Meet The Team
Katie McQuillan - Psychotherapist
Short Bio
My name is Dr. Katie McQuillan. I’m a counselling psychologist and I work on Spirasi’s psychotherapy team. I’m from Kildare, have lived abroad a bit, and now call Dublin home. In the past, I’ve worked in mental health settings for children and adults, as well as in disability and homeless services. Pre-pandemic, I was into the gym, hiking, and good coffee. Since covid-19 has become a part of our picture, I’ve also fallen back in love with reading.
Fun Fact
Tá an Ghaeilge (beagnach) ar a thoil agam. Mhúin mo mhamaí í dúinn mar theanga rúnda nuair a bhíomar inár gcónaí thar lear. I speak Irish (almost) fluently. When we lived abroad, my mam taught it to us as a secret language.
What attracted you to your role at Spirasi?
Traditionally psychology has catered to the needs of people from Western, Educated, Industrialised, Rich, Democratic countries (termed WEIRD countries in research). The problem here is that culture plays a central role in our personal psychology, how we think, relate to others, and make sense of the world. So, it’s been a longstanding ambition of mine to focus on adapting psychological therapy to support people from diverse cultural backgrounds. Moreover, I lived in Kenya as a child and my identity today is shaped by some of the fantastic people I met there. I’ve also faced loss caused by the political instability and violence there. I thought this could be an asset working with so many clients who mourn disconnection from their loved ones.
What are the challenges and rewards of your job?
The most rewarding part of my job is the people I meet. I feel grateful that my clients share themselves with me, that we learn from each other, and I am proud of the work we do together.
