The Takeaway Tuesday Parent Talks: Talk 1 - School avoidance and thereasons behind it

Dr David Cashman
Founder of The WellSchools Network. With 16 years of experience in education, David has built a solid foundation of knowledge and expertise in educational disadvantage and trauma.

Dr Joanna Fortune
Accredited clinical psychotherapist specialising in the parent-child relationship. Founder of the Solamh Clinic in Dublin (2010), working with families across a variety of issues. Author of the 15-Minute Parenting series, setting out play-based techniques to help families connect.

Dr Jen O’Sullivan
Lecturer in Literacy Education at the Marino Institute of Education and a Research Fellow in the School of Education at Trinity College Dublin. She specialises in literacy and early reading, is the author of A Sound Beginning for Reading, co-author of Sounds Like Phonics, and a former President of the Literacy Association of Ireland; she was also awarded a Fulbright Scholarship in 2022.

Pamela O’Leary
SPHE specialist and former Guidance Counsellor. Joining this session in a career guidance capacity, to speak to school reintegration and the practical strategies that support a young person’s return to school life. Also speaking on 2 February.

Seán Burns 
Qualified as a Civil Engineer before entering the classroom. He is a Deputy Principal and
SEN Co-ordinator and is now focused on AI and educational technology, specifically how to make these tools work for pupils with additional learning needs.