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A NEW PROFESSIONAL mental health service for teenagers in Ireland launched this week.
Turn2Me.org is an Irish website that has been offering adults who are experiencing mental health difficulties the facility to speak with trained mental health professionals online.
The website was first launched in 2009 by brothers Oisin and Diarmuid Scollard. The pair set out to create a new online platform for people struggling with mental health issues after their brother Cormac died by suicide in 2003.
Oisin Scollard told TheJournal.ie why they opted for an online platform.
“We’ve got 9-5pm mental health services in Ireland but it’s very hard to get into them… We wanted to do something that was online because online isn’t 9-5pm. Online has better availability for people, it breaks barriers down for people and it’s a lot more accessible,” Scollard told TheJournal.ie.
Since 2009, Turn2Me.org has seen massive success. In 2014, the service received HSE funding to offer 8 free online counselling sessions to users. Since then, the service has provided over 6,000 hours of counselling.
Turn2MeYouth
On the back of its success, the Scollard brothers are opening a new website, Turn2MeYouth.ie, focused solely on 16 to 19-year-olds.
“We were over 18 and I felt that was always very limiting,” Scollard explained.
Scollard said that he felt like while there are youth services available in Ireland, most of them are “information-based services” providing well-being information.
“That’s all very good and very powerful but beyond a certain type of helpline that exists, there’s not really any sort of people to connect with in a clinically sound and responsible way,” he said.
It’s really to give young people aged 16-19 access to the group type of environment on a daily basis, professionally facilitated with a highly trained counsellor, providing topics that young people would want to discuss.
“The problem with youth mental health in this country is that there’s no joined up plan that says look we have a bit of online, a bit of drop in centre, we have a day care and extended stay care facilities,” Scollard said.
“That’s not all joined up, so how are you going to guide people through the journey that they go through on the spectrum that they might go through? Not everybody is at that end of the spectrum where you’ll need extended stay care inside a rehabilitation centre.”
“It can be right back down to the very beginning of the spectrum where they might just need somewhere to start. It can be a really easy way to do it.”
So what does Turn2Me.org offer?
Both the adult and youth services operate on a “three-tiered” approach, according to Schollard.
Once someone creates an account on the website, they can access a number of different services.
There are self-help articles, podcasts and guidance posters available. Following this, there are peer support groups available. Users will get daily access to a professional in a secure group chat environment. Up to 12 people can join each group.
“They’re daily support groups that people can come into on their phones, they’re professionally facilitated and they’re on different topics like anxiety, depression, family and relationship difficulties, and workplace related stress,” Scollard said.
Finally, the website offers one-to-one support through individual counselling sessions.
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Turn2Me.org ran focus group with two different groups of 60 teenagers from all over Ireland with different socioeconomic backgrounds before launching the youth service.
This helped the Scollard brothers figure out what young people really wanted out of a mental health service.
“The subjects that we’ve chosen deliberately were very much based on what young people were saying they were wanting,” he said.
Anxiety is a very, very considerably large concern for young people and there’s issues around school, exams, where do I go now, sexuality as well. We have a dedicated LGBT group for young people.
Youth-friendly service
The new youth service is mobile-focused, in a bid to connect with the young users.
“We built mobile-first, it happens to work on a desktop, with the idea that we could offer some degree of connection to the place they know and spend a lot of time.”
Scollard told TheJournal.ie that although the new service will be dealing with minors, the service is completely safe and secure.
“In Ireland, 16 is the age at which a younger person can begin to start making their own decisions,” he said.
“I really wanted this to go 13+ but that’s just not going to be possible at the moment because of those parental consent issues. There’s a real need for 13+ but we’ve settled on 16+ for now because we’ve taken all the legal advice.”
For more information about the services, visit www.turn2meyouth.ie and www.turn2me.org.
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Mrs Hickey had 10 cops at her room at 6am and because of that panicked. Due to this panic she told the police her husband had left the country. Something not quite right there,as if she knew he was guilty of something. Ah no, I’ve posted this in the wrong comment section.
In fairness most Irish women would probably say the same if 10 strapping Brazilian cops showed up to their door at six in the morning …. Just saying….
Those emails are not good news for our jailbird
Shed loads well dodgy here… Are we supposed to believe any of this. good luck where they are.. Different country over there. …… No one would jump from a balcony!
Natural selection at it’s best.
Rio police press conference going on where can we see it.
In other news, the sky is blue
Brilliant avatar. Love the Robin.
Well there’s a shocker.
The world certainly won’t be at a loss with less of these morons.
Their family and friends would disagree.
Friends wouldn’t let them do it!
I see they allow you access to the internet Mr Hickey…
Skinhead tattooed EDL / Britain First and Identity Ireland types,always ruining the holiday for everyone else.
At least these guys only take themselves out though… Unlike some eh Tariq.. *ahem* Nice , Sousse…..
Muslims don’t eat pork or drink alcohol gerard,you’re thinking of the artery-clogged,balding and fat-bellied native European who we are out-breeding due to our superior health.
in fairness Muslims are ruining France’s tourism. Beirut used to be known as the Paris of the middle east, now Paris is the Beriut of Europe.
@Tariq: Look up the healthiest countries in the world. The west kicks ass, regardless of all the fatties that hold us back. And the “superior health” of Muslims? Healthy lifestyles aren’t common in typical Islamic countries.
I’m so glad someone funded a study for this.
The studies on the demographics of violent crime in Spain are more interesting and useful. At least these Limeys don’t intend any harm.
But no Irish person threw themselves off a balcony. ?Saw a few in Ibiza and Benidorm….
Most people would happily jump off a balcony if they saw you approaching, Ger.
Simpletons injure themselves and sometimes die. It doesn’t need a study.
Natural f$$$ing selection at work again
“Balconing” aka “Brexit”
Shock lol
have your say