Local guidance counsellors honoured at Athlone awards event
Three local guidance counsellors were recognised for their outstanding contributions to the profession at an event in Athlone on Friday last.
Mary Egan, Fiona Murphy, and Caroline Cornally received 'Outstanding Contribution to Guidance' gold medal awards at this year's Institute of Guidance Counsellors (IGC) Midlands branch dinner and awards ceremony.
The event took place in the Athlone Springs Hotel and was attended by guidance counsellors from Westmeath, Roscommon, Galway, Offaly, and Longford.
Barrymore, Athlone, resident Mary Egan has retired from guidance counselling, having previously worked in TUS and at Coláiste Chiaráin, Athlone. Mary served the IGC Midlands branch in many roles, including branch secretary, chairperson, and national executive representative.
Fiona Murphy lives in Moate and works as an adult guidance counsellor with Longford Westmeath Education and Training Board (LWETB). Fiona has been the IGC Midlands branch secretary for four years, and was appointed to serve another term as secretary from 2023 to 2025.
Mullingar resident Caroline Cornally also works an Adult Guidance Counsellor with LWETB and is the longest serving IGC Midlands branch treasurer, with ten consecutive years of service to the branch from 2011 to 2021.
At the event, Theresa Burke, outgoing chairperson of the ICG Midlands branch, recalled a card given to her by a Leaving Certificate student last year. He started the card by saying, "I have a saddening suspicion that the guidance counsellor may not get the credit and appreciation that she deserves, and I wanted to put that right."
Theresa spoke about how the work of a guidance counsellor, by its very nature, is private to the individual client or student, so can often go unrecognised in a wider context.
She said these awards were an important way of acknowledging the often-extraordinary work carried out by the branch members.
The recipients of the 'Outstanding Contribution to Guidance' medals had each demonstrated compassion, wisdom, and positive regard in all their work, and had also taken on the role of leading the ICG Midlands branch, Ms Burke stated.
"They have helped our branch members to share expertise, build networks of support, engage in professional reflection and upskilling, attend counselling supervision, and ultimately help the clients and students of all branch members," she added.