Charity encourages Offaly people to avail of its mental health supports
Turn2Me, a national mental health charity, is encouraging people from Offaly to avail of its free counselling sessions, free support groups and free ‘Thought Catcher’ mood diary over the Christmas period. The charity’s CEO, Offaly woman Fiona O’Malley, said that many people can struggle over Christmas with anxiety, grief, depression, loneliness, and difficult family dynamics.
“If anyone needs Turn2Me’s services, please, please, please use them – that’s what they’re there for!” Fiona O’Malley said, “Some people who sign up for our services say they were initially hesitant because they didn’t want to ‘take away’ a slot from someone who might be worse off than them. Our support groups can facilitate large numbers and they run most evenings. It’s not a matter of taking a slot away from someone else if you sign up. Mental health services should be accessible to everyone. Oftentimes when people delay seeing a therapist or put off signing up for a support group, their mental health difficulties can exacerbate so I would definitely tell people not to wait. We should all prioritise our mental health. It impacts every single element of our life. Turn2Me offers up to six free counselling sessions; unlimited, free support groups and a free ‘Thought Catcher’ mood diary which runs every day from 2pm until 8pm.”
Turn2Me runs one-to-one counselling and support groups 365 days a year, including on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Stephen’s Day. The charity stated that anyone feeling lonely, anxious, depressed, or struggling with grief can avail of their free mental health supports on their website, Turn2Me.ie
Suzanne Ennis, Clinical Manager at Turn2Me said, “Christmas isn’t a jolly time everyone. Family or social get-togethers are not always joyous occasions. Stress levels can be at an all-time high for people before, in the middle and after Christmas. There is the societal expectation that we are all in high spirits, festive, feeling generous and want to celebrate. The reality for a lot of people is vastly different. Comparisons are made, we tend to fall short of them, and think what is wrong with me? It is important to remember that we are all only human, if you are struggling, cannot seem to get on top of things. Reach out for assistance, seek professional support. We are running daily support groups from the 25th Dec – 1st Jan.”
Anyone who wants to avail of Turn2Me’s free, professional mental health services over the Christmas period can sign up on Turn2Me.ie