About Doreen Calderwood: Psychotherapist | Counsellor
I am a qualified Psychotherapist and Counsellor practicing in West Cork.
My qualifications are:
HG Dip. P, MHGI – I am a fully qualified Human Givens Practitioner and a member of the Human Givens Institute.
I also have a Diploma in Drugs and Alcohol: Policy and Intervention from University of London, Imperial College (DIC); a Diploma in Social Work (Dip.SW) from University of Ulster and a BSc. Biological Sciences from Manchester Polytechnic.
Growing up in N Ireland during “the Troubles” I left at the earliest opportunity to attend college in England. After graduating I did some further study in London and ended up living and working with the homeless community in Cambridge. My lifelong interest in Mental Health was sparked during that incredible time when I was immersed in a world that I had previously know little about.
In my early career I worked in Social Services in West Belfast, with young offenders in a Probation Hostel and with teenagers in care (Barnardo’s) in N. Ireland and went on to obtain my Social Work qualification. I then worked in Social Services and in Community Mental Health teams as a Mental Health Social Worker in England. I later moved into management of community-based mental health services with Mind in Worthing.
My Social Work career was invaluable in allowing me opportunities to work with recovering heroin addicts, people who self-harm and people with multiple psychiatric and personality disorder labels. The labels were always less helpful than an understanding of the whole person in their social and family environment and the person’s individual story.
At various times in between I worked in African and Asian countries in Community Development, training and consultancy work. While living in Nigeria I completed a Diploma in Drugs and Alcohol: Policy and Intervention by distance learning with Imperial College, London while working in the psychiatric hospital and Drug Rehabilitation unit in Lagos.
More recently I retrained as a psychotherapist. I love working one-to-one with people and it is very rewarding being able to help people overcome their distress and take back control of their lives, moving forward with renewed confidence. I also know that good quality, effective counselling is often hard to find. I chose to train in Human Givens psychotherapy because of its proven effectiveness, the therapy is based on an understanding of neuroscience and an understanding of what makes for effective therapy. I love how Human Givens incorporates an understanding of how the brain works and how it empowers people through identifying and utilising their strengths with a focus on solutions.
I worked as a Job Coach in West Cork while completing my psychotherapy studies and gained my Human Givens Diploma in 2018. I am now a fully qualified HG Therapist and a member of the Human Givens Institute.
I have professional indemnity insurance, adhere to the HGI standards for supervision and the HGI Code of Ethics.
I hold a current Garda Vetting Disclosure Certificate for working with vulnerable people.
I live near Skibbereen, West Cork, with my partner, dog, cats and chickens.
