David Kelly

Qualifications

2025 – (2029): MSc in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy at Trinity College Dublin

2020 – 2024: BSc in Counselling and Psychotherapy (First-Class Honours) at PCI College

2016 – 2019: BA in Journalism at Dublin City University

David is an accredited member of the Irish Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (IACP Membership Number: M15291)

Profile

I am a fully accredited Psychotherapist and Counsellor registered with the Irish Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (IACP Membership Number: M15291). In 2024, I completed my BSc in Counselling and Psychotherapy at PCI College with First-Class Honours. The training is based on a Humanistic-Integrative framework and incorporates modalities such as humanistic, existential, cognitive-behavioural and psychodynamic. In September 2025, I began a MSc in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy at Trinity College Dublin, which leads to accreditation with the Irish Council of Psychotherapy (ICP) and Irish Forum for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy (IFPP).

In addition to working as a Psychotherapist in private practice, I have experience supporting both clients and trainee therapists in various capacities, including clinical coordination and assessment, client care, and lecturing. I am also a researcher, having published and presented work exploring the effect of aimless scrolling on emotional regulation at the IACP Research Conference 2025.

Approach

My approach to therapy is psychodynamic, informed primarily by the object relations tradition. Research shows that psychodynamic psychotherapy is highly effective at treating a wide range of mental health concerns, with benefits that continue to grow even after therapy ends.

Initially, clients often seek therapy for help with symptoms such as anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, or even self-harm. Often, however, these symptoms reflect deeper patterns of feeling, thinking and relating that began as ways of adapting to one’s early relationships. As these patterns develop outside of our conscious awareness, we often suffer their effects without knowing exactly why.

I work with my clients to create a warm, secure therapeutic relationship characterised by empathy, acceptance, and curiosity. Within this relationship, clients are free to give words to thoughts, feelings and experiences that may never have been expressed before. This freedom provides insight into the nature and origin of these patterns.

As these patterns form within relationships, our therapeutic relationship becomes a rare opportunity to notice when they appear in the here-and-now. With this awareness, new choices become possible. What was hurt in relationship becomes healed in relationship.

My fee is €80 per 50-minute session.

Experience with

Attachment

Personality Disorders

Sexuality

Identity

Body Image

Trauma

Burnout

Depression

Anxiety/Stress

Self Harm

Suicidal Thoughts

Grief/Loss

Family Relationship Issues

Major Life Changes

I have a special interest in long-term work for those who wish to change the longstanding and painful patterns that often underlie these struggles.

Continuous Professional Development (CPD)

I have completed CPD with international experts such as Dr John G. Gundersen, Dr Jonathan Shedler and Dr Mary Jo Peebles. These trainings have focused on topics such as suicide intervention, treating borderline personality disorder, dreamwork, and working with personality styles.