SOSAD has addressed public concerns over the organisations decision to introduce a nominal fee of €15 per session for counselling services.
Christine Wynne of SOSAD Cavan has assured members of the public that despite the change, "nobody" will be refused sessions or forced to pay a fee that presents itself as a burden.
Christine reaffirmed that SOSAD'S priority remains "supporting and helping people navigate their mental health challenges."
The "nominal" fee which only applies to new clients will help local SOSAD services maintain the quality of care and ensure that they can continue to support those in need of support and counselling.
Speaking to Northern Sound, Christine said that the organisation has "dissolved" every other avenue when it comes to ways it can keep the doors open and plan for the future which is no longer viable through public donations alone.
Until hopes of future funding by government is a reality, Christine wants this service to remain accessible, on the door step, self-referable and within reach for people who need it: "We looked at other fees and depending on private therapy you could be talking anything from €50 to €100 an hour, we did look at other low cost counselling services who do a kind of sliding scale and we're coming in at even less than that sliding scale even to start with at our highest rate so that €15 is top dollar. I know there are people who come in and make a donation and would give more than €15 and for those things we are so appreciate but even on a sliding scale we are the very minimum and it's out of necessity. For us it's a case of - do we go down this avenue and see if it resolves our problem or do we just close the door which we don't want to do, it's one or the other and we're damned if we do and damned if we don't."
