Interview with Dr. James Kinane of MyMove Counselling
- Wix Admin
- May 21
- 7 min read
Updated: Jul 11
Inside MyMove Counselling: An Interview with Dr. James Kinane
Originally recorded on May 3rd, 2022
In this insightful interview, Dr. James Kinane—founder of MyMove Counselling speaks with the Irish College of Humanities and Applied Sciences (ICHAS) about the origins of the service, its rapid growth, and the challenges and opportunities involved in blending mental health and addiction care.
He also reflects on the valuable role that student placements play at MyMove, the evolving needs of clients post-pandemic, and the emerging trends in addiction and identity, particularly among young people.
The full audio interview is available on the ICHAS website here. Below is a written summary and rephrasing of some of the key themes explored in the conversation.
Tell us more about MyMove Counselling?
MyMove Counselling recently marked its first anniversary. When we set it up, we had two main goals in mind.
First, we wanted to address a common gap in care: the disconnect between addiction services and mental health support. In practice, it’s incredibly rare to work with someone facing addiction who isn’t also dealing with a mental health challenge—whether that’s their own or within their family. Likewise, most mental health presentations are complicated by issues around substance use or other behaviours. We wanted to tackle this integration head-on and ask: Can we do better by treating them together?
The second aim came from my own background in teaching and supervision. I’ve always had a strong interest in creating meaningful learning experiences for student therapists. MyMove offers trainee therapists a placement setting where they can see—first-hand—how mental health and addiction issues intersect in real-life practice. With appropriate support and supervision, they’re able to grow their skills and confidence in a truly integrated model of care.
From that foundation, our work now spans a wide range of one-to-one counselling for mental health issues—ranging from anxiety and depression to more complex diagnoses like bipolar disorder or borderline personality traits. Often, these are mixed presentations that affect both the individual and their family members.
We also offer a comprehensive addiction service. My own background includes years of clinical work and programme evaluation in addiction treatment centres, so this is an area I know well. One of our key principles is to include the family in treatment—not just the individual. Addiction impacts the whole family system, so healing has to include everyone.
Over the past six months, we’ve developed our own outpatient addiction recovery programme. It’s designed for people who, for various reasons, can’t or don’t want to enter residential care. They may be working, parenting, or simply not in a place to step away from life for 30 days or more. Our 12-week programme allows them to remain in their community, keep their routines, and stay connected to family while receiving structured, professional support.
This is still in an early, evolving stage—but our goal is innovation. We want to keep finding better ways to connect mental health and addiction care, and to offer recovery in a space that’s compassionate, accessible, and empowering.
We’re also rethinking what aftercare looks like. Traditional models often involve weekly group meetings. We’re going beyond that. Our aftercare spans nine months and includes:
Ongoing one-to-one therapy for the client
A dedicated weekly evening group for family members
A weekly peer support group for those in recovery
I strongly believe recovery doesn’t end with treatment—it starts there. People need just as much support when they’re getting well as they do when they’re in crisis. Our aftercare is designed to offer that stability and continuity.
What’s an average day like for a student on placement at MyMove Counselling?
A typical day for a student on placement at MyMove is structured but varied. Each student is assigned three clients, and we try to schedule those sessions close together—whether in the morning, afternoon, or evening—to create a focused, efficient work period without constant comings and goings.
After each session, students debrief with a member of our clinical team. That feedback process is collaborative—we review the session as a team and then provide considered feedback to the student through their designated supervisor. This ensures each placement is not just about clocking hours, but about meaningful learning.
In line with college requirements, students must also have their own external supervisor. At MyMove, we go a step further—we provide access to an additional external supervisor, someone with significant clinical experience, who meets with the student fortnightly. This means students benefit from layered supervision: their college-assigned supervisor, the MyMove clinical team, and an experienced external voice. This multi-perspective support really strengthens their development.
Students are also part of the treatment team discussions. Initially, some client cases seem straightforward, but over time more complex dynamics often emerge—issues with families, addiction patterns, or mental health concerns that weren’t visible at first. That’s where having a strong support system becomes essential.
