The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Appeal for funding as counselling services at Cuan ‘stretched to limit’
CUAN Counselling’s chairperson Rochie Holohan has said that ‘an exceptionally busy summer’ in 2016 has stretched the group’s resources to the limit, and has called for additional funding so they can continue to provide a free, professional counselling service to the young people of west Kerry.
The Dingle-based service has been in operation for almost a decade, providing counselling and therapy for people aged from 12 to 25, as well as their families if requested.
At present, the service costs some €36,000 a year to run. The HSE and Tusla provide 40% of this sum, with the rest funded by local events and donations.
“We have always been very grateful and properly acknowledged the donations we receive, it’s quite humbling,” Mr Holohan said.
“And yet, here we are again appealing urgently for your help to keep and grow this local service.”
The group has asked people to consider them as beneficiaries for fundraising events, and has also reminded the public that they can make personal donations to the service, stating that ‘every penny will go towards counselling or other necessary costs.’
“This is a local, accessible, and user-friendly service, often attended by secondary school students, some of whom can experience quite intense suffering from depression and other stresses,” Mr Holohan explained.
“We need your help, and we need it now, to keep our services going and to develop other preventative measures.”
The group has said it plans to further develop some of these measures from studying data collated from their counselling work, to identify trends causing suffering for adolescents.
Mr Holohan has guaranteed that absolute confidentiality will be maintained during this process.
Donations can be made through Cuan Counselling’s website at www.dinglecounselling.com, and further information can be obtained by phoning (087) 749 5054, or by accessing the ‘Cuan Counselling’ Facebook page.