Call for specialised counselling for separated fathers

MORE specialised counselling services are urgently needed for fathers experiencing separation, many of whom experience mental problems as a result of the strain, according to a new academic study.

Sohail Butt, a member of the Association of Professional Counsellors and spokesman for the group Families, Fathers and Friends, interviewed more than 300 fathers who are or were clients of the organisation.

The study, carried out for a dissertation at the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Institute of Ireland, Limerick, has now been passed on to a number of Dáil deputies.