2022: Third Annual Sherie De Burgh Commemorative Event

What would Sherie do? The future of pregnancy counselling in Ireland 

Pregnancy Counselling and Sherie’s leadership in the practice of counselling has played a critical role in supporting people dealing with unintended and crisis pregnancies in Ireland over many decades. In the third of the series of annual seminars organised by One Family in collaboration with Trinity College Dublin’s School of Social Work and Social Policy commemorating the pioneering pregnancy counsellor, Sherie de Burgh, we explore, the role of pregnancy counselling practice in Ireland – past, present and future.

Seminar Details:

Speakers:

  • Dr. Catherine Conlon, Assistant Professor, Social Policy School of Social Work and Social Policy Trinity College Dublin.  Catherine will discuss the historical/social context of pregnancy counselling as it evolved in Ireland after insertion of 8th Amendment, following referenda on information in 1995 and also pose questions about the place of counselling in the new model of care implemented following 2018 Act extending legal abortion considerably in the Irish context drawing from research she was involved in on Irish women’s abortion experiences in 1994, 2005 and 2021.
  • Karen Kiernan, Chief Executive Officer, One Family – Ireland’s national organisation for people parenting alone, sharing parenting and separating.
  • Anne McCarthy, Lead Tutor, Crisis Pregnancy Counselling Skills and Masterclass Programme, Department of Adult and Community Education Maynooth University.