Conference Speakers
Keynote Address - Marie Murray, Clinical Psychologist
Marie is a former Director of Psychology in St Vincent’s Psychiatric Hospital in Dublin, former Course Director of the ‘Master’s in Systemic Family Therapy’ at the University of Limerick (2000-2003), a former faculty member of the Mater Family Therapy Training Programme and of the Academic Advisory Board of the CTYI at Dublin City University.
Amongst many publications, Marie was one of the contributors to the RTE Radio One books and radio series Nervous Breakdown (1994) and The Stress Files (1997) and was best selling co-author of The Teenage Years (1997) and The ABC of Bullying. (1998). Other radio series included On Your Marks (1999) and Surviving The Leaving Cert (2002) based on her book of that name, written to assist adolescents and their parents through the Leaving Cert. process. Her book Living Our Times was published by Gill and Macmillan in 2007 and brought out in paperback in 2008 and When Times are Tough her most recent collection of her Irish Times writings was published by Veritas in 2011. Marie is a former editor of Feedback- : The Journal of Family Therapy Association of Ireland.
Public health involvements have included Another Way the Veritas video for schools and organisations addressing the problem of drinking in adolescence, also professional participation in the CPA programme, booklet and DVD entitled ‘You Can Talk to Me’ developed to assist parents and adolescents’ communications with each other about sex and sexuality.
Marie has a particular interest in occupational burnout, particularly that experienced by educationalists and health professionals due to the exigencies of balancing home and work life, their experiences of vicarious trauma, critical incident distress and the issue of public role ambiguity, conflict and overload.
In 1994 Marie researched and developed Tele-Therapy, working with adolescents in psychotherapy using film as the focus of adolescent psychotherapy work. She was one of the associate consultants to Media Lab Europe/Trinity College ‘Personal Investigator’ project, which used a game model to support adolescents in their psychological concerns, goals and achievements.
From 2000 to 2003 Marie was a weekly contributor to the Today with Pat Kenny morning radio programme and she was one of the diarists on Drivetime with Mary Wilson from 2009-2010 with her weekly series Mindtime which brought psychological information to listeners.
Marie has presented on a number of occasions at the Ceifin Conference, at Listowel Writer’s Week and she contributes to television, radio and print media and has been an Irish Times Health Columnist for the past eight years. She is a prolific writer, lecturer and commentator on child, family, educational, sociological, psychological and psychotherapy matters and has lectured in Europe and Asia including presentations at the Tavistock Clinic in London, the International Psychotherapy Group in Beijing and at the University of Peking in China.
Marie Murray has worked as a Clinical Psychologist for thirty seven years. She is a former Director of Psychology of the Student Counselling Services in UCD, a Registered Psychologist with The Psychological Society of Ireland, Registered Family Therapist and Supervisor, a registered member of the European Association for Psychotherapy, a former member of the Heads of Psychology Services in Ireland, of the Heads of Student Counselling Services in Ireland and Heads of University Counselling Services in the UK and she is a member of the Irish Medical Council.
Paraic Duffy, Ard Stiúrthóir (Director General) of the Gaelic Athletic Association
Paraic Duffy who was a former Guidance Counsellor is the 18th Ard Stiúrthóir (Director General) of the Gaelic Athletic Association and a former chairman of the Monaghan county board. Prior to taking up this position he was employed as the GAA's Player Welfare Officer. Paraic has had a long and distinguished career working with young people and adults as a teacher, Guidanc Counsellor, coach and administrator.
Paraic has also had a very distinguished career within the Gaelic Athletic Association. Rising through the ranks Paraic’s GAA administrative career started when he was first appointed as youth officer of the Monaghan county board in 1976. He moved on from there to become vice-chairman and PRO of Monaghan county board in 1980 and ’81. Also in 1980, he won a prestigious McNamee Award for his production of the 1979 Monaghan GAA Yearbook.
In 1983, Paraic was elected chairman of the Monaghan county board and held the post for five years. . He also served as a selector with the Monaghan County Senior Football team from 1983 to ’87. His involvement with teams continued into the new millennium when he was the International Rules tour manager in Australia in 2001 he fulfilled a similar role on two junior tours ’Down Under’ as well.
His engagement at national administrative level began in 2000 when he was appointed chairman of the Games Administration Committee (GAC). Subsequently, he chaired the Coaching & Games Development Committee (2003-’06) and the National Audit Committee (2006) before taking up the new full-time role of Player Welfare Manager and subsequently as Ard Stiúrthóir ( Director General) of the GAA
Paraic was also a teacher in St Macartan’s College since the early 70s. In 1984 he trained as a Guidance Counsellor in UCD and subsequently returned to St Macartan’s as their Guidance Counsellor and was a member of the North East Branch of the Institute of Guidance Counsellors. As well as being a very busy Guidance Counsellor Paraic continued his voluntary work within the GAA all local, county, provincial and national level. He subsequently went on to become the first lay principal of St Macartan’s College Monaghan, a position he held until taking up his full time post with the GAA as Player Welfare Officer in 2006. In February 2008 he was appointed Ard Stiúrthóir ( General Secretary).