publications include journal articles and book chapters on group work, experiential knowing, sustainability, spirituality, homophobia, and working with gay men. He is also the co-author of An Introduction to Gestalt (Sage, 2012) and is a regular presenter at international conferences.
Ann Cadogan
MA Tutor, Module 1 -3 Co-ordinator
MA Gestalt Psychotherapy, BSc Hons , HDip Ed, Post Grad Dip. Gestalt Therapy , Post Grad Dip Supervision, MIAHIP , MIACP.
Having worked for several decades as a Science/Maths teacher, Ann qualified as an SPHE facilitator. Her interest in personal development grew as she continued with further training in a number of parenting programmes, including the Family Communications and Self-Esteem programme and the Parents Plus Programme. She has extensive experience in delivering both programmes to groups of parents in their community setting. She took on the role of Home School Liaison Coordinator where she was instrumental in developing community building initiatives in her school. Ann trained as a Gestalt Psychotherapist with GII and has qualified with a Masters in Gestalt Psychotherapy. She has a busy private practice, does contract work for Tusla and also works at the Ford Counselling and Psychotherapy Service in Wexford. Ann was invited to join the training team in May 2021.
Catherine Power
MA Tutor, Clinical Supervision Tutor
Post Graduate Diploma in Gestalt Psychotherapy, Dip Supervision, MIAHIP.
Catherine is an experienced therapist who has worked in the field for more than twenty years. She trained with Accord, first as a couples counsellor and then as a supervisor, and continues to work and supervise in that organisation. She completed her training in Gestalt Therapy with the Irish Gestalt Centre in 2003. Other trainings include ‘Working with couples from a Gestalt Relational Perspective’, training in trauma and training as a psychosexual therapist. Catherine is experienced in working with issues of domestic violence and has a special interest in relationship issues and the impact of addiction on families. She is an accredited IAHIP supervisor and has a private practice seeing individuals and couples. Catherine teaches across Modules 1-3 of the MA/Postgraduate Diploma programme.
Karina Nemcova
MA Tutor
MSc Gestalt Psychotherapy, MA Psychology, Dip Supervision, EMDR Therapist, Dip Counselling, Cert in Couples Counselling, UKCP, HCPC & EMDRIA registered.
Karina is a Gestalt psychotherapist, supervisor, psychologist, and group facilitator with extensive experience supporting people on their journeys of healing and growth. Her work is grounded in Gestalt therapy’s holistic principles, integrating body awareness, relational presence, and the wider context of each individual’s life.
Karina believes that growth and healing emerges through genuine presence and embodied connection. She draws on diverse healing traditions, including Indigenous wisdom, and is passionate about supporting Gestalt students and practitioners in developing embodied, relational and ethically grounded ways of working.
Originally trained as a psychologist in Poland, Karina has lived in England for most of her adult life. Her migration experience informs her interest in belonging, identity, and difference. She is also drawn to the intersection of Gestalt therapy and spirituality, exploring how embodied awareness and creative expression can open pathways to connection, meaning, and transformation.
Andrea Ragusa
MA Tutor
MA Gestalt Psychotherapy, BA Social Science, Dip Counselling & Psychotherapy, PG Dip in Gestalt Psychotherapy , MIAHIP.
Andrea is an IAHIP member. He earned his initial degree in Social Sciences in Italy before training as a psychotherapist in Ireland, where he now lives and practices. Deeply committed to social justice, Andrea advocates for marginalised groups and has extensive experience in community work, particularly with young people in residential care, individuals in addiction recovery, and communities affected by poverty. He has also worked in Africa, supporting diverse communities and addressing the impacts of social disadvantage.
Andrea began his psychotherapy training at IICP College, followed by a Postgraduate Diploma in Relational Gestalt Process at the Dublin Gestalt Centre, and completed his MA in Gestalt Psychotherapy with the Gestalt Institute of Ireland. He currently works as a Senior Psychotherapist within the HSE, supporting adults, couples, and adolescents. His clinical interests include addictive processes, intergenerational trauma, and the ways trauma is experienced and expressed in the body.
Elaine Divilly
Module 4 Tutor
BA, HDip, PG Dip Gestalt Psychotherapy, MA Gestalt Psychotherapy, MIAHIP.
Elaine Divilly is a qualified Gestalt psychotherapist and researcher. She completed her core training with the Gestalt Institute of Ireland in 2021 and holds an MA in Gestalt Psychotherapy. Her research focuses on gender, gender qualities, embodied presence and the relational field.
