BY JEROME HUGHES
AFTER a collaborative cross-community campaign and much criticism, there is optimism for the retention of counselling services for children and adolescents in Donegal.
A crunch meeting between the Child and Family Agency, Tusla and
took place on Tuesday in a bid to maintain the vital services.
A statement issued by Tusla yesterday evening said: “We are committed to working with Raphoe Diocesan Pastoral Services to maintain the important counselling services they provide in communities across Donegal and to support the organisation going forward.”
The mother of Leona Harper, one of those who tragically lost their lives in the Creeslough blast, had earlier implored the government and HSE to allocate necessary funds, ensuring the ongoing availability of the services.
Donna Harper at her home in Letterkenny this week.
Speaking to Donegal News, Donna Harper made the plea after it was revealed that counselling services might soon cease to exist at centres in Letterkenny, Dunfanaghy, Stranorlar, Creeslough, Buncrana, along with projects at Hughie’s Corner in Carndonagh and Gemma’s Legacy of Hope in Dungloe.
“A lot of people will know that we lost our daughter in Creeslough. We use the counselling services ourselves.
“I’m pleading with the HSE to please give the Pastoral Centre the funding that they need. Do not take this away from County Donegal. This is a vital facility for our young people and so important for their mental health,” said Donna.
“I’m also pleading with the government, as a mother, to please step in and provide this funding. It’s not much, it’s just one salary.”
Coordinating the services across Donegal, the Raphoe Pastoral Centre in Letterkenny, a not-for-profit organisation, has provided support to many thousands of clients in the county.
The service offers the only provision for child and adolescent counselling in Donegal, as well as providing counselling to adults.
Leona, who was 14-years-old and from Letterkenny, attended Mulroy College in Milford.
She was in Creeslough for a sleepover at a friend’s house and had gone to the local service station when the explosion occurred on October 7, 2022.
Nine others also died. Described as a talented rugby player, Leona had a passion for music, dance and the outdoors.
“What happened in Creeslough affected so many people throughout the county, and worldwide, but especially locally, and so counselling services are very much needed here.
“They have really helped us personally up to now because of the support they give to our boys,” explained Leona’s mom.
Donna highlights the irony of an unprecedented emphasis on promoting positive mental health coinciding with the rapid growth of the county’s population, all while essential services in Donegal face a looming threat.
“We see and hear so many messages and campaigns on TV, radio, and online, telling people to go and talk to someone because your mental health is so important. This makes it even more shocking to see the Donegal services being taken away.
“If the counselling does go we know what the outcome for a lot of people could be. The care given is amazing and there are so many young people and adults who use the services.
In broad terms, Donna expressed that the support extended to families in the aftermath of the Creeslough tragedy has been “very good.”
When asked about her own coping mechanisms over the past 15 months, she shared her experiences with us.
“It’s just a day by day thing. You do the best you can each day to get through. It’s just a day to day struggle. That’s why these services are vital for us as a family and so many other families out there.
“We have done a lot of charity work since losing Leona, just to try and give back a small bit to say ‘thank you’ to the people who helped us recover our daughter.
“It would be very fair to say that I always feel Leona around us every day, in the house and outside the house. Certain things that have happened and gone on, we just know she’s there. She’s helping us along.
“I really believe that if you have a loved one who’s passed away, there will be signs, and you will feel them around you,” said Donna.
The esteemed Director of Counselling, Liam Cannon, currently oversees the clinical governance and management of Donegal’s youth counselling services.
However, the support, including care provided at the Pastoral Centre in Letterkenny and all outreach centers throughout the county, are set to discontinue from mid-March.
“I have been director of the services for almost 14 years and back in September I announced I’d be stepping down from the role. I recommended to the board that they need a full-time director in place because the services have gotten so big.
“There isn’t any funding available to put a new director in place. As I’m exiting, there’s nobody there to replace me because the funds aren’t forthcoming,” explained Liam.
“We approached Tusla and the HSE, and were hopeful that we might get the single salary to cover the cost of a director but unfortunately we have been turned down. We are devastated at this point that we have to shut the entire service at the seven locations around the county.
“It came as a complete shock to be refused the funding because we are the only child and adolescent service in the county. If this service actually goes, children and young people will have no access to counselling in Donegal,” warns Liam.
Apparently, the counselling service offered in Donegal is a unique model in Ireland, with the potential for nationwide expansion. Liam mentions that his team of 26 part-time counsellors conducted nearly 3,000 sessions last year.
“If you take that figure over a five year period, there were just under 15,000 counselling sessions. We have about 350 people on our waiting list. Where are they going to go now to access services?”, asks Liam.
The demand for counselling in Donegal is steadily growing. Liam says the current services are being delivered by professional therapists, most of whom are qualified to Masters level.
“To build a team like that has taken me years. It is really heartbreaking. The best case scenario is that common sense will prevail.”
The HSE will continue to offer the CAMS facility in Donegal (Collaborative Assessment & Management of Suicidality) but CAMS will only deal with severe mental health cases, according to Liam.
“The children and young people we see wouldn’t get into CAMS because that service is so overworked already. Early intervention has always been our model, to try and get clients in as quickly as possible.”
Senior officials from Tusla met with Raphoe Diocesan Pastoral Services on Tuesday. Responding to the funding controversy, Gerry Hone, Regional Chief Officer West North West, Tusla said:
“I am fully aware of the significance of the counselling services provided by the Raphoe Diocesan Pastoral Services to communities across Donegal. We are committed to working with the organisation to help them to develop a sustainability plan so that they can continue to provide these important services in the area.”
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