Posted by Sue Leonard on Monday 30th March 2020
As a small child, Richard Hogan’s ambition was to become a journalist, but his father, who worked for The Irish Times turned him off the idea. Then, as a member of a band, he wanted to be the next John Lennon.
“As a teenager I taught the guitar to other teens,” he says, “and I got a great buzz out of that. And as a young teenager, people were always asking my advice. I realised helping people and understanding the make-up of their behaviour excited me.”
Then at twenty, he became his grandmother’s carer for two years, when she broke her hip.
“Those were the best years of my life,” he says. “We were really close.”
For the past twenty years Richard has worked as a systemically trained psychotherapist, working with families.
He has been writing the book over the past year, snatching time at the weekends.
Who is Richard Hogan?
Date of birth: 1975 in Cork.
Education: Rochestown College. University College, Cork; English and History. H Dip. University College, Dublin, Masters. Mater Hospital; Systemic Psychotherapy. Currently finishing a PhD in Education.
Home: Malahide in Co Dublin.
Family: Wife Erica. Daughters Hannah 9, Lizzy, 5, Sophie 2
The Day Job: Clinical Director at the Therapy Institute. “I also lecture in Dublin City University, am the clinical head at The Institute of Education, and I write a column for The Irish Examiner.”
In Another Life: “I write poetry all the time, but I would love to write a novel. That is my dream.”
Favourite Writers: JG Salinger; Sylvia Plath; Philip Larkin; WB Yeats; Robert Frost. “But Shakespeare is my love of all time.”
Second Book: “I have one in my head. It’s more about the home environment.”
Top Tip: Write about what you know.
Website: www.therapyinstitute.ie
The Debut: Parenting the Screenager. Orpen Press: € 17.00 Kindle: €7.25.
This practical guide covers the issues experienced by the modern teen including anxiety, gaming, sleep deprivation and bullying.
Set out in sections explaining the issue, giving guidance, and including case histories, it is sensible, clear and concise, and easy to follow.
“I wrote the book because I wanted to pass on my insight into the issues that affect families.”
The Verdict: Enlightening and highly readable. Every parents should have a copy.
Published in The Irish Examiner on 28th March
© Sue J Leonard. 2020
