TURAS SET TO COMMENCE NEW PROGRAMME
Dundalk’s Turas Counselling Services is offering an opportunity to recovering alcohol and drug users to gain support to remain sober with a 20 week structured day programme, which gets underway on February 19th.
The programme is for people over the age of 18 years, who are committed to overcoming their drug and alcohol dependency and offers support to establish the foundations for long term change.
Turas Manager, Nicki Jordan said: ‘It is a fantastic opportunity for people who recently gained sobriety to explore their addiction, for the first time, in a deep and reflective way.
The programme is facilitated by professionally trained counsellors using a range of innovative therapeutic models including motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioural therapy.’
‘ The staff are highly experi- enced in working with addiction and the programme will create a space for people to build up vital life skills such as self-reflection and awareness, assertiveness, stress management and also give them the confidence to link into community supports in terms of employment and education.
It is through building up resilience and self-confidence that people begin to realise their own worth and make different choices, leading to improvements in their life.’
This non-residential course is provided free of charge to recovering drug users and aims at helping them re-intergrate back into the community and supports them in connecting with training and employment opportunities.
Turas Counselling Services is a not-for-profit organisation which was established by Nora Donaghy and Marian Sloan in 2005. The service is funded by the HSE and the North Eastern Drugs Taskforce
In 2017 it worked with 250 service users with over 50% of these seeking support for drug addiction
‘One past service user described their experience on the programme as ‘ A major lotto win!’ and I think that sums up the extent to which the programme can improve someone’s life,’ she continued.
The programme will take place from Monday – Wednesday from 10-3pm for 20 weeks and also involves one hour a week of individual counselling. To apply, people must be over 18 and drug or alcohol free for two-three months.
The programme begins on February 19th but people must make contact with Turas before this to obtain a place.
People can call into Turas and a staff member will arrange a time for an assessment to join the programme.
For further information please visit 59 Clanbrassil Street, turascounselling.ie or call 042 9338221.