Who we are
Dr Deirdre Ryan
Dr. Deirdre Ryan is a Senior Clinical Psychologist and Co-Director at Koa Psychology. She is a member of the Psychological Society of Ireland and is also a qualified clinical supervisor, supervising Psychologists from a range of backgrounds and specialisations. Deirdre completed her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at the National University of Ireland, Galway in 2013 and has since worked in a range of public and private settings in both Ireland and Australia including; the HSE, The Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne(CAMHS) and her own private practice ‘Aruna Psychology’ based in Melbourne.
Deirdre’s mission is to provide individuals and families with a supportive, warm and non-judgemental space through which they have the opportunity to gently and safely explore their concerns and engage in high quality standardised assessment. She works creatively from a humanistic and neuro-affirming perspective and is experienced in conducting a range of neurodevelopmental, psychological and psycho-educational assessments. These include but are not limited to; specific learning difficulties, Autism, Cognitive /Adaptive and behavioural assessments. She is also skilled in several therapeutic approaches including; Integrative, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Cognitive Analytic Therapy, Mindfulness, Schema Therapy, EMDR and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.
Brian Williamson
Brian is a member of the Psychological Society of Ireland. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology (Honours) and his passion for supporting children and adults with specific learning difficulties has led him to undertaking a Masters of Education (Special Education Needs; Dyslexia) in Queen’s University, Belfast.
Brian has over 15 years of experience working across the lifespan in a range of community, educational, public, and private mental health settings in Melbourne, Australia and Ireland. His diverse experience includes educational assessment (dyslexia, learning difficulties, giftedness, learning disability, literacy skills), cognitive assessment & post diagnosis tutoring and support. He works with children, adolescents and adults.
Being dyslexic himself and a dad of two young kids, Brian is passionate about neurodiversity, language and literacy and has a deep appreciation for the need to understand and support an individuals unique learning style from an early age. He is enthusiastic about developing collaborative working relationships with clients and families to support educational and wellbeing outcomes and is dedicated to working with families and teachers to support learning in the classroom and beyond
Brian is passionate about supporting young people to navigate literacy, believing that any child can make progress with a clear and supportive assessment, evidence-based intervention and when provided with an encouraging and supportive learning environment.
If you, or your child is having problems with reading, maths, spelling or writing, contact Koa to discuss these difficulties further, they could be related to a form of dyslexia or specific learning difficulty.
Deirdre Hackett
CORU number SL023953
Deirdre is a CORU registered Senior Speech and Language Therapist who is also a member of IASLT and ISTI. She has a Bachelor in Arts in psychology from University College Dublin and a postgraduate qualification in Speech and Language Therapy from the University of Limerick. Since graduating in 2006 Deirdre has worked in a range of clinical settings including Early Intervention, School Age Disability, an Autism specific service and Primary Care Services. She is experienced in administering a range of comprehensive speech and language assessments and in providing intervention to children with a range of communication differences and preferences. She also has experience working within a multidisciplinary team to complete assessments and to provide intervention.
Deirdre is passionate about her work and is committed to providing a client centred and family focused service. She enjoys working with children of all ages and their families to support them in reaching their goals.
She is committed to continuous professional development and has completed training in the following areas; Autism Diagnostic Schedule 2 (ADOS 2), Lamh Module 1, 2 and Tutor course, DIR Floortime, The Inside of Autism with Kieran Rose and Neurodiversity in SLT practice.