Hi!

My name is Joe O’Brien, I’m the founder of Head First. I guess the name Head First came from the idea that change starts in the mind. We might know what we want to do or where we want to go, but we often have to navigate lots of mental barriers in order to get there. What I want to do is help incorporate psychological supports when we’re addressing physical health challenges. Why? Because psychological barriers are the main challenge lots of us face when making physical or health-related change.

I believe it’s time we stopped treating physical and mental health separately, and started treating the whole person, and that’s why I set up Head First. The way I work is that I would support you understanding yourself, your thoughts and emotions, and your behaviour. From there we can identify the main challenges, both internal and external, to achieving your goals and work through them together. Change is so much more than just knowing what to do, and I love working with people through that process.

Education & Experience

I have a Doctorate in Health Psychology from LJMU, specialising in the psychology of behaviour change. I’m a Chartered Psychologist and I’m registered with the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI), and the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) in the UK. I’ve conducted quantitative and qualitative research in the areas of binge and emotional eating, and the psychological predictors of weight loss. I’ve completed over 400 1:1 client hours during my training, and an unmeasured amount since!

If you’d like to work with me, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.