Mental health service in Limerick looking for volunteers

Irish Independent

5 days ago

According to the HSE, one in four Irish people will experience a mental health problem during their lifetime with depression being considered a very common condition affecting 450,000 people or one in ten people at any one time in Ireland alone.
Dr Susan Brannick, Clinical Director at Aware told the Irish Independent: 'We're looking for volunteers across our support services, we have three main volunteer-led services that are seeking to recruit people for, the first is our support group, they run across the country, we offer them both virtually and in person and they are facilitated by two volunteers where people can come together for peer support and connection around difficulties like depression and anxiety.
"We're also looking to recruit volunteers to our support line so that's online and runs from 10 in the morning til 10 at night offering a space where people can share their difficulties with their mental health and also maybe their concerns about a loved one.'
She continued: "Our third service is our life skills online which is our self-help programme which is based on cognitive behavioural therapy principles and the volunteer supports people who do that on a weekly basis for the eight weeks.
"There's a variety of different platforms that someone might be able to volunteer with us if they choose to so whether that's in person or on the phone or doing something more online, there will definitely be something to suit you if you're interested.'
Aware are looking for people who are over the age of 21 and have about three hours to spare each week. Volunteers are not required to have a background in mental health training or experience as Aware offers over 20 hours of initial training to support people into the role that they choose.
Susan said: "Then we offer ongoing support and training, all of our support services have a support manager that supports volunteers as they go through so there's a lot of training that we offer to enable people to do those roles.
She continued: "The main thing in being a volunteer is that you have an interest in people, an interest in mental health and a willingness to listen and to allow people that space to talk about their own difficulties.'
"We know from the research that being a volunteer and volunteering in and of itself can help your own mental health so there's also benefits to your own mental health as well as the training and support that are available if you do volunteer so I guess if people are interested, maybe having a look at our website aware.ie would definitely be something that would meet your interests if this is an area of volunteering that appeals to you.'
When asked about how the current cost of living, inflation and the housing crisis has affected uptake of various services, Lisa explained that there is a high need for services.
She explained: "There's generally a high level of need anyway across the services in Ireland, some volunteers we've had with us for many years, others for one or two years so we ask that people maybe can commit at least 18 months or so.
"I think there's an ongoing need for mental health support I suppose as mental health literacy increases, we're becoming better and more able to recognise conditions like depression, anxiety, so I guess it's the more people are more aware of these challenges, the more people, on a positive note are actively seeking help for them so certainly we've come a long way.
"Since Aware began 40 years ago, we've certainly come a long way in our ability and willingness maybe to talk about mental health, that's a good thing.
"Unfortunately, there's still a high need, people are facing very distinct challenges now maybe more so than 10, 15, 20 years ago so I guess there's an ongoing need for that support.'
Susan concluded: "In the health budget, typically about 6 per cent of the health budget is allocated to mental health which is an under-investment really, the World Health Organisation, even Sláintecare would suggest that it should be at least 10-12 per cent of the overall health budget so I guess as long as there's an ongoing under-investment in statutory services there's going to be a continuing need across all the NGOs for ongoing mental health support.'
Sláintecare is the HSE and Department of Health's overall improvement plan which outlines their strategies to reform Ireland's health and social care system and act as a pathway to universal healthcare.