Siana McGarvey

I work day times - 9am-4pm

Please note: this profile is for online IFS therapy for adults.  If you are seeking "in person" therapy or clinical supervision please see other listings under my name. 

Hello and thank you for viewing my profile.

My core therapy training was in person-centred counselling (MA, Durham Uni, 2001). I then spent 15 years working in 4 of the largest counselling agencies in Northern Ireland, before setting up in private practice in 2016. My agency work afforded me the privilege of counselling people of all ages who represented a wide range of gender, sexual, cultural and spiritual identities.

Some examples of why people come to see me now include relationship or family difficulties, trauma (particularly related to childhood experiences), identity issues (often related to neurodivergence and / or gender and sexual identity), anxiety, feeling low or depressed, life changes and transitions, low self worth.

I have completed official training programmes via the Internal Family Systems Institute, the only organisation which can validate IFS courses. 

 IFS is currently the fastest growing therapeutic community worldwide. Its deeply affirmative and non pathologising stance, combined with uncomplicated and user friendly language makes it easy to access and experience change. 

Internal Family Systems (IFS) 

"A part of me thinks ... another part of me wonders ..." If this is you and you're open to the idea of working with your "parts" IFS might be a good fit.

IFS therapy is based on the theory that we all have many parts / aspects of ourselves.  The categories of these parts which we often work with in sessions are 

- those which are in pain due to trauma and other difficult experiences (exiles)

- those which manage everyday life to avoid these exiles being touched / harmed (managing protectors) 

- those which react in more extreme ways in scenarios where either the exiles have been or are at risk of being exposed / activated / retraumatised (firefighting protectors)

A basic example could be someone who works excessively (protective manager) in order to keep at bay feelings of inferiority which arose due to shaming within the family or school context (exiled part which is largely cut off from adult consciousness). An appraisal at work might threaten the equilibrium and a more extreme part (firefighter) might emerge whose role is to distract / numb the person using alcohol or food, or maybe the person has a panic attack and cannot go into work that day.

Due to demand, I have taken the decision to offer IFS online on a short-term, time-limited basis only.  

During our first session, we will explore how we get along together and discuss your hopes and expectations.  I will be open and honest with you about realistic limitations due to the time frame and I will also let you know if I feel I am not the best person to meet your needs at this time.

I work day times - 9am-4pm

Please note: this profile is for creative therapy for adults (in person). If you are interested in therapy for young people or clinical supervision please see other listings under my name. 

Hello and thank you for viewing my profile. 

My core therapy training was in person-centred counselling (MA, Durham Uni, 2001). I then spent 15 years working in 4 of the largest counselling agencies in Northern Ireland, before setting up in private practice in 2016. My agency work afforded me the privilege of counselling people of all ages who represented a wide range of gender, sexual, cultural and spiritual identities.

Some examples of why people come to see me include relationship or family difficulties, trauma (particularly related to childhood experiences), identity issues (often related to neurodivergence and / or gender and sexual identity), anxiety, feeling low or depressed, life changes and transitions, low self worth.

I aim to connect in an authentic and attuned way, on the basis of mutual respect and humility. I am a fellow human being first and foremost and I tend to be seen to have a "down to earth" approach as a therapist.  I work towards equality within the therapeutic relationship and I commit to an ongoing personal process of deconstructing and unlearning my own internalised privilege, ableism and other "isms" which contribute to psychological ill health and have regretably long been intertwined with psychotherapy as an institution.

I have undertaken specialist training related to trauma and relational neuroscience, as well as Jungian Sandplay and Internal Family Systems.

I am fully aligned with the neurodiversity paradigm, firmly rejecting the medicalised view of autism and other neurodivergence as disordered. I welcome and prize members of the LGBTQIA+ community.

My office is in Carrickfergus, 12 miles along the coast from Belfast in Northern Ireland. 

Jungian Sandplay

Jungian sandplay can be particularly helpful if you are feeling stuck or as if you have lost direction in life. You may struggle to find words and need to work at a level which is simply unreachable verbally, for example because it stems from traumatic or very early life experiences.

Sandplay is without doubt the modality within which I have seen the deepest healing, both in myself and people I have worked with. It is not "play" in the sense we sometimes understand it as being "for children", but rather "play" in the sense of the "thinking" brain being suspended. This allows us to enter into the brain areas where memories, emotions, pain and trauma are stored and where healing is possible.

The process involves working symbolically, thereby accessing both conscious and unconscious information in the interests of deepening your relationship to yourself and your own natural resources and capacities.

There is lots more information on my website and I'm always happy to discuss further if you are curious! I'm a registered Sandplay Therapist with AST (Association of Sandplay Therapists).

Internal Family Systems Therapy

"A part of me thinks ... another part of me wonders ..." If this is you and you're open to the idea of working with your "parts" IFS might be a good fit.

IFS is particularly effective for developmental (childhood) and complex trauma. It is based on the idea that aspects of ourselves get "stuck", carry more pain or seem to get us into more trouble. There may be ones who we might describe as 鈥渙ut of control鈥� or 鈥渢riggered鈥� by an apparently minor situation. Or perhaps there are some who behave in ways which we feel ashamed of. Some can literally shut us down, others think 鈥渃razy鈥� things (according to other parts!) And some can become terribly hurt and distressed yet never find relief.

