The PSI, Cumann Síceolaithe Éireann, is the learned and professional body for psychology and psychologists in the Republic of Ireland
The Psychological Society of Ireland
About The Psychological Society of Ireland
The Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI), Cumann Síceolaithe Éireann, is the learned and professional body representing circa 4,500 psychologists in the Republic of Ireland. Since its creation the members of the PSI have helped shape and develop psychology as a science in Ireland, and their work and commitment has given Irish psychology a voice and standing on not only the European but also the world stage.
The PSI is committed to maintaining the high standards of practice in psychology that have been set by its members since the founding of the Society and also to exploring new and innovative ways of furthering psychology as an applied science. The PSI is an independently governed, registered charity and our office is located in Dublin 8.
What Do We Do?
When the Psychological Society of Ireland was established its primary objective was the advancement of psychology as an applied science in Ireland and elsewhere. The PSI has helped cultivate a high standard of psychology in Ireland which is visible in both academic and professional settings. These high standards provide psychologists who study and work in Ireland with the qualifications and experience that is needed to gain membership with the PSI.
PSI aim to:
Advance and promote the discipline of psychology
Promote high standards of training and education for psychologists in Ireland
Promote high professional and ethical standards within the profession
Provide professional learning, development and networking opportunities
Sustain growth in PSI membership
Annual scientific and professional conferences
Public talks and media communications
Update members on psychology matters in Ireland
Join the PSI
Student Membership (€18/year) – If you are currently enrolled in a PSI Undergraduate/Conversion Course, you are eligible for student membership. Apply here.
Graduate Membership – See website for criteria, processing, and fees.
Chartered Membership – See website for criteria, processing, and fees.
Accredited Undergraduate and Postgraduate Courses
Click on the links below to explore a full list of fully accredited courses available in Ireland:
Completion of a PSI accredited undergraduate degree with a Second Class Honours or above or completion of a PSI accredited Psychology Conversion Course with an overall pass mark of 50 per cent confers eligibility for graduate membership with the Psychological Society of Ireland.
To become a Chartered Psychologist, a PSI Member must meet the following criteria:
Be a graduate member of PSI
AND
Hold a PSI accredited postgraduate qualification at master’s level in Psychology or equivalent and four years' experience, inclusive of any time spent on undertaking postgraduate qualification, OR
Hold a Research Doctorate Degree in psychology in which the thesis was clearly on a psychological topic and both the research supervisor and examiner were identifiable as psychologists - by PhD thesis only, OR
Hold a PSI accredited postgraduate qualification at Doctoral level, or equivalent.
Chartered members must renew their membership annually and be in good standing. They also commit to adhering to the PSI Code of Ethics, and continue to engage in their own continuing professional development every year.
PSI Membership Benefits
A primary objective of the PSI is to seek to ensure that the public is protected by upholding the highest professional standards in psychologists' education, training and work. To this end, PSI encourages all its eligible members to become Chartered Members of the Society.
For a full listing of upcoming events and to book online click here.
Blog
Blog posts from the Psychology Society of Ireland (PSI), including comments from PSI staff and members on emerging matters in the psychology discipline. Read Blogs here.
Find a Psychologist
This online directory is to help you find a psychologist who is recognised by the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI) as being a Chartered Member of the Society. Click here to search.
Clinical Psychologists use psychological knowledge and techniques to address psychological problems and to help you cope with a wide range of problems such as depression, self-harm and interpersonal difficulties as well as psychosis.
Counselling Psychologists contribute to the personal well-being and interpersonal functioning of individuals across their life span. Working to promote well-being, alleviate distress and increase clients’ ability to live fully functioning, healthier lives.
Educational Psychologists investigate processes of learning and teaching, developing psychological principles and techniques applicable to educational problems.
Work and Organisational Psychologists apply the principles of psychology to human resources, administration, management, sales, and marketing problems in an organisation.
Health Psychologists apply psychological theory, methods and research to health, physical illness and health care. They are concerned with health promotion, health behaviour change, and psychological effects of physical ill-health.
Clinical Neuropsychologists aim to understand how the structure and function of the brain relate to specific psychological processes and behaviours and how we can use this information to help people with neurological and neurodevelopmental conditions.
Sports and Performance Psychologists apply psychological knowledge in sport settings to help athletes, coaches or sports teams reach higher levels of performance.
Research Psychologists study the way people think and act and uses their understanding to help people with difficulties to change their lives for the better.
Anne-Marie is a self-employed Chartered Sport Psychologist working in international Cricket, tennis, golf, GAA, swimming, cycling and martial arts.
Hi, Ask me a question...
What were the main 'career decision' milestones in your life so far?
Im grateful that the degree and masters I completed were accredited by the PSI and BPS. This allowed me to further my studies and training in the UK.
Who are the people who most influenced your career direction?
I first started working in golf and was given access and support by the Golfing Union of Ireland and the Paddy Harrington Golf Scholarship at Maynooth University.
Jim Gavin was very influential in the development of my career as I spent six years working with the Dublin Senior Football team. I learned everything I needed to know about high performance under his wing.
The academic supervisors and mentors that I had during my BPS QSEP Stage 2 training were instrumental in developing my skills as a competent and ethical applied practitioner.
How did you go about getting your current job?
I have been very fortunate in my career to-date. Working with the Dublin Football 5-in-a-row winning team has opened a lot of doors for me. My experience is if you work hard and do great work, that will be recognised. Working in sport can be a ‘relationship based’ business ie. You are sought after based on reputation. In the past I have also applied for advertised positions from Cricket Ireland and Sport Ireland. This is usually through a public tendering process. I have been successful in some and unsuccessful in others. It is very exciting when you land a contract with a team that may be, for example, working to qualify for the Olympics or World Cups.
