Sue O'Callaghan
My Story
During one of the most traumatic chapters of my life, I found myself frustrated with a medical system that offered only a diagnosis, talk therapy, or medication. While being heard was validating, it didn't create change. I needed strategies to work with trauma, Complex PTSD, and hopeless feelings of paralysis. Although the desire and desperation were within me to rebuild my life, there appeared to be little support that worked.
Discovering trauma therapy in London in 2003 changed everything. It introduced safety into my chaotic world, teaching me to regulate my nervous system and release the trauma held in my body. It returned the autonomy and choice I had been denied.
Realising that the individuals I worked with in schools and prisons lacked access to this kind of integrative care, I founded Teenage Toolbox in 2013. Today, as this work has expanded and grown, I am privileged to witness - and celebrate - the extraordinary resilience and achievements of not only teenagers, but also the parents, adults, couples and communities I serve.
About Me
For over 35 years, I’ve worked across schools, prisons, and private practices in the UK, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand.
I understand the teenage landscape. Having lived with and taught hundreds of teens in boarding schools, I've experienced their tenacity, rebellion, anxiety, pain and fear. I get their ability to 'keep on keeping on' (I don't think my parents had it easy!). My precious mum also died when I was young, so I know what pain is like for a teen.
I am a strategist who challenges the status quo. I have never been one for the mundane; I believe life is for creativity, innovation, expansion and change. Give me a problem, and I'll quickly show you a solution. With clients, it's easy - you just have to know how! I am a door opener. I find innovative ways outside traditional models to create measured, sustainable results that work long term.
My Work
My early training in maximum-security prisons shaped a lifelong commitment to trauma-informed care, compassion, and restorative justice. Since then, I have trained with global leaders in the field, including Dr. Gabor Maté and Terry Real, integrating their wisdom into my evidence-based approach.
Published Works:
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TAKEN: A personal memoir of trauma and the path to healing.
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Hate Myself, Hate My Life. A co-authored guide for teens navigating self-worth, currently held in over two-thirds of New Zealand’s high school libraries.
Clinical Focus & Modalities:
My practice is an integration of interpersonal neurobiology, attachment science, and somatic wisdom, including:
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Nervous System Science: Polyvagal Theory and Sensory Modulation.
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Relational Models: Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Relational Life Therapy (RLT).
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Deep Inquiry: Compassionate Inquiry, Trauma Recovery, and Addiction.
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Expressive Healing: Art Therapy, Spirituality, and Restorative Justice.