A few things stand out as shaping the direction of my career as Clinical Psychologist. From an early age I sensed that I was suited a career focused on people. I developed childhood friendships with children with intellectual disabilities as myself and my cousin used to play with the children who lived in a local residential centre – they had play areas which were much cooler than anything we knew!

My interest in people continued as a teenager and I experienced as much as I could of other cultures during school and college summers – working on a farm in France, as au pair in Spain, and in a biscuit factory in Germany!

My interest in how individuals and cultures tick was really expanded after my undergraduate degree while teaching in Japan on the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme. The experience of living and teaching in Japan was very significant in my decision to train as a Clinical Psychologist as it confirmed for me that my interest in people was probably never ending, and that I was suited to a job focused on working with people day in day out. On my return to Ireland I secured a “front line” post in intellectual disability services before I applied to study on a postgraduate course in Psychology.

I felt it was important to have direct experience in intellectual disability services so that my career decision was based on “evidence”, rather than any unfounded illusions I had! I decided to work on a relief panel (where you rotate around different parts of the service) rather than in one place only. This allowed me to experience a wide range of ages (from babies to older people) and services (residential, respite, special school). I also worked in three different Dublin based services so that I could get direct experience of the differences and similarities between services.

As mentioned above, straight after my undergraduate degree in college I went to be a teacher in the countryside in Japan on the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) programme where I was partnered in the classroom with a Japanese teacher who was usually an elderly man who was half teacher – half farmer!

The students in my class really influenced my decision to train as a Clinical Psychologist as the classes were small (usually eight students) and I really got to know them well, and got an insight into developmental stages, styles of learning, and the challenges of growing up, and integrating into a peer group.

Although I loved teaching for that brief period, the experience reflected to me my desire to work with people in a way which extended beyond the classroom and education needs.

Yes, working as a Clinical Psychologist normally allows me to work relatively regular hours. The free time in my working week and weekends allows me to get involved with clubs, sports training sessions, evening classes etc. on a regular basis. For example, I’ve just finished a dressmaking course and, previous to that, I joined a dance class.

Because my job is busy and challenging I think that weekends are really important to totally switch off. As a person I like to be constantly developing, and in this respect I like that the job of Clinical Psychologist provides clear opportunities for career progression.