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…

Richard Hogan the Director of the Therapy Institute has released a new book titled Parenting the Screenager. Nothing has interrupted family life more than the arrival of our technological devices. Teenagers are struggling to navigate this new world. The WHO recently recognised gaming as a new mental health condition. In Richard Hogan's new book he…

LAST week, I wrote about how happiness is a state of mind that requires considerable effort to achieve. I received many emails asking how to make a teenager happier. Many parents described the same story: the teenager in the house has become sullen, less chatty, and more withdrawn. It is a very good question and one I…

Everywhere you look this time of year, we are bombarded with ubiquitous ads offering; better,healthier, fitter and happier you. They all sound great;seven-minute abs, five-minute healthier dinner plans, the 10-minute workout for a better physique, and lets not forget, the five steps to happiness. If only everything was as easy as a few steps. Why have we become…

There is this idea in Jungian psychology known as the circumambulation, and it refers to the notion of how we move towards reaching full potential. I find myself talking about this theory a lot in my practice over this month, because clients often seek out therapy after they have launched, unsuccessfully, into another new years resolution. The…

I am dreading this Christmas because there has been so much tension in my family. My father passed away two years ago and ever since there has been a lot of conflict between my siblings and me. I never really had a good relationship with them and I find that they can be rude to my…

Television has brought us some truly wonderful and memorable moments: then US president John F Kennedy taking his first steps on Irish soil, in 1963; Riverdance’s debut, during the interval of the Eurovision Song Contest, in 1994; Roy Keane’s early arrival home from the 2002 World Cup in Saipan; then US president Barack Obama’s speech…

The arrival of Ryan Turbidy on our screens last Friday night, dressed as Olaf, not only signalled the beginning of ‘The Late Late Toy show’ but also marked the beginning of Christmas, proper. The moment Halloween ends Christmas begins to move into view and nothing has come to sound like a Christmas klaxon more than that…

My daughter was bullied this time last year. Her friendship group turned on her after she had an argument with one of the main girls. It was very difficult to watch, as a parent, and my husband and I were very worried about her. They isolated her and said very hurtful things on social media…

No. It is such a small word, yet at times, something many of us find difficult to utter. The inability to say no to work, friends or family can cause so much stress in our lived lives. Much of the therapeutic work I do is helping parents to build boundaries in the family dynamic so they…