Dr Lisa O’Reilly
Founder & Director of HAPii, Independent Guardian ad Litem
Dr Lisa O’Reilly is a leading Child and Family Specialist with over twenty years’ experience in child protection, foster care, play therapy, attachment research, and trauma-informed practice.
As Founder and Director of HAPii – Healing Attachment Play Institute Ireland, Lisa is dedicated to creating safer, stronger relationships for children and families through attachment-informed, play-based, and heart-centred approaches. Her work centres on honouring the child’s voice, strengthening the child-caregiver bond, and supporting emotional release and healing within secure attachment relationships.
Lisa has practised as a Guardian ad Litem with GALLORE since January 2016, representing children’s rights and best interests in court while advocating for their emotional safety and developmental needs. Guided by rigorous research and clinical insight, her practice bridges attachment theory with respectful, age-appropriate engagement that moves beyond traditional methods to truly hear and support children.
Qualifications
2019–2025: Masters in Psychology, Arden University, London
2008–2012: PhD in Social and Political Science (‘The Voice of Children in Social Work Assessments: What they Say? Or What they Play?’), National University of Ireland, Galway
2006–2008: Diploma in Play Therapy, Children’s Therapy Centre, Westmeath
2002–2004: Masters in Social Work, University College Cork
1997–2000: Bachelor of Arts in Social and Political Science and Classical Civilization, National University of Ireland, Galway
Key Contributions
In 2016, Lisa authored the national training programme “Linking Attachment Theory to Practice” for social workers and frontline practitioners. She served as project lead on the Tusla (Child and Family Agency) National Development Team and contributed to the national development of “Direct Work with Children”. These programmes continue to equip practitioners across Ireland with practical tools to build safer, more connected relationships with children.
Her doctoral research explored the benefits of play-based engagement in child protection assessments. Social workers who applied her Play Skills Training Programme reported significant improvements, including creating child-friendly environments, greater confidence in engaging children, enhanced representation of the child’s voice, and more playful, effective communication.
Lisa completed Theraplay Level 1 Training in 2015 and has developed caregiver support programmes that help parents, foster carers, and adoptive parents respond to children’s needs through connection and emotional release, rather than punitive approaches.
She has taught as an associate guest lecturer at the National University of Ireland, Galway for approximately twelve years, specialising in child and family social work, communicating with children, and attachment theory. Lisa continues to collaborate with the NUIG Child and Family Research Centre.
Publications
O’Reilly, L. (2023) Stability in Foster Care: The Child’s Voice
O’Reilly, L. (2022) Family Contact: The Child’s Voice
O’Reilly, L. (2021) The Child Attachment Relationship Guide: Informing Child Protection and Fostering Social Work. Childcare in Practice. https://doi.org/10.1080/13575279.2021.1960798
O’Reilly, L. (2020) The Everyday Guide to Attachment, Play, Connection and Emotional Release – for parents, foster carers, adoptive parents, and childcare professionals
O’Reilly, L. (2020) The Introduction of Attachment Play in Child and Family Social Work: Optimising Connection, Emotional Release and Supporting Challenging Behaviour. The Irish Social Worker, December 2020
O’Reilly, L. & Dolan, P. (2017) The Role of Social Work Education and Training in Supporting Practitioners to Communicate with Children in an Age-appropriate Manner. British Journal of Social Work.
O’Reilly, L. & Dolan, P. (2017) The Use of Play Skills during Child Protection Assessments. In The Routledge Handbook of Global Child Welfare.
O’Reilly, L. & Dolan, P. (2016) The Voice of the Child in Social Work Assessments: Age-appropriate Communication with Children. British Journal of Social Work, 46(5), 1191–1207.
O’Reilly, L. (2014) ‘The Voice of the Child in Social Work Assessments: What they Say? Or what they Play?’ Executive Summary. The Irish Social Worker.
O’Reilly, L. (2013) The Voice of the Child in Social Work Assessments: What they Say? Or what they Play? Lambert Academic Publishing.
Approach
Lisa’s practice is grounded in the belief that true healing occurs within secure, playful, and emotionally attuned relationships. Fully CORU-registered, Garda-vetted, and a member of the British Psychological Society and Irish Attachment in Action, she continues to advance evidence-based, heart-centred interventions that optimise child-caregiver bonds and support lifelong mental wellbeing.
Career History
Founder, HAPii – Healing Attachment Play Institute Ireland
2016–present: Independent Guardian ad Litem & Director, GALLORE Guardian ad Litem Services
Thirteen years’ frontline experience in child protection social work and foster care
Qualified Play Therapist and Theraplay Practitioner; Attachment Researcher; National Trainer (TUSLA); Occasional Lecturer and Advisory Board Member, NUI Galway