Describe a typical day?
Every day is different but for me at the moment it looks something like this.....
9am Check emails and respond to queries
10 – 12am Clients (online)
12-1pm Workshop/educational resources preparation for teams/athletes
1-2pm Reading/studying/researching
2-3pm Lunch and pick up my girls from school
3-4pm Client (online)
4-5pm Prepare for evening session/training with teams
6-11pm Onsite training with team
What are the main tasks and responsibilities?
As the sport psychologist for a team you may be responsible for any number of areas ie. Athlete mental health and wellbeing, planning and organisation, systems and logistics, mental skills development and training with athletes/coaches, performance enhancement, training support, competition support.
What are the main challenges?
The most challenging part of my job is helping coaches and managers understand the nature of my work and how it can impact performance. In order for me to be able to do good work there must be ‘buy-in’ from the management teams and also the athletes. Building trust and relationships is vital to being able to work effectively in sport.
What do you like most?
I love meeting new people. I love being part of a team working towards a shared vision/goal. I love helping people to become the best they can be. I love to travel and seeing parts of the world I would never have seen only for sport eg Pakistan, Guyana, Zimbabwe etc.
Is there anything that isn't great?
I least like the business side of being self-employed ie invoicing, tax returns etc.
The career can look very glamourous from the outside but it is hard work and nobody sees the hours and hours of research and study that goes in behind the scenes.
What particular skills do you bring to your workplace?
My biggest strength is my relationship building. I care about my athletes and teams and I make sure they always know and feel this. I am very grounded and down-to-earth and can make my clients feel at ease no matter what the context.
My preparation will always be commented on by my clients. I like to be fully prepared for any environment that I am working in.
The job requires us to be able to form bonds very quickly and be able to respond to challenges and problems on the spot, this is something I am very good at.
What subjects did you take in school and how have these influenced your career path?
What I didnt expect in my psychology degree was the level of maths and statistics that was required. I was poor at maths and struggled a bit with this aspect of my degree. I probably would have chosen biology for leaving cert in hindsight just to get a better insight into how the brain works.
I found honours English throughout secondary school did help as I was used to writing essays and critically analysing pros and poetry. There was a lot of philosophy in my degree which can be taxing if you havent been exposed to it before so if there was an option to do a philosophy subject I would recommend that.
What is your education to date?
BA (Hons) Psychology (PSI accredited) 4 years
MSc Sport and Exercise Psychology (BPS accredited) 1 year
BPS QSEP Stage 2 training (Doctoral level – Chartership) 4 years
What aspects of your education have proven most important for your job?
My undergraduate degree gave me the general grounding in psychology ie. Personality, cognitive, social, health, forensic, developmental, organisational, neuropsychology, biopsychology and psychoanalysis.
My Masters degree gave me the theoretical underpinning of sport psychology ie. The theories and research in areas such as motivation, confidence, behaviour change, group dynamics, physical activity and mental health.
It is during your stage 2 supervised training that you learn your craft. This training provides you with all the skills and competencies to become an applied practitioner. It is during this training where you learn how to apply theory to practice, to become a reflective practitioner, and to practice ethically.
The stage 2 training is by far the most important element of becoming a qualified sport psychologist.
What have been the most rewarding events in your career so far?
Being part of the Dublin GAA Football team for the 5-in-a-row
Supporting the Ireland Track Cycling team that won silver and bronze at the World Championships and qualified the biggest Irish cycling team for the Tokyo Olympics.
Ireland Women’s Senior International Team - Qualification for the T20 World Cup in 2018, 2023 and ICC Women’s Super League 2022
Becoming Chair of the Division of Sport Exercise Psychology at the Psychological Society of Ireland
Being asked to sit on the GAA’s Central Games Development Committee for a 3 year tenure (2024-2027)
What personal qualities do you have that helps you in your career?
As a huge Arsenal fan – it would be my dream to work with their first team.
Id also love to work in the NBA or NFL (somewhere warm!).
Does your job allow you to have a lifestyle you are happy with?
I am very passionate about my work and I feel very fortunate in my career to-date. My work does not ever feel like work because I love and enjoy it so much. Being self-employed can be challenging but I have total flexibility in my working hours to an extent. I can take days off and holidays when I need to. I have gotten to work with the most incredible people and have travelled the world doing what I love.
The work can be unsociable ie. Lots of evening and weekends.
What advice would you give to someone considering this job?
It can take between 7-10yrs to properly qualify so you need to be committed. There is limited work in professional sport in Ireland and this should be factored in when you weigh up the years of study versus the outcome.
What are the three most important personal characteristics required for the job?
Resilience – it is a tough industry!
Authentic
Caring – you have to care about people
What is your pet hate at work?
Poor and disrespectful communication.
Lack of clear roles and responsibilities.
Sub-optimal systems and organisation.
Have you undertaken, or do you plan to undertake any further training as part of your job?
Yes 100%. I attend various training courses at least twice a month. I have completed training in Spotlight which is a performance profiling tool used in the world’s biggest clubs/teams. I have completed CBT and ACT training. I will also regularly attend webinars on sleep for performance, eating disorders among athletes, recovery strategies for sport, half-time talks, building culture, effective visualisation and imagery training, goal-setting etc.
What kinds of work experience would provide a good background for this position?
Any work within a team will give you an insight into the sport environment.