Recent years have seen a marked increase in the levels of stress, depression and suicide across Northern Ireland.

Education Minister, John O’Dowd MLA, congratulated New Life Counselling on the 18^th anniversary of the organisation at an event in Stormont today.

New Life Counselling, which is based in North Belfast, is a registered charity and community based organisation which has been delivering counselling and therapeutic support to clients of all ages since 1993.  To celebrate 18 years of counselling New Life Counselling has launched a special publication called “Eighteen years on we’re still listening”.

During that past 18 year period New Life Counselling has delivered support to more than 18,000 clients, including 13,000 children, 400 adults and 350 families.

Health Minister and DUP MLA for Lagan Valley, Mr Edwin Poots met with New Life Counselling at Lisburn Fusion, where a new counselling service has been launched to support young people.

New Life Counselling has teamed up with Fusion Lisburn, one of the largest youth projects in the U.K, providing counselling support for young people. The service involves supporting young people with personal development issues, self-harming behaviours, drug and alcohol abuse, bullying, depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts. Young people access the service through Fusion, based at Lisburn Cathedral.

New Life Counselling’s Chief Executive Karen Collins-Neill explained:

“Fusion Lisburn approached us when they identified the need for counselling provision in the area. We are delighted to partner with them to deliver counselling and therapeutic services specifically developed for young people. It is vital that all our young people can access the support they need in an environment in which they are comfortable. There is overwhelming medical evidence that counselling promotes mental well-being and helps people to learn new and positive ways to deal with difficult feelings, preventing long term mental ill-health or loss of life.

“We were very pleased to welcome the Health Minister to Fusion and encouraged by his obvious commitment to promoting the mental health and well-being of our young people”.

Health Minister Edwin Poots MLA said:

“I was delighted to have the opportunity to spend some time with the New Life Counselling and Fusion Partnership, and to hear first hand of the excellent work that is taking place in the Lisburn City Council Area.  It is comforting to know that with so many vulnerable young people in our society we have an organisation that works tirelessly to help address many of the issues that the youth of our society are facing on a daily basis in a supportive and safe environment”. 

New Life Counselling is a registered charity and community based organisation which has been delivering counselling and therapeutic support to clients of all ages since 1993.  They offer services to people from all communities across Northern Ireland and we receive referrals from a range of statutory sources such as GPs, Social Services, the Probation Board of Northern Ireland as well as self referrals from individuals, family members and friends. Since their foundation in 1993 they provided more than 150,000 counselling sessions or an average of 700 per month. In 2010-2011 New Life Counselling delivered more than 22,000 counselling sessions in 181 schools post-primary schools across Northern Ireland.

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For more information please contact Brenda Maguire at ASITIS Consulting on 02890438677 or 07795977812

Notes to Editor

1. For more information on New Life Counselling and its services please visit http://www.newlifecounselling.net.
2. New Life Counselling delivers counselling and therapeutic support to clients across the age spectrum through our child, youth, adult, family and Independent Counselling Service in Schools. New Life Counselling and Fusion Lisburn are both members of the Lisburn Suicide Prevention Task Group.
3. New Life Counselling have offices in Ardoyne and Duncairn but offer support to clients from across Belfast in these offices and across a range of outreach offices throughout the city as well as in 187 post primary schools in Northern Ireland.

World Suicide Prevention Day

Saturday 10th September 2011 is World Suicide Prevention Day. On this day we reaffirm our commitment to preventing suicide through the provision of counselling and therapeutic services.

New Life Counselling Chief Executive Karen Collins-Neill said: “Too many people across Northern Ireland lose their lives by suicide each year and this issue needs to be taken seriously. The issue of suicide affects people irrespective of age, gender, community or religious background. On World Suicide Prevention Day we have an opportunity to raise awareness of this issue and remind people that help is available for anyone feeling suicidal”.

New Life Counselling provides professional, confidential counselling to support the emotional health and wellbeing needs of our clients. Our expert counsellors are available to listen, to provide advice and to help people learn new ways to deal with difficult thoughts and feelings. If you or anyone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts you can contact New Life Counselling directly or speak to your GP to make a referral.

After attending a counselling session, one service user stated:  “After going and having a talk with my counsellor, I always feel better.  He is a tremendous listener and is very good at helping me realise how to deal with life and pick myself up when I am down.  If I hadn’t gone to talk to him I wouldn’t have changed my way of life at all.  He was the intervention that I so desperately needed and I credit him for beginning the process of getting of this rut”.

Almost 4,000 secondary school pupils across Northern Ireland, have come forward for counselling services in school during the 2010-2011 academic year.

The Independent Counselling Service for Schools, which is funded by the Department of Education and delivered in part by North Belfast based counselling organisation New Life Counselling, has seen a steady increase in the number of referrals with 3,852 children taking part in a total of 22,416 recorded counselling sessions.

Local counselling organisation New Life Counselling is launching its 18th Birthday celebrations this week.

With research indicating that instances of self-harming and mental ill-health are on the increase, New Life Counselling explains that counselling can make a positive impact on the lives of those in distress.

A recent survey shows that between 20,000 and 30,000 young people in the U.K. attend hospital each year after self-harming.

Eating disorders are a serious mental illness, with devastating consequences but help is available, says New Life Counselling.

With more than 1.6million people affected by eating disorders in the U.K, local counselling organisation New Life Counselling has urged those affected to reach out for help.

At an event held on Wednesday 1st December at 6pm New Life Counselling backed the campaign of the Minister for the Department of Social Development, Alex Attwood, who is fighting to secure Neighbourhood Renewal Funding for the forthcoming year.

This was the call from a group of young people affected by suicide from the Poleglass area today as they presented MLAs at Stormont with a petition signed by more than 5000 people throughout Northern Ireland calling for additional resources to help reduce the number of young people dying by suicide in their area.