About Us
Olive Connaughton
I am an accredited Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist and co-founder of Safe Steps. My earlier career as a Social Care worker and manager within child residential services shaped much of my understanding of trauma, safety, and the importance of steady relational presence in the lives of young people. Following my departure from child residential care, I identified a clear professional pathway into teaching and subsequently spent 16 years as a teacher and Course Co-ordinator for QQI Level 5 Social Studies programme. In this capacity, I supported learners progressing into the caring professions. These roles reinforced my understanding of the transformative impact of attuned relationships, developmentally informed practice, and the necessity of supporting both the child and the wider systems around them.
I hold an MA in Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy and a Postgraduate Diploma in Play Therapy. I am accredited with the Irish Association of Play Therapy and Psychotherapy (IAPTP) and the European Association for Integrative Psychotherapy (EAIP). My practice is further supported by additional training in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics & Education, Humanistic and Integrative Psychotherapy, and the clinical application of Polyvagal Theory. Ongoing professional development continues to inform and shape my work.
My therapeutic approach is relational, embodied, and developmentally informed. I integrate neuroscience and trauma theory with an understanding of how the nervous system holds experience and expresses it through behaviour, learning, and relationship. Whether I am supporting a child directly, working alongside a school team, or guiding caregivers, my focus is on creating the conditions where safety, connection, and growth can emerge within thechild and within the systems that hold them.
Our Therapists
Amanda Donovan
My name is Amanda Donovan and I am a Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist and co-founder of Safe Steps. My background in psychiatric nursing and later training in both adult and child psychotherapy has shaped a practice that is trauma-informed, relational, and grounded in developmental understanding, not just for the child, but for parents and carers also.
I hold a BSc (Hons) in Psychiatric Nursing, a PG.Dip in Integretive Counselling and Psychotherapy (Adults), PG.Dip in Play Therapy, and an MA in humanistic and integrative child and adolescent psychotherapy. Additional training in Theraplay, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, EMDR, TIST, and a year-long programme in the clinical application of Polyvagal Theory. Continuing professional development is also an ongoing requirement to support best practice.
With children, I integrate both directive and non-directive approaches, adapting to the needs of the child in the room. My focus is heavily focused on creating safety, fostering connection, and supporting growth through relationship. The concept of relationship extends beyond the therapeutic relationship, it encompasses the child's relationships with others, their relationship to both internal and external experiences, and, perhaps most critically, their developing relationship to their own sense of Self. Self esteem, self confidence, self worth, self love.