About Us
The OCD Clinic® was co-founded by, Dr. Padraic Gibson, Dr. Claudette Portelli and Dr Matteo Papantuono. We have Clinics in Ireland directed by Dr. Gibson, one in Hamrun, Malta, under the direction of Dr. Portelli and one in Ancona, Italy, under the direction of Dr. Papantuono. The OCD Clinics® are International Centers of Excellence in, The Treatment and Clinical Research for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
About Dr. Gibson
Reg. FTAI, Reg. ICP, Reg. UKCP, Reg. EAP, Reg. FT Clin Supvr.
Dr. Padraic Gibson is a consultant clinical psychotherapist. He is currently the Clinical Director of The OCD Clinic® Ireland and he is based at the Dublin Clinic. He has been a Consultant Psychotherapist as well as a Clinical Director with Health Services Executive, Statutory funded services for over a decade.
He is currently on the clinical register of psychotherapists with the Irish Council for Psychotherapy, The Family Therapy Association of Ireland, and the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy and the European Association for Psychotherapy.
Clinical Fellowship and Association
Dr. Gibson is a lecturer and a senior research associate at Dublin City University, Institute of Education (DCU) and senior clinical researcher, clinical trainer and lecturer at the Post Graduate School of Psychotherapy, Centro di Terapia Strategica in Arezzo Italy directed by Professor Giorgio Nardone (Centro Di Terapia) as well as a research and training associate at the specialist clinic and clinical programme at, LACT, in Paris France (LACT).
Dr. Gibson and his co-founders of The OCD Clinics ® Dr. Portelli and Dr. Papantuono, completed their D.Psych, Professional Clinical Doctorate in Psychotherapy, under direct supervision of Professor Nardone.
Specialist Training
Padraic has also trained as a clinical psychotherapy supervisor and teacher at The Mater Hospital, Dublin which forms part of University College Dublin’s postgraduate programme in Psychotherapy, as well as other post graduate trainings in Doctoral Research Methods, Organizational Consulting and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy at the University of Sunderland, University of Leeds, The Tavistock Clinic London and the University of East London.
Padraic has also lectured at postgraduate level in Trinity College Dublin and at a number of other postgraduate programmes. He has trained and presented in Ireland, Italy the United Kingdom, Malta and with USA students on the topics of Systemic Theory and Brief Strategic treatments for psychological disorders and on doing clinical research in psychotherapy.
He has a rigorous commitment to clinical research and in finding ways to make his treatment even more effective and to this end has completed a number of significant clinical research projects with international colleagues Professor Gianluca Casltenuovo, Dr. Portelli, Dr. Papantuono Dr. Giada Pietribissa from the University of Milan etc., on Eating Disorders, Postnatal Depression and Obsessive Compulsive Disorders.
The OCD Clinic® was co-founded by, Dr. Padraic Gibson, Dr. Claudette Portelli and Dr Matteo Papantuono. We have Clinics in Ireland directed by Dr. Gibson, one in Hamrun, Malta, under the direction of Dr. Portelli and one in Ancona, Italy, under the direction of Dr. Papantuono. The OCD Clinics® are International Centers of Excellence in, The Treatment and Clinical Research for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
Books and Publications
- (2014) Winning Without Fighting: A Handbook of Effective Treatments for Social, Emotional and Behavioral Problems in Children and Adolescents. Malta University Press and Amazon Kindle.
- (2016) Brief Effective Clinical Treatment for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (In Press)
- (2016) Systemic Therapy as Transformative Practice. (Eds) Gail Simon and Imelda McCarthy. (EIC Press)
Recent Professional Journal Articles
- (2016) An Outcome Study on the Effectiveness of Brief Strategic Therapy in the Treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. British Medical Journal
- (2016) Outcome Research on The Effectiveness of BST with Postnatal Depression. Irish Journal of Family Therapy
- (2016) Operative Diagnosis – A New Approach to Diagnostic Process: Context – British Association of Systemic and Family Therapy.
- (2014) An Interactional Approach for Treating Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Irish Journal of Counseling and Psychotherapy
Commitment to Evidence Based Clinical Research
Some Recent Research Papers Include:
- Outcome Research in the Treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Duration: 2010-2013. In collaboration with my colleague Professor Gianluca Castelnuovo, Department of Clinical Psychology, Istituto Auxologico Italiano IRCCS, Catholic University of Milan, we have completed (in conjunction with an independent evaluator of our work) a 3-year Outcome study with 62 patients outlining the successful treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder here in Ireland published in The British Medical Journal Open (2016)
- Outcome Research in Treating Post-Natal Depression: Duration 2010-2012.This paper outlines a 2-year study with 71 women which was completed here in Dublin, in conjunction with my colleagues, Dr. Patrick O’Mathuna, medical doctor and clinical director of Castlemill Medical Centre, Dr. Gian Mauro Manzoni Istituto Auxologico, Milan and Professor Gianluca Castlenuovo, Istituto Auxologico Italiano IRCCS, Catholic University of Milan. The paper outlines the outcomes of our treatment for postnatal depression and in keeping with our rigorous methodology of ‘knowing through changing’ this has allowed us to develop a unique and successful model and method for treating for this invalidating problem. Published: Feedback -Irish Journal of Family Therapy.
