Dr Lisa O’Reilly
Independent Guardian ad Litem, Founder & Director of HAPii
Dr Lisa O’Reilly is a visionary Child and Family Specialist whose pioneering integration of attachment theory, play-based engagement, and trauma-responsive practice has redefined how professionals connect with children in their most vulnerable moments. As Founder of HAPii and Director of GALLORE, she brings over nineteen years of clinical leadership to the creation of safer, stronger relational pathways for children, parents, foster carers, and frontline professionals. Rooted in rigorous research and delivered with profound heart, her work centres on amplifying the child’s authentic voice through respectful, age-appropriate communication that moves beyond traditional methods to foster secure attachment and emotional healing.
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 & Publications
Author of seminal works including The Everyday Guide to Attachment, Play, Connection and Emotional Release (2020), Stability in Foster Care: The Child’s Voice (2023), and Family Contact: The Child’s Voice (2022), alongside peer-reviewed publications in the British Journal of Social Work, Childcare in Practice, and The Irish Social Worker. She designed and evaluated Ireland’s national Play Skills Training Programme and authored the flagship training on Linking Attachment Theory to Practice.
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