Dr Marcella Finnerty is Chair of the Higher Education Colleges Association (HECA) and President Emerita of IICP College, which she founded and grew into one of Ireland’s leading centres for counselling and psychotherapy education (now part of the Folens Group). She is also Founder of the charity Village Counselling Service, one of Ireland’s largest community-based counselling agencies, providing accessible, low-cost therapeutic support.

Marcella has held senior academic and research roles at Trinity College Dublin and has contributed to national standards in counselling and psychotherapy through her service on the CORU Registration Board, CORU Council, and the Board of the Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (IACP).

Her leadership brings together relational education, applied research, systems-informed practice, and compassionate organisational development. Marcella’s long-standing professional collaboration with leading author and researcher, Professor John McLeod, continues to shape her commitment to research that is grounded in real-world therapeutic work.

She is a recognised advocate for ethical, collaborative, and practice-informed higher education that strengthens individuals, communities, and the wider public good.