Allan Clarke, MSc, BSc (Hons), MIACP

Psychotherapist | Performance & Mental Health Consultant | Speaker & Facilitator

Allan Clarke, psychotherapist at Kildare Psychotherapy and Counselling
ABOUT THE PSYCHOTHERAPIST

Allan Clarke

MSc · BSc (Hons) · MIACP

Accredited psychotherapist and Certified Trauma Specialist based in Kildare Town.

Allan is the founder of Kildare Psychotherapy & Counselling and has 15+ years of clinical experience working with adults, adolescents, parents and neurodivergent clients.

His work includes anxiety, trauma, attachment and relationship difficulties, autism and ADHD, grief, emotional regulation, identity and self-esteem.

Alongside his clinical practice, Allan delivers mental health workshops and training and contributes to public conversations about psychology, relationships, trauma and neurodivergence through radio, podcasts and other media.

15+ Years

Clinical experience

MIACP Accredited

Irish Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy

MSc Psychotherapy

Child & Adolescent Psychotherapy

Trauma Specialist

Certified Trauma Specialist

CLINICAL APPROACH

The person comes before the method.

Allan works integratively, with Humanistic and Psychodynamic psychotherapy forming the central foundations of his clinical approach.

Rather than applying the same model to every person, different ways of working can be brought into therapy according to the individual, what they are experiencing and what is useful at that point in the work.

This can include structured approaches such as CBT alongside relational, experiential, mindfulness-based and trauma-informed work.

INTEGRATIVE PRACTICE

Approaches that may inform the work.

The approach used in therapy depends on the client and the work rather than on allegiance to one particular model.

Humanistic Psychotherapy Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy Schema Therapy Solution-Focused Brief Therapy Gestalt Therapy Family Systems Existential Psychotherapy Sandplay Dreamwork & Symbolic Processing Buddhist Psychology Art-Based Therapeutic Work Choice Theory
NEURODIVERGENCE

Understanding difference without treating it as defect.

Allan was diagnosed autistic in adulthood. That lived experience sits alongside his professional training and has informed a particular clinical interest in autism, neurodivergence, masking and identity.

For many people, receiving a diagnosis later in life can reorganise the way they understand their history, relationships and previous difficulties. Therapy can provide space to make sense of that without beginning from the assumption that neurodivergent difference needs to be corrected.

Autism, ADHD & Neurodivergence →
QUALIFICATIONS

Professional training.

01

MSc in Child & Adolescent Psychotherapy

02

BSc (Hons) in Counselling & Psychotherapy
Middlesex University, London

03

Diploma in Counselling & Psychotherapy
PCI College

04

Certificate in the Therapeutic Use of Mindfulness

05

Certificate in Narrative Therapy

06

Certificate in Trauma-Informed Therapy

PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS

Accredited and professionally accountable.

Fully accredited member of the IACP

Certified Trauma Specialist

Full professional insurance

Ongoing clinical supervision and professional development

Practice conducted in accordance with IACP ethical standards

CLINICAL EXPERIENCE

Areas of particular experience.

Allan works across a broad range of presenting issues, with particular clinical experience in the following areas.

01

Anxiety & Chronic Stress

02

Trauma & PTSD

03

Autism & ADHD

04

Relationships & Attachment

05

Grief & Loss

06

Self-Esteem & Self-Criticism

07

Identity & Emotional Regulation

08

Men’s Mental Health

CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Ongoing training is a significant part of the practice.

Allan continues to undertake substantial additional training across trauma, attachment, anxiety, neurobiology, relational psychotherapy, body-based work and mindfulness.

A Year of Polyvagal Theory with Deb Dana
Anxiety in Childhood and Adolescence
Art Therapy
Attachment & Enactment in Psychotherapy with Dr David Wallin
Body Psychotherapy
Certificate in Narrative Therapy
Certificate in Therapeutic Use of Mindfulness
Empowering Men To Stay Engaged in Therapy
Exploring & Owning Your Own Power & Authority
Freedom, Choice, Death & Meaning: Exploring Existentialism
Intensive Gestalt Training
Know Your Mind: A Buddhist Approach
Master Class: Dreams in Counselling & Psychotherapy Person-Centred
Neural Integration as a Pathway to Resilience and Well-Being with Dr Dan Siegel
Personality Styles in Psychotherapy with Dr Jonathan Shedler
Professional Certificate Trauma-Informed Therapy
Psychology of the Body: Character Structures
Positive Psychology University of North Carolina
Practical CBT for Treating General Anxiety Disorder with Prof Patrick McGhee
Sexuality, The Body & Body Image
Supporting People Bereaved By Suicide
The Science of Happiness University of California, Berkeley
The Neurobiology of Attachment
Transforming Anger: A Buddhist Approach
Trauma & Inflammation Arizona Trauma Institute
Trauma, The Brain & Biology with Bessel van der Kolk
Working With Core Beliefs of “Never Good Enough”
Working With the Fragmented Selves of Trauma Survivors with Dr Janina Fisher
Working With the Pain of Abandonment
BEYOND CLINICAL PRACTICE

Mental health outside the therapy room.

Allan also works as a speaker, facilitator and mental health commentator, bringing psychological ideas into public, professional and community settings.

APPOINTMENTS

Considering therapy?

In-person appointments are available in Kildare Town, with online sessions also available where appropriate.