6 LUCAN GAZETTE 8 September 2011
COUNCIL: COMPETITION FOR A USEFUL UTILITY
Win a free water butt SOUTH Dublin County Council is giving local residents the chance to win a water butt for their garden. A water butt is a barrellike tank that can collect rainwater from your roof’s drainpipes when it rains. This rainwater can then be used for watering plants in your garden. The butt has a capacity of about 190 litres, and is made from 100% recycled plastic. Water butts are designed so that they will not overflow. To win the butt, simply go to www.sdcc.ie and
answer the question: “On average, how much water does one person use a day?” Email your answer with your contact details to info@sdublincoco. ie, with “Water Conservation Competition” in the subject line, or post your answer and contact details to: Environment Awareness Section, Environment Department, South Dublin County Council, County Hall, Tallaght, Dublin 24. The water butt competition runs until Friday, September 30.
IT’S YOUR STORY A Lucan-based low-cost
‘Supporting our mental health is so important’ A LUCAN counselling service, which recently became a fully-fledged charity, is hoping to increase the awareness of the valuable work they undertake. Aspen Counselling is based in Lucan village, yet serves not only Dublin, but the surrounding counties. Linda Balfe has worked as a psychotherapist for more than 12 years. She started in a voluntary organisation working in the Dublin 8 area, and it was during this time that she saw the need for counselling to be accessible to all. Paula Richards is an accredited therapist with IACP, and is also a certified reality therapist with the William Glasser Institute Ireland. She works in the area of general counselling, but specialises in the areas of sexual abuse and eating disorders. Richards also has training in suicide prevention and intervention, having studied Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training in order to help provide a suicide-safer community. There are also more
than 20 other therapists, male and female, who work in Aspen on a parttime basis to provide the services. Aspen has been in Lucan for 10 years, and offers low-cost counselling to everyone. Sessions vary from as little as €10 to €70 per session. Balfe’s and Richard’s ultimate long-term goal is to provide the service free of charge, to try and meet the needs of the most vulnerable people in our community.
Generosity This won’t happen overnight and, as it costs a considerable amount to provide such a service, with Aspen being a nonprofit organisation, such a goal depends on the generosity of people. Balfe says: “We understand that, often, the most vulnerable people cannot afford counselling, and get lost in the system. We don’t want anyone to ever feel they have nowhere to turn to.” However, Aspen is seeing more and more people who are in financial difficulty, due to the current economic situation.
To date, Aspen has received a grant of €4,000 from the Family Support Agency, from their total fund of €10.6 million, to help meet the needs of a catchment area of more than 50,000 people. Aspen are also grateful to Lucan Lions Club, who have also generously donated €3,000. In response to this demand, Aspen have recently started fundraising initiatives, such as a sponsorship scheme where companies, groups, individuals or just a few friends or workmates getting together, can donate any sums of money, which will be used to provide free or subsidised counselling sessions. Given Aspen’s commitment to continue providing low-cost counselling, every little helps. Aspen is holding a ’70s/’80s fancy dress disco in the Spa Hotel, Lucan, on Saturday, September 24, as part of this year’s Lucan Festival. This promises to be a great night and, with prizes varying from a signed Ireland football shirt to bottles of wine and gift vouchers, there’s some-
A relaxing, welcoming atmosphere is a given at Aspen Counselling
Therapist Paula Richards and psychotherapist Linda
thing for everyone. Aspen is extremely discreet, and confidentiality is of paramount importance. Most clients won’t even see another client when they visit. There’s no sitting, waiting around in the reception area to be seen – each client is met by their counsellor when they arrive, taken directly to their session room, and then seen out again at the end of the session.
Services Aspen offers a wide range of services, including bereavement/loss, stress/anger management/anxiety, childhood issues and trauma, depression, self-esteem/ confidence/assertiveness, work-related stress/bullying, emotional crisis/coping, relationship issues, and a variety of addictions, including internet, sex and food addiction, and many others. Each case is assessed on its own merits by Aspen’s psychotherapists, who will then assign a counsellor to them from the staff of 20. Aspen is working to raise awareness, and banish the taboo surround-
ing mental health in Ireland. Richards and Balfe, through Aspen counselling, want to make it easier for someone to seek help for mental illness issues. Local Fine Gael deputy Derek Keating recently invited Balfe and Richards to Dail Eireann. Speaking after Aspen’s Dail visit, Deputy Keating said: “Aspen Counselling continues to provide a very necessary service to the growing number of people who are seeking counselling because of the increasing number of difficulties in their lives. “Given the financial circumstances of many people and families, the inclusion of low-cost counselling is of particular benefit.” Should you wish to contact Aspen Counselling for consultation, please call 01 – 621 7063 or, should you wish to donate, please send a cheque to Bank of Ireland, Sort code 90-12-04, account number: 8077 6094. Aspen are always looking for therapists to volunteer their time, so, if you are interested, please contact the organisation.