Local mental health service ‘inundated’ with pleas for help

A LOCAL mental health service said it is “inundated” with people seeking help from them, ahead of the launch of a new fundraiser to fund 500 therapy hours for the service.

The Let’s Get Talking service has a branch on the Walkinstown Road, next to Regent Palace Chinese takeaway, and offers affordable and accessible counselling and psychotherapy services.

They’ll be holding a coffee morning in their Walkinstown office on September 8, from 10.30am to 12.30pm, and all are welcome to attend and are encouraged to donate to the 500 Hours campaign.

It’s part of a national campaign that is being held in Let’s Get Talking centres all around the country, which have been feeling the pressure from spiralling demand.

Tanya Blumears from Let’s Get Talking Walkinstown told The Echo: “We’re inundated at the moment – we’re in a position where we have to have waiting lists.

“The lists are about 12 weeks and we’re moving through them as quickly as we can.

“The reason for the campaign is to get more funding for 500 hours of therapy, and to open that up so we can continue to provide more support.

“It’s really so we can offer more support and give that option to anyone and everyone – no matter what their financial circumstance is.”

Let’s Get Talking is a non-profit that offers counselling sessions to clients from ages ten and up, and payment is a donation which is based on what the client can afford.

The Walkinstown branch was set up in 2015 and currently has a team of 30 therapists who see clients five days a week, who are from all over Dublin.

“We want to make a ripple effect, and to normalise talking about mental health and wellbeing,” added Ms Blumears.

“There’s still a lot of shame around it, and it’s really about providing that support without high fees.”

She added that Let’s Get Talking was set up to offer preventative measures for people to access help before they reach crisis point.

Let’s Get Talking also provides school programmes and educational workshops in schools around the county, looking at the importance of mental health and wellbeing.

The coffee morning next month is open to all, and Ms Blumears said she hopes it will give people some insight into the work of Let’s Get Talking.

“It’s really so we can introduce ourselves to the community,” she said.

“It’s so people can meet us and get a sense of what we do, what we’re about, and what we can offer.

“It’s open to everyone – the public, community groups, even people who are just curious and want to see what we do.”

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