About The Behaviour Hive
A behaviour psychologist who knows Irish homes and classrooms
The Behaviour Hive is led by Catherine (Katie) Smyth, BCBA, C.Psychol., Ps.S.I., a Chartered Behavioural Psychologist with the Psychological Society of Ireland.
Her work takes her into family homes and schools every week, alongside parents, teachers and SNAs. So the plans she writes are made for real homes and real classrooms.
Catherine (Katie) Smyth, BCBA, C.Psychol., Ps.S.I.
Why we started
Why The Behaviour Hive exists
Katie kept meeting the same parents: worn out, waiting on a public list, and told to come back when there was a diagnosis.
Behaviour doesn't wait for a diagnosis. A child who melts down every morning needs help this month, not in two years. The Behaviour Hive was set up to give families that help now: a specialist who works out what the behaviour is telling you, and a plan that works at home and at school.
We want every family to finish working with us needing us less, because they know what to do.
Experience
Over a decade of clinical experience
Across Ireland, the United States and the UAE.
Katie's experience covers the settings children move through every day: home, school, specialist centres and residential care. At the New England Center for Children in Boston, she led clinical work on an intensive treatment team for autistic children and young people. In Ireland's residential care system, she provided behaviour support to children and young adults with complex needs, and to the staff teams who care for them. In the UAE, she worked within multidisciplinary teams, supporting families at home, in school and in therapy centres. Today she visits families at home across Ireland, and works alongside their children's teachers and SNAs in school.
Qualifications
Qualifications you can check
Every qualification here comes from a recognised professional body.
Chartered Behavioural Psychologist
Chartered Member of the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI)
Chartered status from Ireland's professional body for psychologists.
Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA)
Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB)
Check it on the BACB's public Certificant Registry.
MSc in Applied Behaviour Analysis
Trinity College Dublin
How we work
What we believe
Behaviour is communication
We find out what a behaviour is telling you before we try to change anything.
Neuro-affirming
Grounded in Positive Behaviour Support, never about changing who your child is.
No diagnosis needed
We help with behaviour now, with or without a diagnosis.
Home and school together
Plans written for the people who use them: parents, teachers and SNAs.
From other parents
What parents say
We came to The Behaviour Hive struggling with my child's intense fear of dogs, weather and anxiety which was significantly impacting our child's day to day life. Katie's approach with our child along with her professional expertise and genuine care, allowed our child to open up and engage with the therapy process at their pace. Through the personalised strategies and tools provided, our child has learned to navigate their anxiety with confidence. Seeing them go from being paralysed by fear to now managing encounters with dogs and going about day to day life like their friends is a milestone we thought we might never reach. Katie's work has equipped our child with lifelong coping skills and a new found confidence. We are so grateful for the expert care that helped our child and family. I would highly recommend their services to any parent seeking support for their child.
Parent, Kildare
A former client. We asked for this feedback at the end of our work together.
Who we work with
Families first, and the people around them
Most of our work is with parents. We also support the schools and services around a child, so everyone uses the same plan.
Katie leads our clinical work and oversees every family's plan.
- For parents: behaviour assessment
- For parents: 1:1 sessions
- For schools
- For care services
- For students and practitioners
The Behaviour Hive is a trading name of Velacor Ltd. Donadea, Co. Kildare, W91 VY0T.
Take the first step today
Your first 30-minute call is completely free, with no obligation and no pressure.