A wonderful opportunity to get together with Choice Theorists!
In memory of one of our very first instructors, Richard Pulk, we have an annual day focusing on professional development of our members. After Dr. Glasser himiself gave the first RT/CT course in Dublin in 1985, he sent Suzy Hallock Bannigan to continue his work in 1986. As the demand for training grew, Suzy brought along Richard Pulk in 1987.
From 1987 to 1996, Richard became very highly respected both as an instructor, as a person and as a friend among all the Irish students of Dr. Glasser’s ideas. Dick, as he was known to us all, gave a total of 23 courses in those nine years. His knowledge of RT/CT was impressive but more noteworthy was how he lived out the principles of Choice Theory. He was a wonderful listener, always showing total respect for those in his company, and there was nothing he enjoyed more than a good laugh.
Sadly he passed away in 1998 after a short illness. We established this special day to remember him. Dr. Glasser always claimed that we could sometimes get strength from the past and that is exactly why we choose to remember Richard Pulk. He was and continues to be an inspiration to us all.
RICHARD PULK DAY 2026
DATE: Saturday 2nd May 2026
VENUE: Malahide Parish Centre (Beside Malahide Railway Station)
TIMES: 10 am to 4 pm with coffee from 9 am to 10 am.
LUNCH: included in the fee (€75).
REMINDER: If you already have an account with WGII, please LOG IN before registering.
MEMBERS: You will automatically be assigned a 10% discount.
PRESENTERS MAY APPLY BY CLICKING HERE!
WORKSHOPS
Relationships & Couple Counselling
Doreen Maher
Relationships are difficult. Just a little help can mean the difference between a relationship that struggles and a relationship that is strong, steady and improves as time goes on. William Glasser explained the lack of compatibility as a problem in the discrepancy between the basic needs. In his book “Staying Together” Only when people begin to see that they cannot control their partner and that their basic needs are different can they really understand one another and begin to accept that the difference is not catastrophic, just genetic. Through role play, discussion and some fun, Doreen will introduce the ideas of Glasser, and help the participants of the workshop to understand their own needs and what kind of partners or relationships might be good for them. I will also introduce a number of tools that were developed by Glasser to meet these needs and improve their understanding.
Doreen Maher has been involved with WGII since 2005 and is certified in Choice Theory. She is an accredited clinical supervisor and counsellor with IACP and has completed a diploma in Couple Counselling with Maynooth University. Doreen was a Guidance Counsellor and teacher for forty years and has used all of her skills and understanding of psychology and human relationships to help her in her counselling work with couples and families over the past decade.
Choice Theory – A community led dialogue to change
Allen Gilhooly
W.I.C.D.© (What I Can Do) emerged from years of witnessing families and young people struggle with school refusal, racial tension, grief, and disengagement, often with limited supports available. Drawing on decades of community development work, school chaplaincy, clinical practice, and experience with programmes such as Rainbows Ireland and the Copping On initiative, Allen developed W. I.C.D.© as a practical, relational, and accessible response. His pluralistic therapeutic approach—where the client’s voice, agency, and lived experience are central—shapes every aspect of the programme. Grounded in Choice Theory and influenced by Paulo Freire’s dialogical, emancipatory philosophy, W.I.C.D.© uses non-formal, enjoyable group processes that promote voice, agency, and critical reflection. By challenging external control and recognising the social conditions that shape behaviour, participants strengthen internal responsibility and build needs-satisfying, equitable relationships. This workshop explores how W.I.C.D.© functions as a flexible, relational, and socially conscious wellbeing model across schools, families, and adult settings.
Allen Gilhooly is the Director of Sligo Community Counselling Ltd., a low leads a team of therapists providing affordable counselling across two locations, while also offering placement opportunities for students and Pre identity. Certified in Choice Theory for over twenty years, Allen has served multiple terms on the board of the William Glasser Institute Ireland and continues to contribute to its executive. His career spans more than thirtythree years across Community and Youth Work, School Chaplaincy, Supervision, and Psychotherapy. Throughout his work, he has held social justice as a core value, meeting people with humour, curiosity, and deep respect for lived experience. In 2025, Allen received the IACP Regional Award in recognition of his contribution to counselling and psychotherapy in Ireland. For more info, please visit http://www.communitycounselling.ie
Choice Theory Focus Groups
Pamela Patchell
I’ve delivered CT Focus Groups to clients on a counselling service waiting list. My workshop would offer a grounding in the core aspects of a CT Focus Group and draw on my experiences of how they empower people to take charge of their lives and improve their relationships.
Pamela is a practicing IACP Therapist/Supervisor, with a theoretical and practical knowledge of CT/RT that is grounded in her core training (IICP), and Basic Week Certificate. This is enhanced through my years as a lecturer in IICP (mentored by Triona Kearns, Dermot O’Neill and Marcella Finnerty). She also voluntarily shadowed Marcella Finnerty and Ken Lyons on a Basic Week, and recently completed a Basic Week refresher. She works with HealthHero and the IKA as a therapist, and with the IGC and the ETB as a supervisor. CT/RT is core to her philosophy of living, and is used within her integrative approach to client case formulations and supervisory support. She is awaiting her Basic Practicum Training.
Dystraxia, a Challenge for Counselling
Brian Lennon
Some counselling clients do not seem able to understand their personal responsibility and yet this is central to progress in Reality Therapy. Brian will explain “dystraxia”, a variable he has identified as the inability to abstract, the cognitive inability to perceive beyond immediate experience. He will outline what it is, its effects, probably causes and ways to deal with dystraxic clients.
Brian Lennon did his Basic training with Dr. Glasser and has been an advanced instructor since 1989. He worked as a guidance counsellor and psychologist until retiring in 2009. He is founder and Chairperson Emeritus of William Glasser International, a Fellow of the William Glasser Institute Ireland and a Fellow of the Irish Institute of Guidance Counsellors. Recent publications include: “The Practice of Reality Therapy” and “The Practice of Choice Theory Psychology”. In dedicating his last book to Brian, Dr. Glasser wrote, “I have felt your mind is a mirror of mine”. In 2025 Brian published his book “Dystraxia” (Amazon).
SAMIC and YourChoice: Putting Choice Theory in People’s Pockets
Tim Edmonds
This presentation tells the story of building a mobile app rooted in Choice Theory and Reality Therapy — from a simple commitment-quality framework called SAMIC, through to YourChoice, a self-directed practice tool grounded in Glasser’s five basic needs and the WDEP system.
The talk covers the problem that prompted the build: people leave training or therapy with genuine insight, then return to daily life with no structured way to keep practising. It explores how the app turns core Choice Theory concepts — needs check-ins, the WDEP model, honest self-evaluation, and small actionable commitments — into an everyday habit. And it looks at where the project is heading next: AI-assisted guided reflection, deeper relationship tools, and a platform that could extend the reach of practitioners working in therapy, coaching, and education.
Tim has spent the last twenty years running Thorpe Woodlands, an outdoor centre in Norfolk, following an early career in youth and community work. The values that shaped that work — agency, responsibility, and authentic relationship — have remained central to everything he does.
Introduced to Choice Theory in 2019, he immediately recognised its compatibility with his own approach to working with young people and to leadership. He became certified in Choice Theory in 2024 and has recently become a practicum supervisor.
His personal mission is to keep Choice Theory alive as a living practice rather than a concept — and to find new ways of bringing these ideas to people who might never encounter them otherwise. Building SAMIC, and its evolution into YourChoice, is the most recent expression of that mission.