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.
John works as a counselling psychologist who specialises in mental health policy and the intersection of psychology and technology.
Hi, Ask me a question...
What were the main 'career decision' milestones in your life so far?
Sometimes your ideal career doesn’t quite exist at the time you start studying. Think about it, how may new professions exists today that weren’t there only a few years ago? My most important decision was to follow my interests, in ways that would let me support others.
Who are the people who most influenced your career direction?
My parents example of being self-employed likely set me on the path to do that too. Work models have changed quite a bit in recent years.
The binary of working in a job for life, or just moving from project to project doesn’t hold in quite the same way. My work as a consulting psychologist in private practice lets me work on long term projects with colleagues, while also moving between interesting shorter term projects.
How did you go about getting your current job?
I started off in media, particularly film, television and radio. I knew that what I liked most was creating experiences, and helping people to feel differently. I was also passionate about technology.
It was a bit confusing at first, but over time I learnt that the intersection of a lot of the things I liked could be found in psychology. Now I’m a psychologist who specialise in mental health policy and the intersection of psychology and technology.
Describe a typical day?
No two days are quite the same, as I might be seeing clients, working on reports, tending to organisational duties in my roles on the boards of both the European Federation of Psychologists’ Associations and the Psychological Society of Ireland, or speaking at a meeting or conference in Ireland or internationally.
I also focus on mental health policy and advocacy, with a particular focus on the European Commission and World Health Organisation.
This work involves a combination of research, writing papers and attending meetings and giving presentations to help create positive change.
What are the main tasks and responsibilities?
The majority of my work is either focused on helping to solve problems or help with positive development. This can be on a personal, group or organisational level.
I particularly focus on taking experiential approaches. This can involve turning academic research into practice, using simulators to help practice behavioural change, or facilitating meditative practice to help clients feel more at ease in the present moment.
What are the main challenges?
Extreme multitasking is a challenge, but it’s also exciting. Being self-employed means that you can’t just leave it to someone else. You can draw on support, and I do, but you have to set that support up.
What do you like most?
Meeting interesting people, travelling to different communities and learning about how they do things there, and developing innovative psychological approaches—like the Mixed Reality Therapy programme at UCD—are all great fun!
Is there anything that isn't great?
I tend to structure my work around what I do like and am a specialist in, so for the most part I like all of what I do! Being self-employed, while offering significant benefits, does require quite a bit of work in terms of admin and financial planning.
What particular skills do you bring to your workplace?
Liking people and genuinely having fun working, while also treating it with the professionalism that it deserves, are the main qualities I value.
An integrative and diverse background that draws on the technical and the creative also helps. But key is not trying to have all the skills yourself, but recognising them in the people you work with, so you can help facilitate.
What subjects did you take in school and how have these influenced your career path?
A combination of psychology, cognitive science, applied therapeutic training, communications, film-making, media production, IT, meditation and architecture.
Each topic area felt right, though it was a bit confusing at the time to see how it all came together, but it turns out that I would have found it hard to do my current role without every component.
What is your education to date?
A chaotic secondary school education, primarily because of moving a lot through different jurisdictions, followed by lots of specific courses in media and technology, then intherapy and facilitation.
That all led to studying psychology, and eventually completing a PhD focused on experiential learning and work on developing Mixed Reality Therapy.
What aspects of your education have proven most important for your job?
Every single part. I’d suggest following your interests and learning from multiple sources, as you never know which parts will be the most meaningful. They also often intersect and support each other in ways you won’t expect.
What have been the most rewarding events in your career so far?
It’s usually helping people in what might seem like small ways, but it’s nice when you find out it made a big difference to their wellbeing.
What personal qualities do you have that helps you in your career?
Liking people, patience and being able to look at things from different perspectives I feel are important qualities for this type of work.
What is your dream job?
Exactly what I’m doing right now! I’m looking forward to developing certain aspects of my current work further, like experiential approaches to psychological therapy.
Does your job allow you to have a lifestyle you are happy with?
Building your profession around your interests just makes sense. Think how much time we freely put into leisure activities that we enjoy. If you enjoy your work, it’s substantially easier to engage more fully in your career.
My work offers a nice combination of meeting interesting people, the satisfaction of helping people, and the opportunity to travel and engage in media projects.
It can also be busy at times, with a need to multitask and ensure work-life balance, but that challenge is part of the fun.
What advice would you give to someone considering this job?
Stay committed to what your core interests are, and identify ways to help other people using your skills. Refine those skills by being exposed to a range of different educational, work and life experiences. What might seem unclear at first, can become surprisingly clear in retrospect.
What are the three most important personal characteristics required for the job?
A love of people, systems thinking and multitasking will serve you well.
What is your pet hate at work?
Calendar clashes between multiple exciting projects, but that’s a good problem!
Have you undertaken, or do you plan to undertake any further training as part of your job?
My job involves constant ongoing training. There are regular new developments, so it’s an ongoing task to stay up to date, but a fun task if it’s something you’re fascinated with.
What kinds of work experience would provide a good background for this position?
Varied experience with care for and facilitation of others, research and admin skills, and business management are important in addition to core psychological competencies for those wanted to be a psychologist in private practice.