John Igoe

You might be here because you feel stuck, disconnected, or like you're holding things together on the outside while something else is going on underneath. Perhaps you're staying too long in something that isn't working, or avoiding a decision you already know you need to make. Sometimes there's a clear reason. Often there's just a sense that something needs to change, and psychotherapy can help.

These patterns often trace back to earlier life: growing up around tension or unpredictability, and adapting in ways that made sense then but no longer quite fit. I have a particular interest in working with people who grew up around addiction or emotional unavailability.

I also have experience supporting survivors of childhood sexual and institutional abuse, as well as whistleblowers facing the personal and professional cost of speaking out.

How I work

Change can take time, and it isn't always straightforward. I'll work at your pace, while staying engaged with what's holding things in place. Often that includes the critical voice in your head: the one that tells you you're not doing enough, or not doing it right. Together we can look at where that voice came from and loosen its hold.

I listen carefully, and I'll also be direct when it's useful. What matters most often shows up in the room itself: in what you notice, what you avoid, what's easy to say and what isn't. Where it feels right, I also enjoy working creatively, for example exploring dreams or using guided visualisation.

About me

I grew up in Ireland and moved to London, where I worked in the corporate sector before retraining as a psychotherapist. I completed an MA in Transpersonal Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy at the Centre for Counselling and Psychotherapy Education (CCPE). My research explored Irish male drinking culture, looking at masculinity, addiction and intergenerational drinking patterns.

I have worked with survivors of childhood sexual and institutional abuse through One in Four and ICAP, as well as in an acute psychiatric setting at the Maudsley Hospital in London with people facing complex mental health difficulties.

I am accredited with the Irish Association of Humanistic and Integrative Psychotherapy (IAHIP) and listed with the Irish Council for Psychotherapy (ICP).