Maria McGoldrick
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This professional is accepting new clients but may have a waitlist. Please enquire with them directly to discuss availability.
This professional is accepting new clients but may have a waitlist. Please enquire with them directly to discuss availability.
About me
Hi, I’m Maria McGoldrick (MSc, MBACP) a qualified, Masters-level Counsellor and psychotherapist offering evidence-based, trauma-informed therapy.
Finding the right therapist can take courage, and it’s natural for the process to feel a little uncertain at first. My aim is to make that first step feel calm, clear, and supportive. I hope that by sharing a little about how I work and what to expect from therapy with me, this page helps you feel more at ease as you consider starting.
I’m a pluralistic therapist, grounded in evidence-based and trauma-informed practice. My approach offers a safe, steady space to pause and explore what’s been happening whether that’s current stress, burnout, or the lasting impact of earlier experiences.
Before training as a therapist, I spent over 15 years working in healthcare and leadership, which shaped my understanding of how responsibility, caring for others, and high expectations can affect wellbeing. My work is informed by neuroscience and a deep awareness of how the mind and body respond to ongoing stress.
I work with adults who often describe feeling overwhelmed, depleted, or disconnected managing life on the outside, but finding it harder to feel settled or at ease within themselves. Together, we make sense of these experiences, explore the patterns that have developed over time, and begin to build more sustainable ways forward.
Therapy with me is a collaborative process. I see it as a space for understanding, reflection, and growth not about fixing or analysing you, but about helping you understand yourself more fully and develop new perspectives and coping strategies.
My approach is relational and pluralistic, drawing on a range of evidence-based methods including person-centred, emotion-focused, and trauma-aware ways of working. Sessions are paced safely and shaped around what feels right for you.
Some people come to therapy to navigate a particular challenge or life change; others come to explore deeper, long-term patterns and self-understanding. Our work can be short-term and focused or longer-term and exploratory, depending on your needs.
You don’t need to have everything figured out before you begin. Therapy can be the place where clarity starts to emerge where you can slow down, feel supported, and begin to reconnect with yourself.
Sessions available:
In-person in Dundee (City Centre)
Online across the UK
Training, qualifications & experience
I hold a Master of Science (MSc) in Counselling and am a Registered Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (MBACP). My academic and professional training are grounded in person-centred and pluralistic approaches, supported by a strong understanding of trauma and neuroscience.
In addition to my counselling training, I bring over 16 years of experience in healthcare and leadership roles, which has given me a deep appreciation of the challenges faced by those working under pressure or in positions of responsibility. This background continues to inform my clinical work particularly with clients experiencing burnout, stress, or emotional fatigue.
My practice integrates an understanding of how the nervous system and emotional health interact, especially in response to ongoing stress or earlier trauma. I have experience supporting adults with a wide range of difficulties, including:
- Anxiety, stress, and burnout
- Low mood and depression
- Relationship and family difficulties
- Work-related stress and career uncertainty
- Boundaries, self-criticism, and perfectionism
- The impact of childhood adversity or trauma
- Compassion fatigue and loss of purpose
- Life transitions and identity shifts
I regularly engage in clinical supervision and continuing professional development to ensure that my work remains reflective, ethical, and aligned with best practice.
Member organisations
BACP is one of the UK’s leading professional bodies for counselling and psychotherapy with around 60,000 members. The Association has several different categories of membership, including Student Member, Individual Member, Registered Member MBACP, Registered Accredited Member MBACP (Accred) and Senior Registered Accredited Member MBACP (Snr Acccred). Registered and accredited members are listed on the BACP Register, which shows that they have demonstrated BACP’s recommended standards for training, proficiency and ethical practice. The BACP Register was the first register of psychological therapists to be accredited by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA). Accredited and senior accredited membership are voluntary categories for members who choose to undertake a rigorous application and assessment process to demonstrate additional standards around practice, training and supervision. Individual members will have completed an appropriate counselling or psychotherapy course and started to practise, but they won’t appear on the BACP Register until they've demonstrated that they meet the standards for registration. Student members are still in the process of completing their training. All members are bound by the BACP Ethical Framework and a Professional Conduct Procedure.
Accredited register membership
The Accredited Register Scheme was set up in 2013 by the Department of Health (DoH) as a way to recognise organisations that hold voluntary registers which meet certain standards. These standards are set by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA).
This therapist has indicated that they belong to an Accredited Register.
Areas of counselling I deal with
Therapies offered
Fees
£55.00 - £70.00
Concessions offered for
Additional information
Individual Therapy Sessions
Sessions are £70 for 50 minutes.
A small number of concession spaces are available at £55 – please get in touch to discuss current availability.
I believe therapy should be both accessible and sustainable, so I review concession spaces regularly, depending on client need.
Further information
In-person sessions are in my lovely office at the Royal Exchange in Dundee City Centre.
Online, we will use Teams, easy to use and accessible.