Counselling Theories and Skills for Healthcare Practitioners

COURSE LEADER 

Dr Pádraig Sheeran is a man with many areas of interest arising out of a wide range of experiences and having the corresponding expertise to back it up.
Formerly the Dean of the Faculty of Sport & Exercise Medicine RCSI RCPI, Pádraig also trained in Paediatric Anaesthesia and Intensive Care in Boston Children’s Hospital USA, and is a Paediatric Anaesthetist in Dublin. He has a particular interest in the area of exercise and its role in Perioperative Medicine and Pain Management, particularly as part of the Scoliosis Academy and pain post-surgery in this group of patients.

As a lifelong tutor and learner, Pádraig has moved from one area of study to another. This ensures that he is always empathic with his students when they find their studies challenging. In addition to his general medical qualifications, Sports Medicine qualifications (MFSEM(UK) and specialisation in the area of Anaesthesiology, he has added a Master’s Degree in Leadership (RCSI). He also holds a Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene and is trained in the practice of Medicine in Remote Areas. He is an accredited WEMSI Wilderness Physician. He has climbed and summited Kilimanjaro in Tanzania many times accompanying teenagers with and without disability. He has also climbed Mt Meru (4th highest in Africa), the Gran Paradiso (Italy), and Alalinhorn and Weismeiss in Switzerland. He was the lead Doctor on the KA’s world record trip in 2012, who set up Kilimanjaro Achievers, they led all of 116 climbers to the top of the mountain. In addition to this, he has been the recipient of two Irish Healthcare Awards (2015/2019) for training, monitoring and motivating teenagers with Scoliosis, Ehlers-Danos as well as Cystic Fibrosis, to summit Kilimanjaro, and was nominated for a Volunteer Ireland award following their climb in 2018. His keen interest and knowledge of behaviour (Sports Psychology) have been used to great effect in teaching the young people that it is the mind, as opposed to the body, which ultimately gets the climber to the summit. He excels in educating younger people on goal setting and self-efficacy.

Pádraig has been an active sportsman all his life including playing rugby in the UK (with Waterloo, London Irish RFC and Great Britain RL Students), and in Ireland (with UCG, Galwegians and the Dail & Seanad XV). He was also a competitive soccer player (NW Albion). He is also keen on cycling, skiing, trekking and scuba diving. Never one to be far from the rugby pitch, he is often called upon to provide medical attention for the IRFU at a number of levels.
Pádraig brings an enviable knowledge and experience base to all courses he teaches, but it is his appreciation of the narrative of each student and the role that this plays in the individual learning journey, that interests him most.