As an Irish Spiritualist medium, academic, author, and public speaker, Dr Karen Frances McCarthy offers a thoughtful and compassionate approach to mediumship that brings comfort, clarity, and reassurance to those navigating the pain of loss. Rooted in the evidence-based tradition of Spiritualism, guided by the mindfulness of her Zen practice, and shaped by the lyrical storytelling of her Irish heritage, she brings forward meaningful, heartfelt messages from loved ones in spirit. Her work aims to provide a sense of continuity, connection, and calm for those seeking solace, helping them move through grief with gentleness and grace, and reminding them that love endures beyond physical form.
As an advocate of the ethical practice and healing potential of mediumship, she underwent years of intensive training at the world-renowned Arthur Findlay College in England and holds three awards, Certificates of Recognition, in mediumship, spiritual healing, and public speaking from its governing body, the Spiritualist National Union. To further understand the complexities of grief, she obtained a Diploma in Bereavement Counselling from the Institute of Counselling in Scotland.
Books
Karen writes on mindfulness, consciousness, and spiritual transformation. Her book Till Death Don’t Us Part (White Crow Books, 2020) traces her journey from journalism and skepticism through loss to a research grounded understanding that consciousness continues beyond physical life. The book reached #1 on Amazon Hot New Releases and Amazon Best Sellers and has been featured in Forbes, The Irish Times, HuffPost, and on New Thinking Allowed, New Realities TV, and Seek Reality.
Her earlier non-fiction work, The Other Irish (Sterling, 2011), was supported by Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs as part of national reconciliation and anti-sectarian peace effort. It received coverage across NPR, BBC, RTÉ, and major print outlets and led to her recognition as one of Ireland’s leading female broadcasters with international impact.
Karen has also written and produced television documentaries, including Alchemy and The Crystal Cave with Deepak Chopra, and continues to contribute feature writing to publications including The Irish Times, Salon, HuffPost Religion, OmTimes, and Beliefnet.
News & Features
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Live Stream Interviews
Guest interviews on spiritual and educational channels exploring mediumship, consciousness, healing, and the enduring nature of the soul. Thoughtful conversations that balance progressive thinking around spirituality and invite reflection and inspire deeper inquiry.
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Podcast Interviews
Guest interviews exploring the deeper dimensions of mediumship, consciousness, grief, and spiritual growth. These conversations offer thoughtful insights, personal stories, and practical wisdom for those seeking meaning, healing, and transformation.
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Magazine Features
A selection of magazine features and interviews exploring the intersection of mediumship, consciousness, and healing. Thoughtful conversations and published pieces offering insight into spiritual development, personal transformation, and the enduring presence of love beyond death.
Teaching
Karen has a passion for teaching mediumship, healing, spiritual writing, and spiritual development. Teaching is something she inherited from her father, a high-performance, Olympic coach. She credits her success as a teacher to his inspiration. He taught her to meet students where they are, identify their needs, help them reach their highest potential, and encourage them to expand intentionally and deepen internally.
As an advocate for evolving mediumship into the twenty-first century in line with contemporary theories of consciousness, Karen teaches at NYU, the Shift Network, Humanity’s Team, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Centre, the Edgar Cayce Center, and One Spirit Learning Alliance and offers private courses and mentoring.
In this clip from an interview with The Shift Network, Dr McCarthy shares her backstory and how she transformed from political journalism to an accredited mediumship.
Karen has a keen interest in metaphysics and consciousness and hosted the Science and Spiritualism initiative for the SNU international school online, which included speakers such as Dr Dean Radin and Prof Chris Roe.
Public Speaking
Karen is passionate about giving voice to those in spirit to bring messages of joy, upliftment, and healing to loved ones still here in physical form. She advocates for demythologizing concepts of spirit, consciousness, and the afterlife, and for maintaining healthy relationships with those in spirit form.
She is a regular speaker at summits and gatherings, advancing contemporary thought around spirituality, consciousness expansion, and metaphysics, which facilitates our understanding of the fullness of our existence and our connection to all beings, seen and unseen.
Research
Her doctoral research at the University of Birmingham, one of the UK’s leading Russell Group universities, explored contemporary ghost literature, evolving theories of consciousness, and the cultural forces that shape our understanding of spirit and self. This scholarly foundation enriches her holistic approach to healing and continued consciousness. Through her writing, she invites deeper reflection on empathy, meaning, and the enduring threads of human connection.
She regularly speaks at conferences in the US and UK and contributes to international peer-reviewed journals in the field. She is a member of leading research organisations at the forefront of consciousness studies, spiritualism, and the intersection of science and spirituality.