I have completed official training programmes via the Internal Family Systems Institute, currently the only organisation which can validate IFS courses.  

When you first get in touch with me I will give you the option of booking a free call (usually online). This typically takes 20 mins. It gives an opportunity for initial introductions and allows you to ask any questions you may have. Some people opt to do this via email prior to the first session.

First session: I will invite you to share how things are now as well as relevant background and history. We will likely discuss who helps and supports you, including any involvement you have with other services. We will probably also talk about your day to day well-being, such as your mood, sleeping, eating patterns and any risk or self harm. Very importantly, we will explore your hopes for the therapy and the changes you would like to see. I'm using words such as "talk" here but actually it is possible to use creative means even in the first session so, if talking and using words feels tricky, I hear you and we can find a way!

We鈥檒l go at a comfortable pace and the format is interactive (not question and answer and no clipboards or questionnaires!) This will help us see how we get along and let you experience how it feels to begin to open up about yourself. The relational aspect is more important than getting through all the information and throughout the conversation you choose how much you say. There will be no pressure to speak about anything you don鈥檛 want to or to go into a lot of detail. The session lasts 50 minutes.

You don't have to make any quick decisions after our first session. I ask you to take your time to consider what it was like for you and how you鈥檇 like to proceed. You will have a sense from our time together whether you feel I am someone you could work with and I will also be honest with you if I believe there is another therapist or service which would be more appropriate for you at this time.

If you are interested in individual and in person supervision please see the other listing under my name.

At its heart, my own therapy practice is based on a person-centred foundation. I trained in 2000-01 at Durham University and then worked for 15 years in various agencies before setting up in private practice. I am a Registered Jungian Sandplay Therapist (AST) and I have trained in Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFSI).

The majority of people I see are Autistic / AuDHD and I work in a non oppressive neuro-affirming way.  I invest in regular consultation and CPD for both my therapy and supervision practice.

I offer online supervision groups specifically for Autistic therapists or for therapists working with autistic and otherwise neurodivergent people.

I am autistic myself and I am privileged to have developed robust neurodiversity-affirming professional networks.  Unfortunately, however, the wider therapy world remains largely dominated by the medicalised view of autism as pathology.    Needless to say, this has a profoundly negative impact on autistic therapists and clients alike.  

My motivation for creating these groups is to provide safe and affirmative spaces for autistic people to be truly seen, welcomed and valued.  

The therapists who join the groups tend to have one or more other supervision arrangements in place, and this is an additional or more specialised space.  

There are 2-4 people in each group and I ask that you commit for a minimum of 6 months. Groups meet for 1.5-2 hours monthly or bimonthly and the fee is 拢40 per session. The length of the session depends on the number of participants.

If you are interested in joining a supervision group I will meet with you individually first.  This gives us the opportunity to discuss what you are looking for and any accommodations you might need.  This preliminary meeting allows you to ask any questions you might have and it helps me to be able to match you to a group with other therapists with similar interests and foci.  

I usually offer supervision on a Wednesday each week.

Are you looking for a supervision experience which is a little bit different? Maybe you have a niche you are developing, a particular client group you want to learn more about, maybe you are training in one of the approaches I use ... or maybe you are simply curious and want to see what would emerge if you allowed yourself to step outside the norm?

I work in a very relational way, utilising our supervision relationship to facilitate and shed light on the therapeutic processes you are engaged in. I bring lenses of Internal Family Systems and relational neuroscience to our work and I incorporate creative approaches.

At its heart, my own therapy practice is based on a person-centred foundation. I trained in 2000-01 at Durham University and then worked for 15 years in various agencies before setting up in private practice. I am a Registered Jungian Sandplay Therapist (AST) and I have trained in Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFSI).

Monthly Supervision

I offer supervision on a one to one basis with students, therapists working in agencies and those in private practice.

My supervision training was with Gestalt Centre Belfast in 2014-16.  This was an intensive and experiential small group supervision programme.

I invest in consultation for my supervision practice and I regularly participate in related CPD. I completed my second year of training with Bonnie Badenoch in 2024, focusing on consultation through the lens of relational neuroscience. 

This distinctive approach to supervision acknowledges that many of the stuck places we find ourselves in with our people relate at least in part to our own unnavigated histories and hurts. Therefore, we invite curiosity about the parts of the therapist which are touched and stirred by the person they are seeking consultation for, recognising that they are inextricably linked within the relational dyad and clinical work. 鈥�

鈥婭 particularly enjoy working creatively with supervisees and I incorporate an IFS lens into my supervision practice. I am happy also for you to bring clinical creative work to supervision sessions, obviously with prior consent from clients. 鈥嬧赌嬧��

鈥嬧赌�Ad hoc Consultation

I offer ad hoc sessions for therapists and practitioners seeking additional consultation from time to time. For example, this might be in relation to some more specialised work you are doing with a small number of clients.  Most commonly, due to my own specialisms, this would relate to work with autistic and otherwise neurodivergent people, "parts" work or sandplay / sandtray work.

Group Supervision

I am keen to explore setting up a local in person supervision group if there is interest.  

We would use a process orientated approach to access "therapist parts" and deeper levels of awareness in order to untangle / unblend from stuckness in our clinical work.  This would be experiential and creative and would draw together many elements of both my supervision and therapy training.

I offer a free preliminary session to help us work out whether the way I work is a good "fit" for your supervision / consultation needs.