My name is Simon Courtney, and I am an accredited psychotherapist with the Association of Professional Counsellors & Psychotherapists (APCP), Ireland. I have an MA in Counselling and Psychotherapy with the Irish College of Humanities and Applied Sciences.
Prior to this I had studied Human Genetics, and then felt drawn to medicine. I wanted to really understand our blueprint as human beings and the fundamental building blocks of life, but I longed to bring my interests of science, psychology, and healing into more visceral ways of understanding both myself and others. I wanted more depth in my interactions with people, more time, more connection. So, I chose to leave medicine and follow that calling while learning to listen to that original inner movement as a guiding compass. Along with a decade of relational and inner work, this brought me to my current profession in psychotherapy and coaching.
Between 2020 and 2022 I assisted my friend, psychotherapist and facilitator Emma Philbin Bowman, in developing and co-hosting online courses with themes such as ‘The Art of Wanting’ and ‘Tending Our Future’, and ‘Being Human’.
I have participated in other online groups led by psychotherapists and coaches, looking at integrating our power as men, and at collective trauma arising in response to the Corona virus pandemic. In 2022, I started as a trainee, and junior assistant, in the 2 year Timeless Wisdom Training led by Thomas Hübl, and in 2023 I started as a co-training assistant on the NARM Level 2 online training with Bred Kammer. I also volunteer with the Pocket Project on community calls, focusing on Global Social Witnessing as a way to stay related and digest all that is happening in our world as global citizens. Since the start of 2024 I have been co-facilitating a group exploration on ‘An Gorta Mór’ (The Irish Famine).
I am also working as a Lab Guide on the topic of Meaning Making in Labyrnxth, which is a “community-led spiritual care model designed for life’s inflection points. Through guided 12-week journeys, participants are given the structure, practices, and support for inward growth, using proven alternative modalities across brain, body, and soul.”
“In collaborating with Simon over a two-year period, I was continually struck by his clear, available presence in group spaces. Simon is both calm and energetically perceptive, and these qualities support the overall safety and spaciousness of a group. Participants often expressed being nourished and supported by his presence.
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