The future is different, the future is diverse!

My name is Dermot McCarthy. I am an accredited therapist with the IACP (Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy) and current Clinical Director of Inner Voice Inner Journey. In 2009, though volunteering for redundancy, I never expected what lay before me. The worse economic recession had just hit Ireland. I was successful in gaining employment after four months, but the relief was short lived. I did not get full employment until early 2010, within that year Depression had gotten a hold of me. I remember the sense of dread, despair and hopelessness of that period. A friend confided that he was seeing a therapist. I asked for the therapist’s number, and so my journey began.

Through the support of my therapist, I regained my confidence. Within the corporate environment I became more involved in committees such as LGBTQIA+ Support and Customer Care. During this period, I commenced my studies of becoming a therapist , I finally found a passion and my vocation in life. In 2017, I successfully gained my Honours Degree in Psychotherapy and Counselling from Middlesex University. In 2017, after six years working with a large corporate, I successfully applied for redundancy, with a view to setting up my practice. I am grateful for the experience I gained in the corporate environment. In 2018, I founded my practice Inner Voice. In 2019, I successfully achieved my accreditation with the IACP.

In 2019 I was a founding member of Under The Rainbow, and in 2023  I had the pleasure of taking over the organisation entirely, and renaming the Therapy Centre to Inner Voice Inner Journey.  My goal for the organisation is to provide Shamanic / Psychotherapy services with a focus on Neurodiversity.  As well as providing Shamanic/Psychotherapy to my clients, I have been a part of numerous corporate talks to date.

Outside of work and my studies, in 2013, I became involved in a local running club entitled Dublin Frontrunners, the largest LGBTQIA+ sports club in Ireland. To date, I have run numerous races and three marathons. . In 2016, I volunteered for one year with LGBTQIA+ Ireland Helpline.

I was a member of three Pride Run Committees, being the Pride Run Director for Pride Run 2017 and Pride Run 2018. The Pride Run to date has raised over 60k for LGBTQIA+ Charities. In 2018 , I was the Chair of Dublin Frontrunners, I am immensely proud of my year as Chair, some of my proudest achievements were assisting setting up Cork Frontrunners, Pride Run 2018 reaching 1000 participants, and seeing Dublin Frontrunners grow to 240 members.

In 2019, I took part in the Gay Games in Paris. I am immensely proud of this achievement. I represented Ireland and competed in the 10k race. I came 10th in my age category. After the Gay Games , I became a member of Sporting Pride, a committee that was formed to promote LGBTQIA+ Mental Well Being through Sport. I am the current Treasurer and Mental Well Being Consultant of this Committee working closely with Outhouse, local LGBTQIA+ Support Centre in Dublin.

I am delighted to be part of Inner Voice Inner Journey, each of us how our own stories to tell. We offer companies a vast experience concerning employee well-being and diversity requirements.