Supervision, to me, is not just a requirement—it’s a cornerstone. And supporting our students goes beyond academic expectations. Most come with two or three years of training and a strong desire to learn. Our goal is to provide a safe, professional environment where they can grow in confidence and competence.
Given that we work with both mental health and addiction—and often with families presenting multiple challenges—students are tested. But they’re never left to manage alone. They’re challenged and supported every step of the way.
How does a placement with MyMove help students apply theory to real-life practice?
At MyMove, students move quickly from theory to real-world practice—often in a way that accelerates their professional growth.
When working with common issues like depression or mild anxiety, there's usually time to ease into the work, to pace sessions gently. However things can come at you quickly—clients often arrive at a crisis point, and the work requires a high level of presence and responsiveness. It’s intense. It’s at the coalface of therapy.
That said, it’s not about throwing students in the deep end. We place a strong emphasis on reflective practice. Students are encouraged to ask: What happened in that session? Why did it unfold that way? What could I try differently next time? These reflections are brought back to the team, processed together, and used to build confidence and insight.
Clients in our service often have decades of bottled-up emotion or trauma. When they finally speak, they speak volumes. For a trainee, this can be both deeply rewarding and very demanding. That’s why we ensure immediate, structured support is always available. Students might be physically alone in a room with a client, but they’re never isolated—support is only ever a phone call or a nearby office away.
What we hear from students in their end-of-placement appraisals is consistent: Yes, it’s challenging. But it’s also transformative. They're not just clocking hours here. They’re working as part of our team, involved in client care, case discussions, and decision-making. They're not observers—they’re active participants.
In essence, we treat our students like emerging professionals. They’re given responsibility, guidance, and the kind of support that allows them to grow faster, think deeper, and connect theory to practice in a way that sticks.
So how has the placement experience been for students so far?
When we first launched MyMove Counselling, we didn’t anticipate just how quickly it would grow—or how diverse our team would become. We now have up to 15 counsellors involved, which is incredible for a service only one year in operation. Initially, we thought we might take on one or two students. But the need has grown, and so has our capacity to meet it.
The experience has been both rewarding and challenging—for us and for the students. With such a wide range of clients coming through our doors, students are exposed to a real mix of therapeutic presentations, backgrounds, and emotional needs.
That diversity means no two placements are the same. Our ongoing challenge—and our commitment—is to match each student or counsellor as closely as possible with the right client. Some clients require a very gentle, supportive approach; others benefit from a more structured, consultative style. Learning to read those needs, and adjust accordingly, is part of what makes the placement here so valuable.
Students leave not only with hours logged, but with real-world insight into how flexible and responsive good therapy must be.
Are there any particular issues that have emerged since MyMove Counselling began?
One of the most striking patterns we’ve seen is the growing impact of the pandemic—especially on young people. There’s a real sense that many are still trying to recover their sense of self. For some, that disruption has led to unhealthy coping mechanisms. Cocaine use, behavioural addictions, and risk-taking are becoming increasingly common among young adults who are struggling to find their footing in a post-COVID world.
We’re also seeing clients—many still quite young—present with a kind of emotional disconnection. It’s as if they’re trying to return to who they were before the pandemic, but can’t quite find the way back. That detachment isn’t limited to one age group either. Whether young, middle-aged, or older, many people have experienced a fundamental shake-up in how they relate to others: how they socialise, build friendships, or form intimate connections.
There’s a clear need for an adjustment process. People need space to talk, reflect, and reconnect. That’s likely why so many counselling services, including ours, are seeing such high demand. Sometimes six to eight sessions is all someone needs—not to solve everything, but to re-anchor themselves. And often, friends or family can’t provide that space because they’re going through similar struggles themselves. Everyone’s wondering, “What’s wrong with me?”—when in truth, this is a widespread post-pandemic effect.
A related issue we’ve noticed is the crisis in identity among young men. For many, their sense of self used to be built around structure—sports, routines, social groups like GAA. When those things were stripped away during lockdowns, the absence left a void. Now, in that void, some are reaching for substances or risky behaviour as a way to fill the gap.
In truth, we’re only starting to see the second wave of what the pandemic has left behind. The emotional and psychological impact is still unfolding—and we need to remain responsive, especially for those struggling with belonging, identity, and connection.
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