Save a Life - Counselling for People in Crisis

Pieta House exists because we believe that no one should feel so alone or so afraid that self-harm or suicide becomes an option they chose. We provide free and freely accessible professional therapy to those struggling with thoughts of suicide, who are self-harming, or who are bereaved by a suicide. Pieta House has supported nearly 48,000 people since we opened our doors in 2006. In collaboration with the Government, the HSE, local communities and non-statutory organisations like Pieta House, we work to combat stigma and prevent suicide on a national level. Despite our cooperative approach, suicide claims the lives of roughly 400 Irish men, women, and children every year. Additionally, Ireland has one of the highest rates of suicide for children under the age of 18. In 2018 alone, of our nearly 7,400 clients, 2,427 were children. Stigma and shame around suicide and mental health makes asking for help difficult for many in crisis.

The three pillars of the Pieta House model are prevention, intervention, and post vention. Pieta House works to combat the stigma around mental health and prevent deaths by suicide through advocacy campaigns and dialogue building initiatives. In tandem with our prevention pillar, we serve those in crisis or who have been bereaved by suicide with intervention and bereavement therapy. We offer therapy out of our 19 locations across the country, placed with a particular focus on disadvantaged and isolated communities. Our dedicated Suicide Bereavement Liaison Service is available across 12 regions and represents considerable growth made to support previously unserved CHO areas. In addition, our free call 24/7 helpline and text services are accessible to everyone in Ireland. Our therapy works to replace reasons for dying with reasons for living, self-harm with self-love, and to move people from a place of despair to a place of hope.

An aspect that makes Pieta House unique, is that it operates in non-institutional community settings. Additionally, our services are open to clients of all ages and backgrounds and provided free of charge, without the need for medical referral or prior psychiatric evaluation. For some prospective clients, significant courage is needed to ask for help and our job is to meet that courage with frictionless access to our services. The Pieta Way approach addresses many of the recognized barriers in accessing mental health services. All of our services are provided by therapists accredited with the Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. Our work is aligned with the strategic objectives set out in Connecting for Life and we work in conjunction with statutory, non-statutory and community partners to ensure an integrated and holistic approach to client care is undertaken.

Links:

• http://pieta.ie
• https://www.facebook.com/pietahouse