About me
Ciara McClelland, Creative Arts Psychotherapist, Independent Social Worker, and Trauma-Informed Consultant BA (Hons) Theatre and Performance | MA Dramatherapy | MA Social Work | BADth | HCPC | BASW | SWE
Ciara McClelland is a Creative Arts Psychotherapist, Independent Social Worker, and Trauma-Informed Consultant with over 15 years of clinical practice experience and 18 years of professional practice. She specialises in supporting children, young people, parents, families, and caregivers affected by Adverse Childhood Experiences.
Alongside her therapeutic work, Ciara is dedicated to relationship repair within traumatised systems, organisations, and communities. Her approach is innovative, creative, and deeply trauma-informed. Drawing on psychodynamic, dyadic, and somatic therapies, she seeks to understand and respond to the impact of developmental, secondary, intergenerational, and systemic trauma in people’s lives.
Ciara grew up on the Irish border during the 1980s, a time marked by community conflict and transgenerational trauma. Coming from a large family of emergency workers, she was directly impacted by “The Troubles.” Her own journey of healing through therapy, learning, and self discovery has inspired her lifelong commitment to helping others find safety, belonging, and connection in their relationships.
Ciara’s practice is grounded in core values of respect, inclusiveness, honesty, compassion, cooperation, humility, and the transformative power of vulnerability. She is passionate about ongoing professional growth and engages in regular supervision and advanced training, particularly in trauma-informed practice, somatic movement, and creative therapeutic approaches.
"No matter where you are in the world, you can access support from Dream together".
Maria
My childhood
I grew up in a border town between the North and South of Ireland during the 1980s.
I was born into a large extended family of emergency service workers in a community where relational conflict and transgenerational trauma were common.
I was directly affected by the period known as The Troubles.
Over time, I have undertaken a personal journey of healing through therapeutic exploration, academic study, and embodiment practices. These experiences have helped me work through the impact of individual and family trauma.
Learning to repair, rebuild, and sustain a healthy and contented relationship with myself and my past has inspired me to support children and young adults impacted by adverse childhood experiences, and to help caregivers and systems such as schools, organisations, and child and family services through a trauma informed lens.
My work focuses on helping those I support build safer, more conscious, and connected relationships with themselves and the world around them.