Cristina Santamaria, Head of Services

Cristina Santamaria holds an academic background in the fields of Anthropology, Ethnicity & Racial Studies, Leadership and Mediation and is currently undertaking a Masters in Pluralistic Psychotherapy. Cristina is truly focused on understanding human behaviour in all its forms, from the group to the individual and everything in between.
Her professional career has developed in the intersection of trauma and service provision and promoting equal access to supports, rights and entitlements; a commitment that has seen her work with the Irish Refugee Council, with Separated Children Asylum Seekers with the HSE and the ETB (then Eastern Health Board and VEC) and, until 2020, leading and managing Northside Citizens Information Service.
Cristina took the new role of Head of Service with Aoibhneas in February 2020 and it is here that Cristina has found her professional home. Working with women and children who live with Domestic Abuse within a complex world of needs and life stories, expanding our ability to respond and jointly build a path towards recovery and freedom and changing the societal and systemic landscape one narrative at the time is her motivation and commitment.