€2m fund for counselling to boost men’s mental health
Counselling sessions will also be available directly to men through the HSE helpline and promoted in a national marketing campaign from September. Stock picture
More than 15,000 counselling sessions will be offered to men annually as part of a new government initiative to improve men’s mental health.
A total of €2m in funding has been announced by mental health minister Mary Butler to provide therapies and counselling supports specifically tailored for men.
The additional services will begin next month. The funding is targeted at assisting with stigma reduction and actively encouraging men who otherwise would not usually avail of counselling to seek help with their mental health.
Ms Butler said: “This is a much-needed initiative to widen access to supports for men, from mental health promotion activities right through to counselling services and specialist support.
“They will also be available directly to men through our HSE helpline and online and promoted in a targeted national marketing campaign beginning from September.”
The initiative will support men by:
- Investing in new counselling and mental health supports, providing easier access to supports and greater choice for how men access them and when;
- Actively promoting the full range of mental health supports which can be accessed by men;
- Actively evaluating the impact of increased promotion of help-seeking supports for men.
Ms Butler added: “It is well documented that women are much more likely to seek access to counselling services than men, with women making up two-thirds of all clients availing of our national counselling service.
“Yet given that around 80% of all people who die by suicide are men, this imbalance is something we need to address, and this initiative aims to do just that.
“It is essential that men feel they can reach out to access the services and support they need and deserve, or simply equip them with the confidence to talk to family and friends.”
Funding is also being provided to specifically enhance mental health supports for young Traveller men through a partnership with Exchange House, as well as to support general population mental health promotion initiatives, including the Minding Your Wellbeing for Men programme.
Ms Butler said: “We have to remove the stigma for men when talking about mental health and provide therapies and counselling supports that are easy to access.”
