​Steps A Journey of Growth was initiated by two trainees of the  Flatstone Psychotherapy Training course founded by Donal Healy and Claire Murray.  This course originated in Cork in 1993 in response to an interest in experientially-based humanistic and integrative training that was both creative and practical. The training was designed to be holistic, person-centred, rich in creative and spiritual nourishment and at the same time robust in intellectual opportunities and challenges. It was recognised by the Irish Association of Humanistic and Integrative Psychotherapy (IAHIP) in 2011.

Marie Stuart is an accredited member of IAHIP.  She has worked as a community worker, with a variety of groups in preventive and remedial programmes.  She has worked as a psychotherapist with individual clients and with personal development groups for many years now.  She is engaged in facilitation with a wide variety of groups and she also works on video and website communications.  She has been a member of the Flatstone Psychotherapy Training Team for many years.  Together with Ann Parfrey, she founded the Steps: A Journey of Growth course and is an accredited supervisor with IAHIP.

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Ted Leahy trained as a psychotherapist with the Flatstone Institute and now works in private practice providing psychotherapy to adults, couples and adolescents.  He completed further training in couples counselling and adolescent psychotherapy.  Ted has worked for over 35 years in the disability sector providing support and training to people who have had an accident, illness, injury or had a disability.  He also works for a large organisation providing support to those with suicidal ideation, self-harm or who have lost someone to suicide.  He is an accredited member of IAHIP.

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Ann Parfrey  will run the residential weekends