In the early seventies, Oriel taught English, speech and drama at Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines, having graduated as a teacher of drama from the Central School in 1970.

Since 1982 she has been a counsellor and psychotherapist, following several years working with intuitive massage.

Her training has included gestalt therapy, clinical psychology, bereavement counselling and intuitive massage as well as the Spectrum one year course in psychotherapy in 1987, the post-graduate course in 1991 and many Spectrum groups and courses. She is a graduate of the Spectrum training programme.

She works principally as a gestalt therapist and before coming to work at Spectrum was a member of the Open Centre.

Oriel is on the PAIRS team, having completed PAIRS training in the USA in 1989, with her partner Paul Allsop. She is chairperson of the Spectrum Incest Intervention Project and became a staff member at Spectrum in 1991. In 1992 she became a staff member of the sexuality programme. She participated in the Spectrum/Miami Gestalt Institute training programme, held in the USA and England from 1990-1996.

From 1997 to 1998, Oriel was a trainer and supervisor on the Spectrum Incest Counselling Research Project. In January 1998, she joined the staff of the one year course in psychotherapy.