Honan & Associates

Maria is responsible for all practice administration and accounts along with the day to day running of our office. In addition to these responsibilities, she oversees the office operations and procedures, ensuring smooth running of the practice. She coordinates between our clients and our Associates. Maria has both a HND in Business and Finance and a HND in Music Management and Production. She has over 20 years of experience in various finance and administration roles.

Lucy is a behavioural psychologist with current Chartered memberships of the Psychological Society of Ireland. Lucy has over 15 years’ experience working with individuals with autism, intellectual disabilities and challenging behaviours in a variety of settings including schools, day services, homes and hospitals. She is a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst (BCBA), a member of the Psychological Society of Ireland and the Association of Behaviour Analysis International (ABAI). She attained her undergraduate degree Psychology with the University of Manchester and her Masters degree in Psychology and disability studies with Manchester Metropolitan University. She then attended Trinity College Dublin to achieve her a postgraduate diploma in Applied Behaviour Analysis. Lucy completed a PhD in Applied Psychology with the University of Kent, Tizard Centre which focused on improving fidelity of implementation of behaviour support plans in residential services for adults with intellectual disabilities. Lucy has presented at a number of national and international conferences on this topic. Lucy worked as a teaching assistant on the MSc ABA course with Queen’s University Belfast and as an associate lecturer on the MSc ABA & MSc PBS courses with the Tizard Centre.

Jacinta is a qualified Counselling Psychologist with current Chartered membership of the Psychological Society of Ireland. Jacinta attained her honours degree in Psychology at the School of Psychology, NUI, Maynooth. Jacinta went on to complete her Master’s Degree in Counselling Psychology at the School of Psychology, Trinity College, Dublin. During this time, she completed a number of placements working with children, adolescents and adults with behavioural, cognitive, and emotional difficulties. Jacinta also gained more specialised experience working with young adults with Asperger’s Syndrome registered with the AS Project at Trinity College. Jacinta also completed an additional course in Psychometrics at Trinity College. She specialises in working with and supporting clients and their families in seeking assessment in relation to Autistic Spectrum Disorder and in subsequent Psycho-Educational work with both children and adults. In clinical practice, Jacinta takes an integrative approach to working with people. Drawing on different psychotherapy approaches to provide psychological intervention adapted to the individual’s needs

Dr Rita Honan is a Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI) Chartered Clinical, Counseling (PhD) & Educational (MEd) Psychologist and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst-Doctoral level. She is very active in the PSI Autism Special Interest Group and Division of Behaviour Analysis. She has had a lifelong interest in working with and on behalf of children and adults with disabilities and their families. After 20 years working as an Educational, Clinical and Behavioural Psychologist in the U.S. she spent 23 years in Dublin, first as Principal Psychologist and Coordinator of the HSE Beechpark Services for children with Autism and their families, then Director of the postgraduate Counseling Psychology course at Trinity College Dublin. She initiated the postgraduate training courses in Applied Behaviour Analysis in the TCD School of Psychology (the first in Ireland) and co-initiated post-graduate training in Clinical Supervision at TCD. Missing ‘hands on’ engagement with kids and families, she eventually moved exclusively into private practice. She maintains an ongoing Consultant role at Honan & Associates.

Elaine Walsh is a Senior Educational Psychologist with over 15 years of experience primarily working with children and adolescents. She attained her undergraduate psychology degree with The Open University, whilst at the same time working as a special education teacher with children and adolescents with learning and other developmental disabilities. Elaine graduated from her Masters in Educational Psychology from University College Dublin with a first class honours. Since 2009 Elaine has worked as a psychologist with early school leavers who were experiencing social and educational disadvantage. She provided psychological services to second level students, adult learners and their teachers. She has worked with a Disability Support Service providing psychological services and positive behaviour support to children, adolescents and young adults with moderate, severe and profound intellectual disabilities. Presently, alongside working for Honan & Associates, Elaine works as a Senior Educational Psychologist with a HSE Early Intervention Team for children (0-6 years) with disabilities. Elaine’s extensive experience working with children on both Early Intervention and School Aged Teams and in educational settings has afforded her considerable opportunities to enhance her skills in a number of different areas including positive behaviour support, person-centred planning, assessment and intervention for children with general learning disabilities, autism spectrum conditions and facilitating parenting and teacher skills. She also has experience with dyslexia and other specific learning difficulties, and vocational assessments for young people with autism Elaine is a Chartered Educational Psychologist with the Psychological Society of Ireland, and a member of the Division of Educational Psychology and the PSI Autism Special Interest Group. From 2011 to 2013 she was the Continued Professional Development coordinator for the Division of Educational Psychology. Elaine has presented at an international conference on feedback as an essential element of the assessment process. She has also published research on a model of reflective teamwork to support teachers and special needs assistants to work together. Elaine has recently been invited to guest lecture on the doctoral level educational psychology training programme at University College Dublin. Elaine is currently doing research in assessing autism in girls as part of a Professional Doctorate with UCD.

