Imrama

Imrama (im-RAH-mah) is an Old Irish word for a voyage by sea, specifically the kind of journey undertaken into unknown waters, without a fixed destination, in search of something that can only be found by going. It is a word that carries the spirit of the old Celtic seafaring tradition: the courage required to set out, the uncertainty of what lies ahead, and the transformation that comes from the journey itself. 

The Place

The name has personal roots. Claire grew up with a connection to a small harbour village in Kerry, the place from which St Brendan is said to have set sail on his legendary voyage across the Atlantic. As a child, the currachs (distinctive Irish wooden rowing boats), light and low in the water, were a familiar sight at the harbour. There is something quietly remarkable, looking back, about those small boats and the vast ocean they were built to face. To navigate the rough Atlantic seas off the west coast of Ireland in a currach requires not just bravery but skill, trust, and a willingness to work with the conditions rather than against them. 

The Connection to Therapy

It seemed like the right name for a psychology practice. 

So much of what happens in therapy mirrors that kind of voyage: setting out into unfamiliar territory, braving the depths of one's own history, mind, and relationships, not always knowing where the journey will lead but trusting the process of going. The work is rarely comfortable, and it rarely follows a straight line. But like any worthwhile journey, it changes you, and what can be learned, uncovered, and overcome along the way is often far greater than what seemed possible at the outset. 

The Personal Thread

For Claire, the name also carries something of her own story, the journey from Ireland to Perth, through career change and retraining, through the personal experiences that have shaped both who she is and how she works. Imrama Psychology is, in that sense, a practice built from a life genuinely lived rather than simply a clinical credential.