The Pieta Northwest Centre in Letterkenny has reopened for in-person services this week under current government guidelines.
The national suicide and self-harm prevention charity has delivered 4,278 hours of counselling in its Letterkenny centre since 2019 and has helped over 500 people in that time.
Counselling services have remained available throughout lockdown with phone, video and face-to-face appointments being offered to people in the Northwest region in compliance with COVID-19 health and safety guidelines.
While Level 5 restrictions reduce the number of face-to-face appointments that can take place in the centre each day, Pieta is providing the option of face-to-face appointments with children and adolescents or adults who are high risk. Any client can have phone and/or video therapy irrespective of the COVID-19 restrictions.
The opportunity to provide counselling over the phone or through video has allowed for Pieta Northwest to be much more accessible to clients where transport and distance may have kept some people from picking up the phone to make an appointment.
Any person wishing to access counselling services should call 0818 111 126 and select option 2 to book an appointment.
The centre is located in the Grand Central Building, Canal Road, Letterkenny, and is open Monday and Wednesday from 12pm – 8pm, and Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9am – 5pm. Pieta Northwest provides free counselling to those experiencing suicidal ideation or engaging in self-harm. It also offers counselling to those bereaved by suicide.
Speaking about the support that Pieta offers the people of the Northwest, Margaret Whyte, Lead Therapist at Pieta Northwest, said: “The number of hours of counselling we deliver reflects the huge needs for counselling in this area. We know that there is a huge demand for our services in the Northwest region, particularly in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. We want people to know that we are here if they need us.
“Those wishing to make an appointment are advised to call 0818 111 126 for further information. For those unable to attend the centre, we will continue to offer video and phone counselling until it is safe and appropriate for them to attend in-person.”
Pieta provides in-person counselling in 20 centres across Ireland. It offers free counselling services to those experiencing suicidal ideation, bereaved by suicide, or engaging in self-harm. It also operates a free 24-hour helpline and text service. As 80% of Pieta’s funding comes from the public, support is vital to help continue this lifesaving work. Last October, it launched a nationwide free video counselling service to help bridge the gap for those unable to access in-person services due to lockdown restrictions. All services are provided free of charge and no referral is needed.
To avail of Pieta services, which are free of charge, please visit www.pieta.ie for all centre contact details and our National Therapy Services phoneline 0818 111 126