Galway-based Helplink Mental Health is encouraging people to pay attention to their mental wellbeing during the summer months, when social pressures, disrupted routines and financial strain can affect emotional health.
While summer is often associated with relaxation and leisure, the season can also bring challenges for many people. The pressure to maintain a busy social calendar, the cost of summer activities and changes to everyday routines can contribute to stress, anxiety and feelings of isolation.
Helplink Mental Health is highlighting the availability of its professional counselling and specialist therapy services, which remain accessible seven days a week throughout the summer. The charity provides support for adults, children and young people, both from its office at The Plaza on the Headford Road in Galway city and online nationwide.
To help reduce financial barriers to care, Helplink offers subsidised, sliding-scale fees for general counselling for groups including full-time students, single parents, people seeking employment, part-time workers, pensioners and people receiving disability-related payments. Flexible appointments are available from 9am to 9pm on weekdays and from 12 noon to 6pm at weekends.
The charity also provides specialist services for younger people, including Play Therapy for children aged three to twelve and Creative Art Therapy for adolescents and adults. Other areas of support include anxiety, stress, depression, bullying, bereavement, addiction and couples counselling.
Marta O’Connor, executive director of Helplink Mental Health, said that mental health difficulties do not take a seasonal break.
“For many people, summer can bring a sense of pressure to constantly be active and ‘on’, while disrupted routines and financial worries can add to feelings of overwhelm,” she added. “Whatever the time of year, people should not feel that they have to manage those difficulties alone. Our qualified therapists are available seven days a week to provide compassionate, non-judgemental support, and we encourage anyone who is struggling to consider reaching out.”
People wishing to book an appointment or find out more about subsidised fees can visit helplink.ie, call 0818 99 88 80 or email [email protected]. The Galway city office is located on the first floor of The Plaza on the Headford Road.
Helplink Mental Health is a registered Irish charity providing accessible and affordable mental health services locally and nationally through general counselling and a range of specialist therapies.
