Two Fermanagh Assembly members had the chance to hear first-hand how invaluable a new counselling helpline has become to people in Northern Ireland.
Tom Elliott, UUP and Tommy Gallagher, SDLP, had a presentation from the 'Lifeline' team at a special briefing at the Assembly. They heard that 'Lifeline', a new regional crisis response counselling helpline, set up as part of the Northern Ireland Suicide Prevention Strategy, is receiving more than 7,000 calls a month from people in emotional distress or despair, many of them actively self harming and suicidal.
The group explained how the volume of calls to Lifeline has grown steadily since its launch in February this year.
In August, a total of 7877 calls were received, exceeding the projected target of 6,000 by almost 30 per cent. Figures for the previous two months were 7,347 (July) and 6,375 (June).
The Lifeline telephone helpline, on 0808 808 8000, operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is staffed by qualified counsellors who are experienced in providing support to people suffering serious distress, including suicidal feelings, self-harm, the impact of childhood abuse, violence related trauma, bereavement, depression and anxiety.
If a caller to Lifeline is in imminent danger of self harming or suicide, the telephone counsellor will offer immediate intervention, including contacting the appropriate health and emergency services to get the person rapid on-the-ground crisis support.
For callers in distress but not in immediate danger, Lifeline counsellors can refer the person for locally based face-to-face counselling, mentoring, befriending or complementary therapies.
These follow-up services are delivered by Contact Youth in partnership with an extensive community based network of experienced counselling and therapy providers throughout Northern Ireland.
Tom Elliott praised the service: "Although it is impressive to hear that this new service is handling over 7,000 calls a month, the fact remains that these statistics highlight the number of people in our society who are in despair and need help. This is a major issue and I am glad there are services like Lifeline out there that can provide a helping hand to those in their hour of need.
"The feedback we have received is that this service is helping people through very difficult times, and I would encourage those in difficulty to call and get the support they require. It is free, confidential and staffed by professionals so there is nothing to lose by giving them a call" said Mr Elliott.
Lifeline is funded by the Department of Health with an annual budget of £3.5million and is delivered by Contact Youth in partnership with a network of community based counselling and therapy providers across Northern Ireland.
