Aisling Cowan

I specialise in helping clients with anxiety and other emotional issues who want to do more than just talk.  I am interested in creating change.  I use practical techniques and understandings to teach my clients to let go of emotions and reactions that are holding them back.

I have a background in Nutrition and now combine techniques such as HeartMath, NLP & Mindfulness to help my clients.  Feeling better doesn't mean we have to endlessly talk about the past. I help people understand how to better listen to the messages that their body is sending them now- and help them regulate their emotions.
My job is to really listen to you, understand where you are and see all the pieces of the puzzle.  We choose one piece at a time to work on to help you move forward in your life.

Background
During my initial studies in Human Nutrition at University of Ulster I began to develop a strong interest in health & food psychology and how emotions and stress can create, affect or maintain very real physical conditions.
Upon graduating I worked in weight loss research but I became more and more interested in understanding the psychology of weight loss and what causes issues like eating disorders or IBS to develop in certain people and not others.  I began expanding my knowledge and skillset over these past 9 years to understand more about the body, nervous system, brain and mind. 
At the clinic have been mentored by Anne Matthews and have extended my knowledge deeply into polyvagal theory and understanding the subtle attachment issues and birth trauma in young children that can develop into emotional/mental health problems later in life.
I am always adding to my knowledge and training in an effort to understand my clients better and help them create the changes they are looking for. 

Over the the past few years I have trained in:
*Youth Mindfulness Kids programme
*EFT tapping therapy
*HNLP Humanistic Neuro-Linguistics
*HeartMath Coaching
*Keeping up to date with latest Nutrition research & understanding

I am not a formal counsellor but instead use my unique skillset and understanding to help people.  The most common reason that clients come to me is anxiety & stress, the second would be digestive issues (like IBS) or other stress related health issues.  I also love working with teenagers to help them understand their emotions and how to keep themselves balanced in this sometimes challenging world.

Within the clinic we have a referral system in our staff team of Massage, Chiropractic, Cranial-Sacral and Nutritional Therapy, so if I think you will be better helped by another professional, I can advise you where to start!


Corporate work
I deliver Mindcoaching workshops for corporate events, on understanding stress, emotions and our nervous system.  These are one-off talks or short courses for staff, which can be tailored and designed for a particular team.  My clients have included the PSNI, Aquinas Grammar and PWC.

I feel very strongly that many of the emotional and mental health issues that people experience are because of structures within our society; with the high pressure on individual achievement, being overworked, gender, social & wealth inequalities that create disconnection from each other and from the world around us.  For many of us living in today's society, the constant pressure to be ‘switched on’ to succeed and the busyness of our lives is causing a continual background feeling of stress. 

I believe we need systemic change if we really want to help people live happier more fulfilled lives.  I want to bring back our connection to nature and to each other, and I am a passionate activist with Friends of the Earth as well as the driving force in a project to open up an eco-campsite and retreat area at my home outside Larne.