Abuse victims forced to wait for counselling

CHILD abuse survivors have complained of delays in accessing State-run counselling services because of waiting lists for appointments.

One in three people seeking to use the services are forced to wait up to six months to be allocated a regular counsellor after their initial meeting to assess their needs.

Half of those found the delay upsetting as it came while they were feeling vulnerable after disclosing painful childhood experiences during the initial meeting. However, despite some problems arranging prompt sessions, the quality of service provided has been rated very highly, with 83% of clients reporting the experience has helped them deal with the difficulties stemming from their childhood ordeals.