New Pieta House reflects upsurge in demand in Galway

The Galway city branch Pieta House has seen more clients in the first four months of this year than it did in all of 2018.

As the charity officially opens its new city home this week – relocating from Newcastle to Merchants Road – the new Pieta House CEO Elaine Austin revealed they have dealt with 160 clients to the end of April, compared to 150 in 2018.

The move has allowed the service to take on eight therapists and offer emergency intervention to more people at risk of suicide or self-harm.

People can self-refer or be referred by a family member or a GP for an assessment and then avail of twelve free sessions with a therapist. Adults who have suffered a bereavement through suicide can access 30 free counselling sessions while children will be offered 20 sessions.

Currently 15% of clients in the Galway City branch are under the age of 18.

The new CEO said face to face therapy was very important for people suffering from suicidal ideation.

“It’s really, really important the services are free of charge, we want to ensure there are no barriers to entry so people can refer themselves to Pieta House,” she told the Connacht Tribune.

See full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune.