Places Limited to 600
Event will close for bookings at 12pm on Monday September 15th
IACP Research Conference 2025 - Through the Looking Glass: Therapy in a Shifting World.
Conference details
Building on the tremendous success of IACP's online Research Conference in September 2024, we are delighted to invite IACP members to the 2025 Conference: "Through the Looking Glass: Therapy in a Shifting World."
Last year's conference drew 550 attendees and we are pleased to continue the online format to ensure accessibility for colleagues across the country.
Keynote and Featured Presentations: We are delighted to welcome Dr. David Trickey as our keynote speaker, who will be joined by IACP members David Kelly and Patsy McSharry along with a panel presentation by the nominees from our inaugural Undergraduate Research Excellence Award.
Interactive Elements: The conference will feature breakout rooms for small group discussions and conclude with a panel discussion including all speakers.
Facilitation: The conference will be facilitated by Aisling O'Connor, Chair of IACP's Research Committee, and Dr. Geraldine Sheedy, Research Committee member
Conference Programme:
Morning Session
- 10.00 - 10.15 - Welcome and Introductions
- 10.15 - 11.05 - Keynote Presentation Dr David Trickey
"The Cognitive Model of PTSD – Understanding How Traumatic Events Affect People, and How Talking About Them Helps"
- 11.05 - 11.40 - Second Presentation David Kelly
"Black Mirroring: Using Psychodynamic Theory to Understand Why We Scroll, Why We Struggle to Stop, and Why We Feel Worse After"
- 11.40 - 12.00 - Break
Interactive Session
- 12.00 - 12.20 - Student Panel Introduction
Brief presentations from 5 Undergraduate Research Excellence Award nominees
- 12.20 - 12.55 - Third Presentation Patsy McSharry
"Enhancing Therapist Self-Care Through a Targeted Wellbeing Approach"
- 12.55 - 13.15 - Breakout Rooms (20 mins) Small groups
Closing Session
- 13.15 - 14.00 - Panel Discussion and Close
All speakers + student award winner
Presenter Bios:
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David Trickey is a leading Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Co-Director of the UK Trauma Council. He has specialised in working with traumatised children, young people, and their families since 2000, particularly following domestic abuse and family homicide. He continues to focus on direct clinical work, as well as the training, supervision and support of others and is the clinical team lead for a specialist service for Children in Care. He presents at conferences and supervises research. He is chartered by the British Psychological Society and registered with the Health and Care Professions Council.
He was a member of the committee responsible for the 2018 revision of the NICE Guidelines for PTSD. In all of his roles he draws heavily on the research literature to which he has made a modest contribution.
David Kelly is a pre-accredited Counsellor and Psychotherapist with the IACP. He holds a BSc (Hons) in Counselling and Psychotherapy from PCI College, where he achieved First-Class Honours. A revised version of his bachelor’s dissertation, titled Black Mirroring and Paranoid-Schizoid Simulacrum: A Defense Against the Depressive Position was recently published in the peer-reviewed journal, Psychodynamic Practice. In September 2025, he will commence the MSc in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy at Trinity College Dublin to deepen his clinical and academic engagement with psychodynamic approaches. David maintains a small private practice with a special interest in long-term relational, depth work aimed at facilitating personality growth and change, drawing on an integrative person-centred, psychodynamic approach. He also serves as the PCI Counselling Service Co-Ordinator, supporting the work and development of over 120 trainee therapists across the country as they provide counselling and psychotherapy to hundreds of clients.
Patsy McSharry is an accredited Counsellor and Psychotherapist (IACP), an internationally credentialed Coach (ICF, EMCC, NBC-HWC), and a third-level Lecturer in Health Promotion and Psychological Wellbeing. Patsy’s professional practice integrates the evidence base of psychotherapy, coaching psychology, and positive mental health promotion. This interdisciplinary approach is informed by over a decade of academic engagement, clinical experience, and personal practice.
In both her private practice and academic role, Patsy specialises in the intersection of coaching and psychotherapy—an area of growing relevance in the evolving landscape of mental health support. She works with individuals, groups, and professionals to foster psychological resilience, enhance emotional self-awareness, and promote sustainable wellbeing.
As an educator and researcher, Patsy’s interests lie in the translation of theory into accessible, practical strategies that empower clients and learners alike. She delivers workshops, seminars, and one-to-one sessions focused on self-care, stress prevention, and emotional flourishing, always underpinned by evidence-informed methodologies.
Patsy’s personal wellbeing practices—including mindfulness, journaling, and running—form a core part of how she engages with her work. She views the promotion of mental health not just as a professional endeavour but as a lived commitment. At the heart of her work is a belief in the transformative potential of integrated, person-centred approaches to psychological wellbeing.
Undergraduate Research Excellence Award – Student Panel
Sarah Finnerty – Recipient [ICPPD] “Balancing the emotional tightrope: Understanding countertransference when working with clients at risk of suicide in the therapy room”
Eoin Shanahan – Nominee [PCI] “Exploring the Impact of Psilocybin on the Psychotherapeutic Experience”
David Whisker – Nominee [MTU Kerry] “The COVID-19’s Impact on Cannabis Consumption”.
Lisa McKevitt – Nominee [IICP] “Ending the Ending: Training Psychotherapists' Experiences of Therapeutic Endings”
Sheila Burton – Nominee [DACT] “The Effectiveness of Art Therapy in Addressing Chronic Loneliness Among Women Experiencing Empty Nest Syndrome”
Please note the conference will be recorded and content will be used in the future on the IACP Online CPD Portal. If you wish not to be recorded, please keep your video off.
CPD Certs will be emailed to participants after attendance at the Event
The Zoom Link and Password for the event will be sent at least a day or two in advance
Please ensure to check your spam folder
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