Maxine Walsh Counsellor & Psychotherapist

24/07/2026

Self-care has been turned into a product.

A candle isn’t self-care if you’re running on empty. Neither is a face mask if you’re saying yes when you mean no.

Real self-care is often the uncomfortable stuff:
• Setting boundaries.
• Asking for help.
• Resting without earning it.
• Feeling your feelings instead of pushing them down.
• Choosing yourself, even when guilt tags along.

In Ireland, many of us were raised to “keep going”, “not make a fuss”, and put everyone else first.

Maybe the most radical act of self-care is putting yourself at the very top of today’s “to do” list!

Or maybe it’s giving yourself permission to just not “do” anything!

💙 Happy International Self-Care Day.

29/06/2026

They need to start naming and shaming these companies! The level of workplace stress, bullying and constructive dismissal cases that we as counsellors see on a daily basis is absolutely shocking and Irish employers need to be more mindful of the impact it has on employees mental health!

RTÉ News: Mother of s*x assault victim wins €2.5k over termination of remote work deal

The mother of a teenage s*x assault victim has won €2,500 in an employment rights case at the Workplace Relations Commission.

17/06/2026

One of the quickest ways to make someone doubt themselves is to tell them they’re overreacting.

Sometimes it’s true.

But sometimes it’s a way of avoiding accountability, shutting down a conversation, or dismissing feelings that are uncomfortable to hear.

If you’ve spent years being told you’re “too sensitive” or “too much”, you may have learned to question yourself before you’ve even had a chance to understand what you’re feeling.

Not every feeling needs to be acted on.

But every feeling deserves to be acknowledged.

You don’t need to shrink yourself to make other people comfortable.

16/06/2026

from 2024 but relevant for anyone new to meditation! Its not about clearing your mind!

14/06/2026

Taking a few weeks away from work to rest, reset, and refill my own cup.

See you soon!

28/05/2026

If your house feels a bit tense, emotional, or chaotic lately… this is your reminder that stress is contagious.

And for parents of kids sitting the Junior Cert and Leaving Cert next week: your nervous system matters too.

A lot of Irish parents are carrying the pressure as if they’re the ones being examined — trying to hold everything together, keep everyone calm, organised, motivated, fed, rested, optimistic.

That is a lot.

Your child does not need a perfect household this week.
They need a regulated adult presence more than another lecture, panic spiral, or timetable discussion.

Try to remember:

* calm is contagious too
* rest helps memory and concentration
* nobody performs well under constant fear
* exams are important, but they are not a measure of human worth

Be gentle with them.
And maybe be gentle with yourself too.

24/05/2026

Hi All, just wondering if anyone has done some training with ICPS.ie or “Institute for counselling and psychotherapy studies” and how you found it?

Thanks!

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