Pieta announces plans to open second, vital Cork help centre amid increased demand for services

PIETA will open a new centre in Cork next month, a service for the county, to cater for the growing demand for mental health services.

The new centre, in Dunmanway, will complement Pieta’s centre in Sunday’s Well in the city, and bring to two the number of Pieta service centres in Cork.

The CEO of Pieta, Stephanie Manahan, who is from Cork, said the new service will remove the barrier of travel for people who want to see a therapist.

“We are reaching out now and expanding our services into county Cork,” Ms Manahan said. Pieta have more than 20 locations nationwide, but “are constantly asked for more”, she said. “I know there are other counties in Ireland that are screaming out for services, but Cork county is such a big county,” she added. 

“What we don’t want is that barrier of travel to get in the way of people getting all the way up to Cork to have to see a therapist.”

The Dunmanway service will be open three days per week initially. “We are delighted that the family resource centre in Dunmanway is going to be able to give us the space to work out from,” said Ms Manahan. “It is a positive start for us. It will probably be [open] three days initially and then, hopefully, grow.

“We may look for another location as well,” she added. “We were originally looking at Bantry and Skibbereen, as well, to see if we could get locations there. It is hard to get locations. We are really excited about that service in Dunmanway. It is a good start. I think it will be very positive.”

9,000 hours of therapy

Last year, Pieta in Cork provided over 9,000 free hours of in-person therapy to 1,200 people. The charity is an invaluable service to people of all ages throughout the city and county.

Suicide continues to be a problem in Ireland, and, in 2019, was the leading cause of death in men aged under 25.

Ms Manahan said Pieta is seeing an increase in demand for their services both from a regional and national perspective.

“Cork would be our second-busiest location nationally, after Dublin,” she said.

“If you look at the Central Statistics Office (CSO) figures, they would say Cork has a higher than national average, unfortunately, of suicide per 100,000 of the population.”

Ms Manahan, who was appointed as the chief executive of Pieta last May, said 60% of people they see are under the age of 25.

“40% of the people we see are under the age of 18,” she said. 

“We are seeing these figures both nationally and regionally. 

"Certainly, over the last number of years, both before and after Covid, we are seeing an increase in the under 18 population looking for help and support.

“This is both in suicidal ideation —so suicidal thoughts — and those who self-harm. Self-harm is also a very big component of what we do and who we work with.

“What is quite interesting is that over the last three years, the average age of under 18-year-olds presenting to us were 16. The following year, in 2021, they were 15 and, last year, they were 14. The age is getting younger,” she said.

“What we are seeing in the therapy rooms are young people struggling with lots of issues. This could be family issues, school issues, and pressure with exams.

“Social media continues to play a significant part in the pressure that our young people are experiencing,” said the Pieta CEO.

“We are seeing more people with gender and sexuality challenges, as well, and just trying to navigate the complexity of their lives now, which is getting more and more complex.”

There are 20 therapists in Pieta Cork.

“For us it is about being as accessible as possible,” said Ms Manahan. “In Pieta, people can either text or telephone us. We have a crisis-intervention line which runs 24/7 and that is manned by fully qualified therapists. It is not a volunteer line. It can be accessed any time of the day or night. Young people would access that a lot of the time via text. It is a tool that is there for everybody,” she said.

“Our Pieta Cork centre is very busy. We work late evenings and Saturday mornings to make it as accessible as possible for people. It is all free,” she added.

Ms Manahan stated that Pieta is there to offer hope to people who are feeling down or vulnerable.

“We know we can make a difference,” Ms Manahan said. “Our message is that if you are worried about a loved one, pick up the phone and we will give you advice. Don’t ever sit with that worry on your own. 

"Don’t be afraid to reach out if you are feeling down or vulnerable.”

Pieta also offers a separate service which supports people who have lost a family member or loved one to suicide, and the charity continues to offer its services online to accommodate people who cannot make an appointment in person.

“We would be encouraging people that, if you can’t get to a centre to meet a therapist, you can always do it online via telephone or video or your mobile phone, and [we try] to make it as confidential and easy as possible,” Ms Manahan said.

Darkness Into Light

Thousands of people from Cork came together at events across the city and county in the early hours of Saturday morning to mark the Darkness Into Light 2023 fundraiser. The annual sunrise event helps raise essential funds and enables Pieta to continue providing free suicide prevention, intervention, and bereavement support to people across Ireland.

“The Darkness Into Light fundraiser is the most important sunrise of the year,” said Ms Manahan. “Everyone comes together and stands together, whether their lives have been affected by suicide or not. It is a real signal of hope from neighbour to neighbour, and it raises substantial funds. It is hugely important to us.”