Julie Maher

Assistant Psychologist

Julie graduated from IADT Dun Laoghaire with a first class honours in applied psychology in 2020. Having already had a keen interest in parental experiences at this time, her undergraduate thesis investigated how job demands and parental gender impacted self-efficacy among working parents. During this time, she also volunteered with Barretstown’s bereavement camp, providing a safe and supportive environment for parents and families who had lost a child to serious illness. Julie then went on to complete her Master’s in Applied Psychology in University College Cork in 2021 and achieved a first class honours. Her Master’s thesis explored participant reactions to the use of deception in psychological research. This research was an extension of a larger replication study that involved working with a team of 10 researchers across two Irish universities. Papers from both the replication and extension project are currently in the process of being submitted for publication in academic journals.

Julie completed her master’s placement in one of the few Adolescent Addiction Treatment Centres in Ireland and gained invaluable experience in relation to therapeutic interventions with adolescents, young adults and families. Julie continued to volunteer in this service as an assistant psychologist. Following her Master’s, Julie worked as a Youth Justice Worker, working to divert young people from very marginalised and at risk communities from entering or remaining within the justice system. This role focused on supporting young people with their holistic development and wellbeing and involved addressing academic, social, physical, and emotional needs. Julie has a special interest in the area of trauma and childhood adversity and engages in professional development on an ongoing basis to ensure she continues to work from a trauma informed perspective. Her learning in this area has also been greatly supported by a research post that involved exploring the outcomes for staff working in social and health services who have received professional development training in relation to the implementation of trauma informed practice.

Julie also enjoys event planning, and has used her skills in this area to raise money for several organisations including Pieta House and the Irish Cancer Society.