Mental Health Ireland

The risks of delays & difficulties accessing counselling services in Ireland

/ Talk Therapy Dublin / 2 Comments

While mental health is certainly very much part of the national conversation these days it is disturbing to hear regularly how many aspects of our mental health service remain many years behind.

A clear illustration of this in a recent Irish Times article describes a situation where over 6000 individuals are awaiting counselling services through the HSE with over 1200 waiting 3 months or more. There seems to be particularly disturbing backlogs in the West of Ireland & North Dublin. Many of these individuals could be extremely vulnerable and may not have the resources to access private or alternative services.

Recently in my own practice I became aware of an individual who recently made a serious attempt to complete suicide but through complete chance was prevented.

This vulnerable person ended up being referred by a GP to the A&E department of a major hospital where they ended up walking out due to pure frustration waiting. They were to be contacted by phone as a follow up to this visit which apparently, unbelievably, has still not occurred weeks on. This individual & his network were not aware of the alternative free supports available even those provided by well known organizations such as Pieta house.

Luckily in this instance friends and family have rallied around and got the information & support required shoring up this deficit but for such a high risk individual’s life to be left to chance is extremely disturbing and seems to highlight the vestiges of an archaic, disconnected system with regards to identifying appropriate care for vulnerable people and their mental health.

Accessing Counselling Services in Ireland – the three main options for clients

/ Talk Therapy Dublin / 1 Comment

A variety of people including those working in community & health settings regularly ask me about how to access counselling supports in Ireland, often confused about options outside private practitioners. This brief article explains the three main options available to clients seeking access to talking therapies in Ireland.

Talk Therapy Dublin is happy to provide free information & advice for anyone curious or confused with respect the accessing the right services or supports.

My Options – challenges for the new Irish Abortion Support & Information service

/ Talk Therapy Dublin / 2 Comments


It became legal for women to seek abortion services since termination of pregnancy became legal for the first time in Ireland on January 1st 2019 but challenges are very much present for the new system.

It is understood that less than 170 GPs signed up to provide abortion services in time for the January 1 launch date, which represents about 5pc of the country’s total GP population of approximately 3,500. Four counties apparently have no GPs signed up at all. This situation does cause confusion for vulnerable people and there have been instances where the new My Options service has been hijacked with bogus websites using the brand to direct women to services which may try to influence their decision, offering perks such as free ultrasounds.

The My Options service is staffed by neutral, specially trained HSE counsellors and if people are looking at information online, look for the HSE logo. The correct freephone number is 1800 828 010.

Some of the signs the HSE encouraged people to look out for when determining if a source is reputable include:

·          they may require you to wait a long time between appointments

·          they may only meet you in public places such as hotels or car parks

·          there are delays in giving you pregnancy test results – these should be given immediately

·          their leaflets or information do not give information about all your options or uses language that is very negative or frightening

·          they may show inappropriate images, videos or DVDs as part of a counselling session, which are designed to influence a woman’s decision.

MyOptions was established by the HSE to act as the main referral path for women seeking a termination, providing non-directive and non-judgmental advice.  

Reliance on medication in Irish Mental Health

/ Talk Therapy Dublin / 2 Comments

While it is important not to dismiss the role medication has in managing mental health it is striking the amount of clients who contact us upset at being prescribed medication without any structured form of assessment.

Many of these clients are upset they are being put on medication first instead of getting offered counselling or alternative supports.  In many of these cases  NICE guidelines actually concur with these client’s views by highlighting that medication should not be the first step in terms of recommended best practice.

We also get a lot of enquiries from those trying to come off medication struggling to find resources beyond their GP appointment.  The below article demonstrates the disparity in investment between medication & counselling in primary care.  It is also worth noting that counselling in primary care (CIPC) is only available on a short term basis to medical card holders leaving many clients struggling with the costs of private therapy generally not covered by private health insurers.

The increase in discussion and awareness about mental health is very welcome but there is a long way to go in terms of seeing the same level of improvement in actual services, supports and resources for clients outside medication.

https://www.rte.ie/news/health/2018/0426/957328-mental-health/

Occupational Therapy & Mental Health

/ Talk Therapy Dublin / 1 Comment

What does an Occupational Therapist (OT) do?

An  Occupational Therapy intervention can be invaluable to a person’s well-being but the reality is not enough people in Ireland know what OT’s do or what OT services are available to them, specifically in terms of Mental Health.

What is Mental Health OT?

Mental Health OT can offer support if your mental health interferes with your ability to do the activities necessary for living your life.

For  example

  • If social anxiety prevents you from meeting friends, forming relationships or going to work.
  • If depression stops you from getting to your exercise class or your GP appointment.
  • If issues around your physical health are putting a strain on your mental health

A Mental Health OT can  intervene to assess what difficulties a client is having with their routine and support them to manage the mental health challenges  while living a meaningful life.

OT’s work holistically alongside a person with the perspective that the person, occupation and environment are all interlinked. OT’s will address each of these areas with you to ensure that all the barriers to living a meaningful life are being worked on.

How is OT different from seeing a Counsellor or a psychologist?

  1. An OT can meet you wherever you need  to meet  e.g. at work, at home, at the local café, in the library and so on. By engaging in occupational therapy in a real life scenario you have the opportunity to actively work on your goals in a safe way. Your goals will drive where and when the meetings happen.
  2. For example, let’s imagine that your goal is to be able to meet a friend for a coffee. Currently your experience of social anxiety prevents you from doing so. Your OT may meet you at home over several sessions to help you to learn about anxiety (what are your triggers, warning signs, management strategies, relaxation approaches etc.) so that you can eventually work towards leaving your home and meeting your OT for walk, then maybe outside the coffee shop, then inside, and eventually supporting you to meet that friend in the local coffee shop.
  3. Like a counsellor, psychotherapist or psychologist, a Mental Health  OT can help you to engage in “talk therapy” however this isn’t the main focus of the sessions. Counselling & Psychotherapy are an incredibly valuable process for lots of people, but not for everyone. OT’s work in collaboration with other healthcare professionals so that a person’s entire needs are being met.

Talk Therapy Dublin have linked in with Anchor Therapy to provide a Mental Health OT option for certain clients.

Mental Health OT’s work as part of the Community Mental Health teams in the HSE and in some NGO’s around Ireland. To learn more about OT in Ireland go to www.aoti.ie.