Alongside her psychotherapy practice and research, Elaine has contributed her skills to organisations such as ISPCC Childline, Let’s Get Talking and the University of Galway’s Student Counselling and Wellbeing Service. Prior to training as a psychotherapist, she spent nearly two decades in development, communications and management roles across education, the arts, media, and business, both in Ireland and abroad. She also holds a BA in Mathematics and Economics and a Postgraduate Diploma in Business Studies from the National University of Ireland, Galway.
She is a core tutor on the research module of the MA in Gestalt Psychotherapy.
Gill Leo
CPD & Placement Co-Ordinator
MA Gestalt Psychotherapy (SETU), Post Graduate Diploma (GII), Diploma in Management (NCI).
Gill Leo is a qualified psychotherapist having completed her training with the Gestalt Institute of Ireland in 2022. She holds a master’s degree in Gestalt Psychotherapy, focusing her research enquiry in the area of neurodiversity, specifically dyslexia.
Prior to qualifying as a psychotherapist, Gill worked over 35 years in the IT sector with three major national and international enterprises. Her roles spanned a broad spectrum from programming, corporate HQ support, sales, training, and change management. Most recently she specialised as a business analyst within an SAP Business Intelligence environment. Gill has volunteered with several charities in Ireland since 2005. She has been an active board member and volunteer with the Burren Chernobyl Project, a listening volunteer with Samaritans for 15 years and undertook a number of senior volunteers posts within the wider federated organisation. She recently served as a board member with Kilkenny Society Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Gill has experience on the steering committees and direct involvement in the organisation of national conferences for Samaritans and the Gestalt Institute of Ireland respectively.
Personal Development Team
Ursula Devaney
PD Tutor
Dip IGC, Certificate in Clinical Supervision with The Gestalt Institute of Ireland, Accredited Gestalt Supervisor with IAHIP.
Ursula is an IAHIP accredited Gestalt Psychotherapist and Gestalt Supervisor. Ursula is part of the team of The Gestalt Institute of Ireland and delivers their ‘Personal Development Programmes’. All her work is underpinned by the IAHIP code of ethics.
Ursula works in a humanistic, experiential and relational way and is embedded in Gestalt theory and practice. She provides a safe and confidential environment to explore challenges that arise for clients and therapists. Her focus is to work together in a relational way to increase awareness and the possibility of a different perspective.
She values the importance of working collaboratively with her supervisee and supporting them to develop their own style of practice. This allows them to deepen their own self-awareness, resilience and learning and understanding of their own clients and practice in a non-judgemental way.
Ursula has over 20 years’ experience working as a therapist with a diverse range of clients. She is trained in issues such as trauma, anxiety, depression, conflict, anger management and sexual trauma. Ursula is passionate about group work and experienced in delivering workshops on different topics such as personal development and resilience. She also has a private practice in Sligo working with both individuals and couples.
Olive Fanning
PD Tutor
M.Sc., MA SPHE, Post Graduate Diploma in Gestalt Psychotherapy. Gestalt Psychotherapist/Supervisor, IAHIP.
Olive is a Gestalt Psychotherapist and Supervisor accredited with IAHIP. She has a background in health promotion, holistic health and training with over 20 years’ experience of developing, delivering and facilitating a large range of personal development and holistic health programmes. She is an experienced facilitator with a deep understanding of the complex determinants that underpin our health and wellbeing. These experiences support her to work creatively based on unique needs. She has a busy private practice, does contract work for various public, private and third level educational settings. Olive is part of the team which delivers the Gestalt Institute Personal development programme.
Julien Joly
PD Tutor
Dip IGC, IAHIP, Dip BSS-DO.
Julien is a Gestalt psychotherapist, a graduate of The Irish Gestalt Centre and is accredited with IAHIP. Julien has worked in the therapeutic field for 20 years, exploring and working through the lens of a holistic approach. He is passionate about the energetics of a body/mind/environment system. As well as practising Gestalt, he has an established Shiatsu Therapy practice in Galway since 2001. Prior to becoming a therapist Julien was a professional dancer in London and other modalities he practices include Remedial Pilates. Julien works on a one to one basis, facilitates groups for personal development and trains therapists in Shiatsu for Shiatsu College Dublin. He works with trauma, sexual abuse, social phobia, anxiety, depression, addictions, LGBT issues, and relationships dynamics. Julien is part of the team which delivers Gestalt Institute personal development programmes.