- Rendering Brief Strategic Therapy even more valid and in order to verify our model of treatment and to observe fidelity in treatment, he has along with Professor Giorgio Nardone completed stage one of our most recent treatment manual. This manual was piloted this year in a research project between Dr. Claudette Portelli and myself.
Some Recent Clinical Training Provided By Dr. Padraic Gibson To Professionals Outside The OCD Clinic:
- March-2016: California Professional School of Psychology. Professor J. Jacksons, postgraduates.
- August 2016: Mental Health Team, The Hospice Harold’s Cross, Dublin – Training clinical team on Effective Clinical Dialogue.
- July 2016: Irish Council for Psychotherapy- Registrants clinical training day: Invited speaker-Presented on Strategic Approach to Eating Disorders
- October 2014: Hosted- Systemic Treatment for Couples in the21st Century-Dr Reeenee Singh, Tavistock Clinic London
- August 2014: Treating Obsessive and Phobic Disorders; Training to California University of Professional Psychology with Professor J. Jackson Postgraduate’s
- October 2014: Psychotherapist and Self Learning: Hosted Professor Peter Stratton- Department of Clinical Psychology Leeds University
- October 2014: Presentation of Outcome research of the clinical trial with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: World Conference. Systemic and Strategic Network
- October 2014: Communicational approaches with Children and Adolescents in Psychotherapy: World Conference of The Strategic and Systemic Network
- October 2014: Effective Treatments for Postnatal Depression and international research project; World Conference of The Strategic and Systemic Therapy Network.
- August 2014: Eating Disorder Training: Training provided to California University of Professional Psychology-Professor Jeff Jackson
- July 2014: Panic Disorder Grounded Theory Research: Tavistock Clinic London, Research Symposium
- October 2013: Brief Strategic Treatment for Eating Disorders – Psychotherapy Team, St Vincent’s Hospital, Fairview.
- May 2013: Brief Treatment for Eating Disorders – Department of Adult Psychiatry, Naas General Hospital.
- June 2012: Treating Anxiety Disorders – Kildare, West Wicklow Mental Health Team.
- May 2012: The Diagnostic Interview: Using a Strategic Dialogue – Kildare, West Wicklow Mental Health Team.
- March 2011: Treating adolescent anorexia and bulimia: Kildare West Wicklow Mental Health Team.
- Feb 2011: Research Symposium Tavistock Clinic London: Presentation of Research Update on the treatment mechanisms in systemic treatment for panic disorder.
Dr. Claudette Portelli
Dr. Claudette is a Clinical Psychologist, psychotherapist and rigorous clinical researcher. Dr. Portelli is a lecturer at Dublin City University in Social, Emotional and Behavioural Pathologies (http://www.dcu.ie) and is the director of The OCD Clinic® at Hamrun, Malta.
She is a clinical lecturer at the Strategic Therapy Center’s-Post Graduate School of Psychotherapy where she also works as a clinical trainer and senior researcher associate – for more details click here.
Claudette is a Scientific Member of the Editorial Board of the Brief Strategic and Systemic Therapy European Review and was an original contributor to the evolution of the BST model of Treatment for OCD as well as co-author, with Professor Nardone of the highly acclaimed book “Knowing Through Changing’’.
Claudette is also a research and training associate at the specialist clinic and clinical programme at, LACT, in Paris France (www.lact.fr), she has also been a speaker at numerous international conferences and author of numerous scientific articles and is also completing another PhD in the University of Macerata, Italy.
- (2016) Brief Effective Clinical Treatment for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (In Press)
Recent Books & Publications
- Obsessions compulsions and Manias; Treatment for Obsessive Complusive Disorder (Ponte Alle Grazie Press) with Professor Giorgio Nardone
- Knowing Through Changing: The Evolution of Brief Strategic Therapy” (2005) Crown House Publishing, UK.
- COME SMETTERE DI FUMARE – Strategie per liberarsi in tempi brevi dalle dipendenze da fumo Branka Skorjanec Ponte Alle Grazie (2008)
Recent Publications By Padraic Gibson
“The book is a gem… excellent… scholarly…”
Professor Alan Carr, PhD
Professor of Clinical Psychology, University College Dublin
“A key text for those wishing to better understand… contemporary… therapy.”
Professor Sean Davis, PhD, Alliant International University, California, USA
“This is a ‘God-send’… our field has been waiting for this book.”
Dr. Imelda McCarthy, PhD., University College Dublin, Fifth Province Associates
“Excellent!”
Professor Jeffrey B. Jackson, PhD, Virginia Tech, University, Blacksburg, Virgnia, USA
“… insightful, pleasurable… brilliantly embracing the best of the greatest thinkers and researchers in the field.”
Dr. Charlie Azzopardi, D Psych., Founder & Director of the Institute for Family Therapy, Malta
“A must read for those not yet convinced of this therapy’s effectiveness.”
Dr. Ed McHale PhD, Former President of The European Association for Psychotherapy, Co-Founder of The Clanwillam Institute
“A must read for all school-based practitioners and those in the field of education.”
Professor Erna Nairz-Wirth, Educational Sciences Group, Vienna University of Economics & Business, Austria
“… based on their vast experience and research… the authors have managed to provide specific, effective solutions for each problem described in this book.”
Professor Giorgio Nardone, PhD,
Scientific Director, Strategic Therapy Centre, Arezzo, Italy
“An invaluable resource… effective and winning interventions.”
Professor Carmel Cefai, Phd (Lond), FBPS Head of the Department of Psychology, University of Malta
