Place and Practice
An evolving statement on context, history, and practice
Staying in relationship with the systems, stories, and places that influence our realities helps me stay connected to the context in which this work happens. It supports a wider view of the histories, structures, and conditions that influence the lives of those I work with.This statement names some of the cultural and systemic forces that continue to shape experience, visibility, and access. I aim to stay present to what surrounds and supports the work. This is one way I continue to listen, learn, and locate myself alongside others.
I live and work on the lands of Ireland. These lands have been shaped by millennia of human presence, cultural richness, conflict, and resilience. They carry the imprint of ancient traditions and more recent histories marked by colonisation, partition, and struggle. I hold respect for the layers of life that have unfolded here, and for those who came before, known and unknown, remembered and forgotten.
My work extends beyond this geography. I meet people in person and online across the world. I understand that these meetings happen within specific conditions. Our bodies, stories, and relationships are shaped by systems such as colonialism, capitalism, classism, racism, patriarchy, and other forces that influence safety, voice, and visibility.
Therapeutic and developmental spaces are also affected by these wider systems. They shape who becomes a practitioner, how trainings are designed, what is considered credible or appealing, and which approaches are more available or visible. Awareness of these patterns helps support integrity in how the work is offered.
I acknowledge Indigenous communities across the world. Many of these communities continue to hold ways of relating to land, community, and spirit that challenge systems based on control, extraction, or separation. These knowledge traditions remind us that personal development is connected to collective wellbeing. They offer grounded ways of staying in relationship with land, place, and one another.
This work is based in awareness and relationship. It involves asking where we come from, what we carry, and how we show up in the world. It calls for reflection, listening, and a willingness to stay present with what is still unfolding.
This statement is one way I stay in touch with the wider context of my work. I return to it because the world changes, and so does my understanding. What feels clear one year may call for revision the next. The systems we move through are complex, and staying in relationship with them takes time, attention, and a willingness to keep learning. This reflection helps me pause, take stock, and stay accountable to the practice I offer.
“There are things I know.
There are things I know I don’t know.
And there is so much I haven’t yet begun to imagine knowing.”
– adapted from the known/unknowns model
This phrasing offers a steadying reminder. It helps me stay open to what I have yet to see, and supports an approach that values curiosity, care, and responsibility in action.