Sandra Mullen
PD Tutor
MA. Eq., Dip., Gestalt Psychotherapy, Dip., Life coaching, Dip., Addiction Studies., Accredited Supervisor, MIAHIP, MICP.
Sandra is a Gestalt Psychotherapist and Supervisor and is accredited with IAHIP. She works in private practice in Tallaght D24 and in the Dubin Gestalt Centre, Dublin 2.
Working from a humanistic and integrative approach, Sandra has a deep belief in each person’s potential for growth and their capacity to respond to change and find meaning and direction in their lives. In her work as a therapist, she emphasises the importance of the therapeutic relationship as a core vehicle for change, providing a supportive and safe environment for exploration, deeper self-awareness, and personal growth. She has considerable experience in working with trauma, stress, anxiety, and depression and with people struggling with problematic relationships, bereavement, loss, and life transitions.
Prior to becoming a therapist Sandra worked in the non – profit sector, providing personal development, educational and community-based programmes focusing on community development and the rights of minority and marginalised communities. She was a member of the IAHIP Ethics committee from 2018 – 2020, and she is currently a member of the management team in the Dublin Gestalt Centre.
Sandra is part of the team which delivers the Gestalt Institute of Ireland personal development programmes.
Clinical Supervision Team
Brenda Boland
Clinical Supervision Tutor
BSc. MSc. Gestalt Psychotherapy. MIACP.
Brenda’s background in social care, education and business eventually led her to the IGC to train as a Gestalt psychotherapist. She became a member of the faculty of the Gestalt Institute of Ireland in 2012. Since then, she has continued her own training mainly in the Gestalt’s creative approach to therapy and supervision in Ireland, U.K. and Europe. She believes in the importance of the embodied, relational, field perspective in therapy and supervision while integrating Gestalt philosophy for her living as well as her clinical practice. Brenda works as a Psychotherapist and Supervisor in her private practice. She is a tutor on the Gestalt Supervision Programme.
Kate McCarthy
Clinical Supervision Tutor
MA Gestalt Psychotherapy, PG Diploma in Humanistic & Integrative Psychotherapy, Diploma in Supervision, Sensorimotor Level 1: Training for the Treatment of Trauma, B.ED.
Having initially worked as a teacher Kate trained in Humanistic and Integrative Psychotherapy. Subsequently she did the Sensorimotor Trauma Training as she recognised the need for greater inclusion of the embodied self in her work as a therapist. She worked as a core tutor on a four year psychotherapy training and later supervised third and fourth year students. She completed her Masters in Gestalt Therapy in The Gestalt Institute of Ireland. She works in private practice as a therapist and supervisor and she also works on a voluntary basis with women in Direct Provision. In her work, and supported by the research she undertook for her master’s degree, Kate is especially interested in embodied presence in the relational field. She is informed in her work and life by an awareness of power, privilege and difference.
Administration, Operations & Marketing Team
Jacqui Fleming
Administrator and Company Secretary of the Gestalt Institute of Ireland Ltd and IGC Ltd.
Jacqui is one of the two Senior Postholders of the Institute and is responsible to the Board for the Administration and Finances of the Company. She is an experienced business administrator and began working with the organisation in September 2021. She is a member of the Finance and General Purposes Committee. Jacqui is the first point of contact and support for all prospective and current students and is happy to answer any queries you may have in relation to the programmes provided by the Gestalt Institute of Ireland.
Contact details: 091-452013 Monday – Thursday 10.00am – 3.00pm E-mail: admin@irishgestaltcentre.com
Patrick Mc Elligott
Marketing Co-Ordinator.
Patrick is a Gestalt Psychotherapist with over 15 years of experience in the youth, voluntary, and community sectors. Patrick facilitates both support and social groups, as well as providing individual psychotherapy sessions, addressing a wide range of personal and interpersonal issues.
His professional background is multifaceted, encompassing qualifications in psychotherapy, supervision, training, group facilitation, and mediation. He is also a qualified Electrician and a Reiki therapist. Patrick’s approach to therapy is grounded in the belief that self-expression and embodiment are central to the healing process. Through his work, he strives to create transformative spaces where individuals can explore their identities, heal from past experiences, and move towards a more authentic and fulfilling life.
Beyond Psychotherapy, he has worked in media and communications. He has created, edited, and produced podcasts; managed social media campaigns for voluntary organisations; and provided public speaking engagements at conferences and on various media platforms including print and radio. These experiences reflect his commitment to advocacy, accessibility, and widening conversations about mental health, identity, and wellbeing.