National Supports - Mental Health Support

ADHD Ireland provides up-to-date information, resources and networking opportunities to individuals with ADHD, parents of children with ADHD and the professionals who serve them. They provide a phone and email helpline. They also run an ADHD School Friendly Programme for teachers and schools. You can see a list of their events here, which also includes details of their online parent support group. 

Aware is a national organisation providing free support, education and information services to people impacted by anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder and related mood conditions. They have an Information and Resources Section.  They offer several ways to support people which you can view here. Its Support Line is a free service available to anyone seeking support and information about anxiety, depression or bipolar disorder – for themselves or a loved one. The service is available 7 days a week from 10am to 10pm (Freephone: 1800 80 48 48). It is for people over 18 years old. They also have a Support Email service. It is available to anyone (aged 18+) seeking support, resources and information about their own mood, the mood of a friend or family member, or who experiences depression or bipolar disorder. It is an encrypted email service to ensure the privacy and anonymity of our users. Aware also runs Support and Self Care Groups in-person, by phone and by zoom. 

Barnardos provide practical and professional supports for children, young people and families. Barnardos deliver services and support in a variety of way. They work with children from 0-18 years (individually, in group work and through their early years service and early intervention programme). They also work with families through their family support service, their Partnership with Parents programme, which supports parents to build their parenting skills, and have a resources section for Parents which includes free e-books for downloading. They also run Parent and Toddler Groups - you can contact your local Barnardos service for more information. 

Belong To is the national LGBTQ+ youth organisation. It shares details of LGBTQ+ youth groups around the country. It also works with Pieta to provide a free crisis counselling service for LGBTQ+ young people who are based in Ireland (between the ages of 14-23 years). There are two ways to access this service with Pieta: call 085 856 9312 (9am to 5pm, Mon-Fri) or email belongto@pieta.ie and a therapist will be in touch about an appointment. You can read further details here on the counselling available through Pieta. BeLongTo also offers a dedicated drug and alcohol service for LGBTQ+ youth. The service is free cost, confidential and non-judgemental. You can access that Drug and Alcohol support service here. See here for all the ways to contact BelongTo. 

Bodywhys provides services for adults and young people with eating disorders, and their families. Services include email and helpline support, online chat support groups, including the Youth Connect group for 13-18 years olds, virtual video support groups and family programmes. They have a Resources Section for schools and parents. You'll also find details of their upcoming events. 

Childline is a part of ISPCC. It is a 24/7 support line all children and young people in Ireland up to and including the age of 18. The service is there to for children and young people to talk about anything that might be on their mind. You can contact Childline for free by calling 1800 66 66 66. You can also use their Live Chat button on the website. Childline also has an Info and Advice section on its website, covering topics such as: 'How I feel', 'Friends', 'Home & Families', 'Sexuality & Relationships' and 'Bullying & Abuse'. 

The Daughters of Charity Child and Family Service (DoCCFS) is a not for profit public service organisation. They provide a range of therapeutic supportive services to children and families based in the greater Dublin region. The aim of their Family Centre Service is to provide free of charge flexible service to families to include individual sessions, parenting, family and group work, home visits, outreach and a drop-in facility. See here to read more on the full list of services provided and how to make a referral. The full list of their locations can be found here.

This is a multi-disciplinary frontline service offering Education and Training Services, Children and Young People Services, Family Support and Crisis Intervention Services, Addiction Services and the National Traveller Mental Health Service. Their Family Support Service includes: Social Work; Crisis Intervention; One to One Counselling; Advocacy & Facilitation of Access to Other Services Nationally; the Parent Plus Programme; and Housing & Accommodation Advice and Support. Exchange House Ireland is also the main provider of Youth Services to the Traveller Community in the Greater Dublin Area. You can read more about its Youth Services here. 

Family Carers Ireland is a national charity supporting the 500,000+ family carers across the country who care for loved ones such as children or adults with additional needs, physical or intellectual disabilities, frail older people, those with palliative care needs or those living with chronic illnesses, mental health challenges or addiction. You will find the full list of supports offered by Family Carers Ireland here. They also run events around the country and you can see that full list of events here. These are a mix of in-person and online events. Here also are the contact details for their Support Offices around the country. 

Grow Mental Health is a charity providing free, community-based peer support groups for anyone who is a experiencing a mental health issue. You can learn more about their service and support groups through their FAQs section. See their Events section for information on upcoming talks and courses. 

Children living with lifelong health conditions face many challenges, such as loneliness, stress and anxiety. They often feel like their lives are defined by their condition. Helium Arts empowers these children through creativity and the arts, giving them an opportunity for connection, belonging, imagination and joy. We are working to generate creative encounters for children with lifelong health conditions to improve wellbeing and creativity. In Ireland, there are 160,000 children and teenagers living every day with the long-term effects of illness. Since 2010, more than 5,000 children and young people have discovered the world of Helium Arts, bringing positivity to their lives

Jigsaw provides free, confidential, brief mental health supports for young people aged 12-25 in Ireland. Their Support section details their in-person services  as well as options for online support. They also have an information section for parents and guardians. 

