As part of Mental Health Awareness Week Athlone based support groups are highlighting the wide variety of help that is available for those experiencing mental distress in the area.
Support includes peer support groups like Renew, which meets the first and third Tuesday of every month in Garden Vale.
Renew is a group of people who understand that mutual support and personal exploration are key elements in overcoming emotional, psychological, and spiritual distress. Any one of us can find that, at some point in our lives, we experience severe or overwhelming distress.
Dara White commented: “Once we view people as distressed it opens up a wealth of opportunities to support the individual towards recovery and thriving. Together we develop compassion for the sometimes overwhelming pain and confusion involved in this process as well as understanding that there is meaning and value in the experiences we are going through. Peer support is founded on key principles of respect, shared responsibility, and mutual agreement of what is helpful. Peer support is not based on psychiatric models and diagnostic criteria. It is about understanding another’s situation empathically. ”
Renew currently has two peer support groups and a network of members around the country offering support. Renew also has a research and education programme.
More information about Renew is available on www.renew-ireland.com; alternatively call Dara White on (086 ) 8041625 or Jackie Gorman on (087 ) 7605824.
