Exchange House uses cookies to give you the best experience on our websites. By using this site you agree to our use of cookies as described in this Privacy Policy. Click here to remove this message.
Menu

National Traveller Mental Health Service

The National Traveller Mental Health service is a Traveller specific mental health and suicide prevention service. We provide these services to Travellers to improve mental health and overall wellbeing and reduce suicide. We deliver mental health supports and suicide prevention by engaging and consulting with Travellers and others to provide education, training, individual support and group work to the community.

We provide individual services to Travellers in Dublin, Offaly and West Cork in partnership with Offaly Traveller Movement and West Cork Travellers Centre. Click here for our online referral for individual mental health support.  These services are strictly confidential.

We aim to address inequalities that Travellers may experience by working with individuals, families and communities and service providers deepening understanding, improving referral pathways and aiding ongoing recovery. The service supports and delivers culturally appropriate programmes through a partnership approach with service users, local Traveller organisations and statutory, voluntary and community based mental health service.

The National Traveller Mental Health Service is fully funded by HSE National Office for Suicide Prevention.

Staff

 

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy

We teamed up with St. Patrick’s Mental Health Service to offer free cognitive behaviour therapy to members of the Traveller community in the Dublin area by appointment every Tuesday in Exchange House Ireland counselling rooms. This service is strictly confidential.

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy or CBT is a talking therapy that focuses on how our thoughts about something can affect how we feel and what we do. CBT can benefit anyone who is feeling stressed, unhappy, sad, angry, worried, nervous or having a hard time at home, school, college or work. Usually a person will meet and work with our CBT trained professional once a week for approx. one hour for up to 8 to 10 weeks.

Click here for our online CBT referral form or you can call Patricia on 01 524 0173.

The provision of CBT service to Travellers is funded by St. Patrick’s Mental Health Foundation.

Cognitive Behaviour Therapist

  • Patricia Maher
  • 01 524 0173 / 01 872 1094

Referrals and enquiries to Mental Health Team Lead

 

History

Suicide Prevention

Due to the rising number of Travellers taking their own lives, local and national Traveller organisations came together in early 2004. This was the beginning of the National Traveller Suicide Awareness Project. With the support of The Parish of the Travelling community, Crosscare, national & local Traveller groups, a working group was formed whose purpose was to develop a culturally appropriate plan to address the issue of suicide within the Traveller community.

In 2006 the HSE National Office for Suicide Prevention funded a full time worker for a National Suicide Awareness Project which was hosted by Crosscare. In 2011 two male workers were funded to work specifically with Traveller men on mental health & suicide prevention and awareness issues. In 2012 the Project went out for tender and was awarded to Exchange House National Travellers Service, where the aim remains to work with Travellers to reduce the suicide rate within their community.

Mental Health and Wellbeing

The National Traveller Suicide Awareness Project applied for funding to Genio for a 3 year pilot project called Traveling to Wellbeing (T2WB). In late 2012, this application was successful and the project commenced managed by Exchange House Ireland and based in Exchange House Ireland, Offaly Traveller Movement, West Cork Traveller Centre and North Cork Travellers. The aim of T2WB was to reduce stigma around mental health and suicide in the Traveller community. The project provided mental health clinical workers in 4 locations in Ireland who worked with Travellers, experiencing mental health issues, to build and apply their individualised recovery plans.  In 2015, an independent evaluation of Travelling to Wellbeing was completed which showed the project to be an effective intervention and support to Travellers in supporting their mental health recovery. You can find it here. 

In 2016 ongoing funding for Travelling to Wellbeing was secured through HSE National Office for Suicide Prevention. The National Traveller Suicide Awareness Project and Travelling to Wellbeing merged into the National Traveller Mental Health Service.

 

 

 

Ilikecake Ltd