Barry Costello

Barry’s approach to mindfulness is grounded in both contemporary mindfulness-based interventions and the wider wisdom traditions from which mindfulness emerged. His teaching emphasises awareness, compassion, ethical living, and the cultivation of wisdom in everyday life.

Drawing on his experience in addiction recovery, mental health, supervision, education, and performance psychology, Barry aims to make mindfulness practical, accessible, and relevant to the realities of modern life. He is particularly interested in how mindfulness can support resilience, recovery, wellbeing, belonging, and human flourishing.

Barry has a strong commitment to social inclusion and bringing mindfulness-based approaches to communities and groups who may have limited access to these opportunities. His work has included programmes within addiction and recovery services, prisons, healthcare settings, educational environments, community organisations, and workplaces.

Alongside teaching mindfulness programmes, Barry provides Cross-Professional Supervision, integrating mindfulness, compassion, reflection, and contemplative practice to support ethical and sustainable professional development.

At the heart of his work is the belief that mindfulness is not simply a stress-management technique, but a way of cultivating greater wisdom, compassion, and connection with ourselves, others, and the wider world.

Barry Costello is a Specialist Addiction Counsellor, Cross-Professional Supervisor, Performance and Wellbeing Coach, and Mindfulness Teacher with over 16 years’ experience working across addiction, mental health, recovery, wellbeing, education, and sport.

Barry previously served as Chairperson of the Mindfulness Teachers Association of Ireland (MTAI), where he also led initiatives focused on social inclusion and widening access to mindfulness-based approaches.

He holds an MSc in Mindfulness-Based Interventions from University College Dublin and is an accredited addiction counsellor (MACI). Barry previously worked as a teacher, trainer, supervisor, and assessor on the UCD MSc in Mindfulness-Based Interventions programme and has extensive experience delivering mindfulness-based programmes in community, healthcare, educational, corporate, and prison settings.

Alongside his clinical and educational work, Barry works with individuals, teams, and organisations to support resilience, wellbeing, leadership, communication, and sustainable performance. His approach is informed by mindfulness, compassion, trauma-informed practice, recovery-oriented care, and contemporary psychology.

Barry is co-founder of Bóín Dé Counselling & Psychotherapy and has been involved in developing and delivering programmes that promote recovery, mental health, wellbeing, and social inclusion.

Barry has maintained a regular mindfulness meditation practice for over 15 years. His practice has been supported through ongoing retreat attendance, supervision, continuing professional development, and training with internationally recognised teachers including Marjó Oosterhoff, Kevin Griffin, John Peacock, Martin Aylward, Choden, and others.

Barry has been teaching mindfulness-based programmes for over a decade in a wide range of settings including healthcare, addiction and recovery services, prisons, community organisations, educational settings, and workplaces. He has delivered Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention (MBRP), and other mindfulness-informed programmes to diverse populations including people in recovery, healthcare professionals, students, volunteers, prison populations, and the wider community.

He previously worked as a teacher, trainer, supervisor, and assessor on the MSc in Mindfulness-Based Interventions programme at University College Dublin, supporting the development of future mindfulness teachers.

Barry’s teaching is informed by his personal meditation practice, professional experience in addiction and mental health, and a commitment to bringing mindfulness into everyday life in a practical, compassionate, and accessible way.

Barry offers a range of mindfulness-based programmes, workshops, supervision, and one-to-one support across community, healthcare, educational, workplace, and recovery settings.

His work includes Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention (MBRP), mindfulness workshops, retreat days, and bespoke programmes tailored to the needs of organisations and groups.

Barry also provides Cross-Professional Supervision for mindfulness teachers, counsellors, psychotherapists, coaches, healthcare professionals, and others working in helping professions. His supervision approach integrates mindfulness, compassion, reflection, ethical practice, and professional development.

In addition to group programmes and supervision, Barry offers individual mindfulness coaching and support for wellbeing, resilience, recovery, performance, and sustainable self-car