Award-winning social entrepreneur and author, Dr. Lorraine Lynch specialises in working with mothers, children and families beset with health and psychological issues.
The premise of her work is grounded firmly on the Ecological Model of Health, which assumes that health is determined by influences at various levels (McLeroy et al., 1988). Dr. Lorraine believes that our thoughts, feelings, beliefs, physical routines, social norms and spirituality… and the interplay between these components, lead to the quality of our overall wellness. As such, one component cannot be successfully treated without an investigation of the world in which the client lives in because of the inexplicable links between them. Dr Lorraine emphasises the importance of context and nuance in her client work, meaning that every individual receives a completely bespoke intervention based on their unique lived experience.
Dr Lorraine graduated from NUIG, before completing her Postgraduate Diploma in Psychology. She attained a First Class Honours in her Masters of Health Psychology with the University of Ulster, and then achieved her Professional Doctorate in Health Psychology with London Metropolitan University. Her thesis consisted of diverse specialist work across various competencies, including research, systematic reviews, teaching and training, consultancy and intervention development. These were completed in both private organisation settings and within the NHS (Kidderminster Hospital in Birmingham).
Dr Lorraine’s doctoral training centred around key psychological and health issues across various cohorts:
- Exploring the experiences of children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD)/Dyspraxia in relation to physical activity, and examining the broader impact on their everyday lives and wellbeing;
- Investigating the needs and levels of support for families of children with Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs) post-discharge;
- Developing tailored psychological interventions to support breastfeeding mothers experiencing additional social and emotional support needs;
- Designing and delivering a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) group intervention for NHS staff suffering from stress and burnout in a hospital setting;
- Creating an online information pack on health anxiety in a post-Covid setting for a charity supporting a diverse demographic with various learning abilities;
- Developing and delivering a series of health psychology lectures and training programmes across academic and professional settings, including to students at the University of Limerick and teachers throughout Ireland via online learning; and
- Providing psychological consultancy to support the development of a bespoke workplace intervention aimed at enhancing employee wellbeing, engagement and productivity
She is a Chartered Member of the British Psychological Society (mBPS), whose strict professional rules and high ethical guidelines she abides by.
After spending time teaching and volunteering in Tanzania and South Korea, Dr. Lorraine returned to Ireland and co-founded a national not-for-profit organisation in 2014, offering immediate affordable psychological interventions for children and families across the country and won the highly acclaimed Social Entrepreneurs Ireland (SEI) Elevator Award in 2015. After starting her family, she solely founded Child Psychology Institute (CPI) in 2019 and went on to win New Frontiers Start-Up of the Year with Enterprise Ireland in 2020 and Power Within Champion of the Year with Network Ireland in 2021.
She has experience lecturing in NUIG and UL, and has written for popular parent websites, such as HerFamily.ie. Dr. Lorraine has also contributed to several media outlets including The Irish Times and The Irish Independent, and is a published author of #100happydays4kids and Closing Saor’s Day.
What Services Does Dr Lorraine Provide?
She is currently accepting referrals in areas such as…
- Anxiety and emotional regulation – worries, separation anxiety, health anxiety, fears, panic symptoms, emotional overwhelm, coping skills.
- Stress and stress-related physical symptoms – helping children understand physiological arousal, nervous-system regulation and the relationship between stress and physical symptoms.
- Adjustment to illness or diagnosis – helping a child and/or family cope with a new diagnosis, chronic condition, hospitalisation, medical treatment or changes to everyday life.
- Procedural/medical anxiety – fear of needles, blood tests, hospital appointments, dental/medical procedures, anticipatory anxiety and coping plans.
- Sleep and behavioural routines – psychologically informed work around bedtime anxiety, routines, sleep hygiene and behavioural contributors.
- Neurodivergent children – psychological support for children with ADHD, dyspraxia/DCD and children with PDA profiles, particularly emotional regulation, self-esteem, anxiety, executive-function support, coping and parent strategies. Note: we provide support/interventions only and NOT diagnostic assessment.
- School-related distress – school avoidance/refusal, anxiety about school, peer difficulties, transition difficulties, stress and emotional regulation. Note: again, we provide psychological interventions only and not educational psychology assessments.
- Behavioural difficulties – understanding behaviour functionally, parent-child interaction, co-regulation, frustration tolerance, anger, demand avoidance and behavioural strategies.
- Self-esteem and adjustment difficulties – particularly following diagnosis, bullying, developmental differences or chronic health difficulties.
- Motherhood Mentoring – Dr Lorraine provides individualised psychological support for mothers navigating the emotional and practical demands of motherhood, including overwhelm, anxiety, identity changes, burnout and the challenges of balancing their own wellbeing with the needs of their family. Click here to find out more about this service.
- Parent consultations – Dr Lorraine supports parents in understanding their child's behaviour, anxiety, emotional regulation, routines and needs, and then co-develops practical home strategies with the parent, specific to the contextual needs.
- Lifestyle/health behaviour work – areas such as physical activity, healthy routines, adherence to medical recommendations and psychologically informed behaviour change.
Referrals and Appointments
Dr Lorraine accepts both professional referrals and self-referrals. Children, adolescents and families may be referred by a GP, paediatrician, psychiatrist, psychologist, Public Health Nurse, Occupational Therapist, Speech and Language Therapist, other healthcare professional, school or relevant support service.
Parents and guardians may also contact the Child Psychology Institute directly to discuss whether Dr Lorraine’s service may be appropriate for their child.
Adults and parents seeking psychological support or consultation may self-refer directly and do not need a GP referral.
All referrals are considered individually to ensure that the presenting difficulty falls within Dr Lorraine’s professional scope and that her service is the most appropriate source of support. Where another professional or specialist service would better meet an individual’s needs, this will be discussed with the client or family.