Living Well is a free group self-management programme run by the HSE. It is suitable for anyone who is: living with one or more long-term health conditions, or caring for someone with a long-term health condition. It is not suitable for people with significant memory or learning difficulties.

The Living Well programme has proven to be effective in helping people to manage their health conditions better. It runs in person or online for six weeks. You can find the details of upcoming workshops here - if there isn't a workshop running in your area, you can apply to attend another series of workshops. 

Men's Aid is a service for men who are experiencing domestic violence and coercive control. It has a National Helpline (01 554 3811) which is available Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. Men’s Aid provides one-to-one in-person counselling support for victim survivors of domestic violence, partner violence, familial abuse including coercive control. Counselling currently takes place in Navan, Co. Meath where they are based. Their monthly peer support group also meets in Navan. 

One Family is Ireland’s national organisation for one-parent families. One Family works with individuals and families who may be parenting alone, sharing parenting, separating, step-parenting or experiencing a crisis pregnancy. One Family has a helpline - 0818 662212. One Family has also created this Budget 2024 Fact Sheet. It also has a Resources and Supports Section which includes information on parenting supports, early years parenting when separated, parent wellbeing, and a children's booklist which features books covering the themes of separation/divorce, diverse families, loss/bereavement, adoption/fostering, and blended/step-families. 

Parentline is a national, confidential helpline that offers parents support, information and guidance on all aspects of being a parent and any parenting issues. It’s a free service that does not require any referral.

Pieta provide free counselling to those with suicidal ideation, those engaging in self-harm, and those bereaved by suicide. It offers a 24/7 Crisis Helpline and Text Service (freephone 1800 247 247, or text 'Help' to 5144). Pieta also provides therapy to those impacted by suicidal ideation and engaging in self-harm, as well as those bereaved by suicide. It can be accessed free of charge and without a referral by calling 0818 111 126. Therapy is available nationally by phone, video and in person in 23 locations around the country. 

Samaritans offers emotional support 24/7, 365 days a year, to anyone who is in distress, lonely, struggling to cope or feeling suicidal. You can Contact the Samaritans in several ways: by free phone (116 123), by email (jo@samaritans.ie). They also have a self-help app. 

Shine works to shape better policies and services for those affected by mental health challenges. They support individuals and groups to enhance their recovery, challenge negative attitudes and behaviours and deliver a variety of programmes and services. Shine is the only national mental health organisation specifically founded to support all family members. Its teams provide a range of services to support individuals with lived experience of mental health challenges and their families and supporters. Shine provides phone and email support, individual support to people and families, peer support groups, and recovery education. You can read about its range of supports here. 

spunout is Ireland’s youth information and support platform. It shares factual information on mental health and wellbeing. Its aim is to support young people to be informed, feel empowered and heard. Its website has sections on Mental Health, Health and Wellbeing and LGBTI+. It offers a free 24/7 text service called Text About It. It is a safe space for young people to share anonymously (Text HELLO to 50808 to start a conversation). It also runs a Youth Information Chat from 4-8pm, Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays). 

This free programme by the HSE was developed for anyone feeling they need some support in stress management. The programme does offer free online courses from time to time. In addition, there is a free zone on the site, where you can access free resources, as well as an enhanced zone, where you can access additional resources for the cost of €22. Access to the enhanced zone is for six months then. 

The ISPCC operates Teenline, a national active listening service for children and young people up to the age of 18 in Ireland. Teenline can be contacted 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, by calling 1800 833 634. The service is free to contact and is confidential, non-directive and non-judgmental.

This is a community-based counselling service for the Traveller community. The service works from a culturally inclusive framework which respects Traveller culture, identity, values and norms and works from a perspective of culture centred counselling and psychotherapy. You'll find the locations where the counsellors are based here. 

This service provides free online counselling and online support groups for young people aged 12 to 17 and adults. You can read more about the services in its FAQs. You can also see details of their online support groups, which you can filter by ages 12-14 years, 15-17 years, and adults. See their Information Section for posts on mental health, family, loss and grief, communication, confidence, self-image and other topics.

Túsla, also known as the Child and Family Agency, is the State agency responsible for improving wellbeing and outcomes for children. Its work focuses on the areas of child protection and welfare, educational welfare, early years services, family and locally-based community supports, and domestic, sexual and gender-based violence services. You can find details of their Child and Family Support Network (CFSN) Coordinators here. There are 121 CFSNs throughout Ireland, made up of a variety of agencies and local voluntary and community services and the Coordinator relevant to your area will be able to help you get the support you need. See also the Parenting 24seven section which shares key messages on what works best for children and families at different ages and stages.

Women’s Aid is a national organisation working to prevent and address the impact of domestic violence and abuse including coercive control. It has a National Helpline (1800 341 900) available 24/7 which covers over 200 languages and is always free. It also has an Instant Messaging Support Service which is free, confidential and secure. In the Greater Dublin area, it also provides a One-to-one service – you book an appointment through the helpline; Court Support; and Maternity Outreach Service. Women's Aid also provides practical assistance directly to women who are engaged with its face-to-face services and who are facing financial hardship and/or in need of support to increase their security at home or legal costs because of domestic abuse.