CARMHA thanks the community

CARMHA is a Nenagh-based counselling and support service for people with co-existing addiction and mental health issues.  

It was founded in 2018 by Addiction Counsellor and Psychotherapist Donal Ryan, Consultant Psychiatrist Dr Marie Oppeboen, and a group of passionate community members with personal and family experience of addiction and mental health issues.

Now at the end of the year, CARMHA would like to publicly thank the people of Nenagh and surrounding communities who have gotten behind them and helped open the service through their support and fundraising efforts.

CARMHA launched their fundraising campaign to get the service off the ground at Christmas last year, and has since received a lot of support from local businesses, community members and individuals in Nenagh and the surrounding areas.

The CARMHA CEO, Dr Marie Oppeboen, stated: “Because of the warm welcome, huge fundraising efforts and the amazing support we have received from the local community, and also the work of close to 90 extraordinary volunteers involved in our development since the beginning, we were delighted to be able to open our doors in July 2019 and finally start providing much needed peer-support and counselling services to people experiencing both addiction and mental health issues together. We are just incredibly grateful and would like to thank each and everyone who has contributed and made it possible.”

Today, CARMHA is offering a range of services. Their door is open Monday to Thursday, 10am to 4pm, Fridays 10am to 2pm, and people with addiction and associated mental health issues can drop in for a cup of tea just to connect, or for an informal chat about treatment and supports available in CARMHA or elsewhere if appropriate. CARMHA provides peer-support by trained peer-support workers, which is someone who has previously experienced addiction and mental health issues themselves, and would therefore understand, listen and support without judgement. CARMHA also offers one-to-one professional counselling and a variety of both facilitated and peer-led groups including women’s group, men’s groups, a gambling group and a family group, amongst others.

The CARMHA Service Manager Donal Ryan spoke about the services and activities in CARMHA: “Our services are developed and delivered in collaboration with those we call 'The Real Experts' or 'The Lads', as we say. They are people with lived experience of addiction and mental health issues, who know better than anyone what’s needed and what works, and they are always at the heart of our service. Since we founded CARMHA, two of The Lads have completed a peer-support working in Mental Health course in DCU, two more are half-way through the course now, one person is on a YESS scheme, one is on community service with us, one sits on the board of directors, and many of them are members of our Community Steering or Research Groups that help run our organisation. Many of The Lads have bravely shared their stories of recovery both with the local community, at conferences, with National Probation Services and even in the Oireachtas. They are spreading the message that recovery is possible, inspiring others to think about recovery and are getting into recovery themselves from being involved, feeling more connected, meeting like-minded people and finding a sense of purpose. It’s really great to see!”

Marie added: “Since opening in July, we have had 1,256 visits to our centre in Silver Street, and provided supports or opportunities to 172 people for addiction and mental health related issues. Approximately 25% of visits have been by family members, something we are delighted with as a lot of families and significant others are struggling in silence out there and there has been very little support available to them up until now”.

People who have used the services in CARMHA  have said: “CARMHA has saved my life” (Jane); “it’s a place I can just walk in, have a chat, and feel better if I’m having a bad day and I’m close to relapsing” (John); “It’s safe place where I can really connect and develop trust” (Tom); “Coming to CARMHA has made me feel like I’m worth something, that I’m not a freak, that I can do things… I’m actually starting to believe in myself now for the first time in my life” (Tracy).

CARMHA’s chairperson Liz McKeever would also like to sincerely thank the local community for their wonderful support, and on behalf of CARMHA wish all a very Happy Christmas. She concluded that “although CARMHA has come a long way and achieved an incredible amount on a very small budget, we do not receive any State funding and are entirely dependent on the ongoing fundraising and supports from the local community to continue to operate.”

CARMHA is looking forward to welcoming Minister for Mental Health and Older People Jim Daly, who will be visiting CARMHA on January 14th.

 

Pictured from left are Donal Ryan (CARMHA co-founder and Service Manager), Carmel Holland (Family Peer Support Worker), Yvonne Moroney (Peer Support Worker) and Liz McKeever (Chairperson).