Frequently Asked Questions

I am an accredited psychotherapist with IAHIP and registered with the Irish Council for Psychotherapy (ICP). Depending on your health insurance plan, you may be able to claim back part of the cost of psychotherapy sessions. Please check your individual policy with your insurer.

Therapy often focuses more deeply on:

• emotional healing

• psychological distress

• trauma

• mental health

• and longstanding emotional patterns

Coaching is generally more future-oriented and developmental, supporting:

• transitions

• self-awareness

• leadership

• decision-making

• authenticity

• and meaningful change

There can sometimes be overlap between the two.

If you are unsure which approach feels most appropriate, we can discuss this together during an initial conversation.

There is no perfect formula, but a useful question can be: What kind of support am I needing right now?

If you are experiencing significant emotional distress, trauma, anxiety, depression, overwhelm, or unresolved pain that is impacting daily life, therapy may offer the depth and containment needed.

If you are navigating transition, burnout, uncertainty, identity shifts, or seeking greater clarity, alignment, or self-awareness, coaching may feel supportive.

Sometimes people begin unsure, and that is completely welcome. An initial conversation can help us explore together what may best support you.

Relational Gestalt therapy is a relational and experiential form of psychotherapy that pays attention not only to thoughts and emotions, but also to the body, nervous system, patterns of relating, and present-moment experience.

Rather than focusing solely on analysing problems or changing thoughts, Gestalt therapy explores how you experience yourself and your life in the here and now of the therapy relationship.

This may include awareness of:

• bodily sensations and tension

• emotional responses

• patterns in relationships

• ways of coping or protecting yourself

• what feels alive, stuck, avoided, or unfinished

• how past experiences continue to shape the present

The therapeutic relationship itself is also considered an important part of the process. Rather than positioning the therapist as an expert who “fixes” you, Gestalt therapy is grounded in authentic human relationship, collaboration, and awareness.

Some therapeutic approaches are more structured, technique-based, or symptom-focused. Embodied Gestalt therapy tends to be slower, more exploratory, and rooted in the belief that greater awareness, presence, and self-support can create meaningful and lasting change.

There are coaching approaches that are highly goal-oriented and focused on performance, accountability, strategy, or achieving specific outcomes.

Somatic coaching places more emphasis on awareness, authenticity, embodiment, and the relationship between coach and client itself. Rather than pushing toward fixed goals, relational work creates space to explore what is unfolding in the present moment and what deeper patterns may be asking for attention.

It is often especially supportive during periods of transition, burnout, uncertainty, or identity change where quick solutions may not feel appropriate or sustainable.

Different therapeutic approaches support different people at different times in their lives.

Some people prefer structured, skills-based approaches such as CBT. Others are drawn toward more relational, experiential, embodied, or insight-oriented therapies.

It can be helpful to consider:

• Do I want practical tools and coping strategies?

• Do I want to explore deeper emotional or relational patterns?

• Am I looking for short-term support or longer-term exploration?

• Do I feel comfortable with this therapist and their way of working?

Whichever therapy you go for, research consistently shows that the quality of the therapeutic relationship is one of the strongest predictors of positive outcomes across all therapy types.

It can help to ask yourself:

• Am I looking for strategy and accountability, or deeper self-awareness and reflection?

• Do I want practical goal support, or space to explore uncertainty and change?

• Do I want a relationship which is more about supporting outcome-orientation, or a more collaborative and exploratory relationship?

Whichever type of coaching you choose to go with, the relationship itself matters enormously. Feeling safe, met, and able to be yourself with a coach is often more important than the specific label attached to the work.

Gestalt therapy is a relational and experiential form of psychotherapy that focuses on awareness, present-moment experience, and how we relate to ourselves, others, and the world around us.

It can be especially supportive for people wanting to understand:

• relationship patterns

• boundaries

• anxiety or overwhelm

• emotional disconnection

• life transitions

• or recurring ways of coping or adapting.Yes. Research suggests Gestalt therapy can be effective for supporting anxiety, depression, relational difficulties, self-awareness, emotional regulation, and personal growth.

As with other therapies, its effectiveness often depends on the quality of the therapeutic relationship and whether the approach feels aligned for the individual person.

In most cases, it is considered ethically important to keep therapy and coaching as distinct relationships rather than combining both roles simultaneously with the same person.

Although there can be overlap between therapeutic and coaching approaches, psychotherapy and coaching involve different contracts, intentions, boundaries, and responsibilities. Holding both roles at once can sometimes blur those boundaries and create confusion about the nature of the work.

For this reason, if we are working together therapeutically, the work would remain grounded within a psychotherapy framework. If coaching feels more appropriate, we would work within a clear coaching agreement.

Part of my responsibility is helping to discern which type of support is most supportive, appropriate, and ethically aligned for you at a particular point in your life.

In some situations, people may move from coaching into therapy, or from therapy into coaching, over time as their needs evolve. This would always involve an open conversation and careful consideration of what best supports your wellbeing and the integrity of the work.

No.

Many people begin therapy because they feel:

• stuck

• overwhelmed

• disconnected

• emotionally exhausted

• or aware that something in their life no longer feels sustainable

You do not need to arrive with a clear explanation or “reason.”

Therapy can offer space to explore what may be happening beneath the surface. description

Yes.

Everything shared in therapy is treated confidentially and with care.

However, there are some legal and ethical limits to confidentiality, including situations involving:

• serious risk of harm

• safeguarding concerns

• or legal obligations.

As a Mandated Person under the Children First Act 2015, Linda McConn has legal responsibilities relating to child protection and welfare.

Further information can be found within the Privacy Policy and Therapy Agreement pages.

Therapy sessions are usually held weekly, though this may vary depending on individual circumstances and availability.

Consistency often helps support the therapeutic process.

Yes.

Online therapy is available for clients throughout Ireland and internationally where appropriate.

Sessions are held via secure video platform. All you need is somewhere quite and private for your online session.

I work with individuals (18+) in emotionally demanding situations from leaders to carers and creatives, to educators and students and those in professional roles who are seeking greater clarity, sustainability, authenticity, or relational awareness within their work and lives.

For in-person or online sessions I require 48 hours’ notice for cancellations or rescheduling. Where possible I will offer an alternative slot.

Late cancellations or missed sessions will be charged at 50% unless exceptional circumstances apply.

I offer in-person sessions in Dublin 2, Dublin 6 and Dublin 7.

Or online.

Get in touch for an initial chat to find out more.

Beginning therapy or coaching can feel like a significant step.

You are very welcome to get in touch if you would like to ask a question, explore what support might feel helpful, or arrange an initial conversation.

How do I arrange an initial session?

You are welcome to get in touch through the contact page or by email.

An initial session offers space for you to:

• ask questions

• discuss what support you are looking for

• and explore whether working together feels like a good fit.