Hi, I’m Marci Carroll.
This fascination led me to study Psychology for my BA in Trinity College, Dublin. I loved every minute of discovering more about human behaviour, thoughts and feelings, and I couldn’t believe that I could be so lucky as to earn a qualification reading, writing and learning about subjects I was so captivated by.
Following a year working in a special education school, I trained to be a Primary School Teacher. There were many times during this training when I supposed to be writing lesson plans in the library that I would lose track of time in the Psychology section instead!
In the classroom, I loved supporting children in their emotional and psychological development. It was clear to me that this was the foundation to everything else – how could children be expected to learn maths or develop friendships if they didn’t have self-esteem and an ability to manage their emotions? One of the twelve subjects on the primary school curriculum is SPHE (Social, Personal and Health Education) and I would have taught this all day, every day, if I could.
During my years teaching I was continually drawn to mental health initiatives such as training and volunteering as a Rainbows Facilitator to enable children who have experienced a significant loss to access peer support, and submitting an application for our school for, and being awarded, Pieta House’s Amber Flag, which recognises efforts to create healthy, inclusive environments that support mental well-being within organisations.
As my passion for psychology and personal development continued to grow, I undertook psychotherapy training at Tivoli Institute, Dun Laoghaire. This training was a personal development journey on which I was invited to explore all the emotional boxes that were deeply buried and covered in cobwebs (there’s that 1980’s Ireland upbringing again!). Through personally experiencing the healing power of working with a trained, supportive psychotherapist, I developed an immense respect for the value of therapy.
Immediately following my training, I became a mother, which led me on an even deeper, and life-changing, personal journey. While I had plenty of books about my baby’s sleeping, feeding and development, I was completely unprepared for the huge mental and emotional impact motherhood would have on me. I am now committed to supporting mothers as they navigate their motherhood journey.
Read more about my Motherhood Matters Services here.
Therapy is an empowering form of self-care, and I am so glad you are here.
I believe that psychotherapy is a gift that everyone should be able to avail of at least once in their life, if they want to (and in my ideal world, everyone would want to!)
I have always been fascinated by the human mind, and what makes each individual unique. I can’t really explain why, because I wasn’t exposed to these sorts of conversations growing up. (Who was in 1980’s Ireland?!)
Maybe that’s what fuelled my curiosity?
My Qualifications + Professional Memberships:
BA (Hons) Psychology – Trinity College Dublin
Professional Diploma in Counselling and Psychotherapy – Tivoli Institute Dun Laoghaire
Higher Diploma in Primary Education – St Patrick’s College Drumcondra
Professional Certificate in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy – PCI College
Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) Certificate – Karuna Mindfulness
Accredited Member Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy
Member of The Teaching Council of Ireland
My Approach
No matter what is happening in your world, life doesn’t have to be a struggle.
My role as a therapist is to hold hope for you and to see the light in you that you may not be recognising in yourself at the moment. I will help you to discover what is blocking you from appreciating your capabilities and potential, to look at your situation differently, and to pursue the possibilities that currently feel out of reach.
Your mental health is as important and valuable as your physical health, and it is worthy of the same level of care and attention. You deserve to feel mentally well, and to experience and enjoy your life fully. While we cannot control what happens to us, we can develop the skills to not only cope, but flourish, regardless of the cards that life deals us, or dealt us in the past.
My mission is to use my listening skills, ability to create and hold safe emotional spaces, love of growth and learning, and my values of compassion, gratitude and integrity to support you on your journey to inner contentment. I consider it to be an honour and a privilege to do so.
Depending on where you are on your journey, and your needs, you can work with me through 1:1 therapy sessions (in-person or online), Walk, Talk and Coffee sessions in your local park (South Dublin only), and Motherhood Matters group programmes and workshops. I believe that you have your own answers, solutions and truth within you, and however you chose to work with me my role as psychotherapist is to support you in connecting with this inner wisdom.
Try My 3 x 3 (x 3) Technique to support your mental health throughout your day
Set a timer for 3 times during the day, to notice 3 things in each of these 3 categories. Bonus points for taking 3 minutes to write them down (the x 3 part)… but if you can’t do this that’s ok, there is still power in bringing your attention to these areas of your life.
(Please note that these practices are not intended to minimise or discount difficult emotions or experiences, but rather to support you as you work through them.)
In the morning:
Think of 3 things you are looking forward to today.
These don’t have to be big, “bells and whistles” things. It might be your morning cup of tea in your favourite mug, your lunchtime walk, or you might be planning to cook your favourite dinner tonight.
Take a moment to really visualise these things (try to imagine sights, sounds, smells), and as you do them throughout the day, connect back to the memory you made that morning.
(My reminder alarm is set for 8am.)
In the afternoon:
Think of 3 things you are grateful for today.
Again, these don’t have to be huge things. It is important to notice the small things that are actually having a big impact on making your day and life easier and more enjoyable.
(My reminder alarm is set for 1pm.)
In the evening:
Think of 3 things you did well today.
It is too easy to finish the day thinking of things that didn’t go well or didn’t get done. Retrain your brain to notice and appreciate what you did achieve today, and how wonderful you are.
(My reminder alarm is set for 7pm.)