Hello, I'm Catherine O'Connell. In 2006 I founded Blossom Development to support people to find different ways to deal with challenges, conflicts and difficult situations in their personal and/or work lives. I offer a range of supports including conflict management coaching for individuals and groups, restorative practice for groups, communities, families and organisations and mediation for families, couples who have decided to separate, workplace issues and communities.
For more than 20 years I have worked with individuals, families, and organisations. When people seek mediation or conflict support, they are often navigating some of the most stressful and personal moments of their lives. I provide a professional, confidential, non-judgmental space where people can feel safe to be authentic, speak their truth and, figure out what matters and make informed choices about what happens next. I have witnessed people transform their situations, their relationships and their behaviours through working with each other collaboratively and using processes that enable them to bring their best selves to the fore.
I feel truly priviliged to have found myself working in this area for the last 20 years. It aligns with my values of fairness, empowerment, the dignity of each person and the importance of people being able to be themselves and speak their truth. I completely agree with Maya Angelou when she wrote in her wonderful autobiography that "There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you". I believe thateveryone deserves to be heard.
Training
I provide training in mediation, restorative practice and CINERGY™ conflict management coaching. People can become professional mediators, recognised by the Mediators' Institute of Ireland through doing an accredited training course with me over eight full days and passing an assessment. Others who do this course do so to develop their skills in managing people in their roles as leaders, managers, human resources, organisational development etc. Conflict management coaching is a specialised form of coaching designed to help people to find different ways of managing conflict situations and this is often done on an one-to-one basis. People choose to do this course either to become conflict management coaches and/or to enable them to support their own teams, managers and employees to enhance their conflict management skills and have better 'crucial conversations'. Restorative practice training allows graduates to build skills, foster healthy relationships, manage conflict positively and to prevent and repair harm in organisations, schools and teams.
As part of my practice I have delivered accredited mediation training for the Irish Red Cross, worked on peace building initiatives in Northern Ireland, and facilitated restorative processes in complex and sensitive contexts, including survivors of institutional abuse and faith based organisations. From 2014 to 2025 I lectured in mediation, conflict management and restorative practice at Maynooth University and since 2023 to date at the National College of Ireland.
Affiliations
I am an accredited mediator with the Mediators’ Institute of Ireland (MII) and am a voluntary MII council member along with serving on the MII Accreditation Policy Committee. I also am a member of Restorative Practice Ireland RPI and am on the steering committee of same. Other organisations that I am affiliated with include, Mediation Beyond Borders International (MBBI), the Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR), the Restorative Justice Council (RJC), and the European Forum for Restorative Justice (EFRJ). These professional affiliations are part of my commitment to best practice, ongoing professional development, and high ethical standards.