Aleksandra is an Educational Psychologist who is currently also completing a Degree in Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy. Aleksandra has experience in working with children and adolescents within varied psychological settings and community services. She has provided psychological screening, assessments and interventions for students presenting with additional needs, such as learning disabilities, Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder. Aleksandra takes evidence-based approaches in her work, which focuses on the individual needs of the client. Aleksandra’s other interests include cyberpsychology, and she works as a consultant on information technology projects.

Fiona completed a BSc. Psychology in 1992 from University College London. From there, she completed a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at the University of Surrey. In 1994 she moved to Melbourne and spent 2 years working for the Mental Health Research Institute of Victoria and Royal Park Hospital in a joint research and clinical position. On returning to the UK in 1996, Fiona worked at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery as a Clinical Neuropsychologist. Fiona then went on to work at the Institute of Psychiatry/Maudsley hospital doing clinical and research work with patients attending the Behavioural Genetics service. In 2010 Fiona and her family moved to Malta where she undertook a range of part-time private and voluntary work. In 2017 Fiona started work at the University of Malta as a locum lecturer and continues to provide lectures to the MSc. Courses in Clinical Psycholog. Fiona moved to Ireland in 2019 and has been working at Honan and Associates since November 2019.

Gráinne attained her BA in Psychology from Maynooth University. She has worked as an ABA tutor delivering early intervention in a specialised preschool for children with ASD. She also has experience working as a social care worker in homelessness services. She is currently completing a research masters at Technological University Dublin. Her research explores coping strategies for managing stress among undergraduate students.

Barry has a BA (Mod) Psychology and an M.Sc. (ABA) in Psychology from the University of Dublin, Trinity College, as well as advanced Training in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). He has more than 15 years’ experience working with children and adults with Developmental Disability and/or Autism. Working from a perspective primarily informed by Applied Behaviour Analysis, ACT/ Contextual Behavioural Science, Behavioural Neuroscience and Positive Behaviour Support, his professional areas of interest include Executive Function, Perspective-taking, Skills Development, and Anxiety in high-functioning individuals on the Autism Spectrum. Barry also has extensive experience working with families and staff teams who support individuals challenged by their environments.

Megan is originally from North Carolina where she obtained her undergraduate degree from Appalachian State University. She graduated in May 2014 with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a concentration in Human Services and a Minor in Communication Sciences and Disorders. She continued her studies at Trinity College-Dublin where obtained her Masters Degree in Applied Behaviour Analysis (Psychology) in December 2016. Since February 2019, she have been a practicing as a Behaviour Analyst across different settings, age groups, and populations.

Jose is a senior Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and Mindfulness /Acceptance and Commitment (ACT) Therapist. Since 2009, he has worked with children, adolescents and adults with Autism and/or Intellectual Disabilities who struggle with problem behaviours and mental health issues, such as anxiety or depression, and Tic Disorders He particularly focuses on reducing challenging behaviour, improving social and independent living skills, and teaching stress management skills that will help to improve their quality of life. He is passionate about working with students who have High Functioning Autism and who struggle with the demands of the academic world such as the Leaving Certification and third level education. His particular interest is in working collaboratively, with his clients and their support systems, to teach and develop behavioural plans that are aimed at improving their quality of life. In addition, he employs ACT and Mindfulness strategies to reduce the impact that negative thoughts can have on his client´s behaviour and to encourage them to persist in behaviours of chosen values. He has also worked in a variety of settings including residential care, home and schools. His research aims to integrate Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) and ACT into clinical practice and to improve social skills in individuals with Autism. Jose has presented his research at professional forums in the United States, Ireland and Spain in both English and Spanish.

Chantal is originally from Canada where she obtained her Bachelor of Education in Elementary Education from the University of Alberta. She continued her education at MacEwan University, Alberta where she graduated with a Behavioural Intervention Certificate of Achievement. In 2017, Chantal moved to Dublin and obtained her Masters Degree in Applied Behaviour Analysis from Trinity College Dublin which lead to her professional qualification as a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst (BCBA). She has experience working in a variety of settings both in Canada and Ireland including home, community and school. Her experience includes working directly with clients, staff training within an ABA school and direct parent training. Her professional interest includes offering support and training to families to give them the tools and skills needed in order to decrease challenging behaviours in the home and teach adaptive skills.