Congratulations Dave Saunders!

We are delighted to announce the winner of this year's Liam McCarthy Scholarship as Dave Saunders from the Dublin-West venue. 

It has been Dave’s dream to train as a counsellor for many years but because of his negative experience of education which resulted in him leaving school at an early age, he thought 3rd level education was out of his reach.  Dave decided to apply for the scholarship “having researched Liam McCarthy and?Josephine Murphy, they were pioneers in their beliefs. They created a foundation for second change learners like me,?who for so long thought 3rd?level education was beyond them;?they created an incredible college where students could feel fully supported in their personal development while also achieving high academic standards”.

Dave is extremely grateful to PCI College for affording him this wonderful opportunity to realise his dreams. His interest in pursuing a career in counselling and psychotherapy stems from his involvement in a support organisation set up by Dave in 2019. From Lads to Dads is a service that provides support to young fathers in becoming positive active role models in their children’s lives. This opportunity to train as a therapist will allow Dave offer additional supports for fathers within his organisation who can often feel isolated and lacking in confidence when they become fathers at an early age.

Dave will be formally awarded the Scholarship during a video call with our BSc Year 1 Head John Wills which will be posted online by the end of July. The award is given in honour of Liam McCarthy, who passionately believed in the power of personal development and that continuing, adult education could be a central element in the development process for many people. One of his visions was to open third level education to a wider pool of mature students, who might not have otherwise been able to earn a degree. Liam was also passionate about the importance of maintaining high academic standards, which is evident in the degree he designed, and which has remained a high priority for PCI College and our collaborative partner, Middlesex University. Our BSc programme is characterised by an integrative approach to counselling & psychotherapy training, introducing students to all the main therapeutic approaches, cultivating an appreciation of reflexive awareness for transformative learning, and supporting the acquisition of counselling skills required in becoming a competent practitioner within the profession. The BSc (Hons) Counselling & Psychotherapy degree is accredited by the IACP.

You can access Dave's 1000 word essay from the downloads section below.