Turn2me, an online mental health service offering support and professional counselling, has experienced a huge increase in demand of 56% in the last year and now has over 25,000 members in its online community.
The start-up was founded by Dublin based brothers Oisin and Diarmuid Scollard in 2009. It offers support to those suffering from illnesses such as depression, anxiety and stress. The website is now experiencing an average of 40,000 visitors and over 250,000 page views per month.
To help meet the growing demand for online mental health support, Turn2me has just launched a new programme called ‘Engage’ in collaboration with the HSE and the National Office for Suicide Prevention (NOSP).
The ‘Engage Programme’ will use a combination of weekly, online 1-to-1 counselling sessions provided by professionals as well as other services, such as Online Support Groups and a mood-tracking tool called ‘Thought Catcher’ – all services can be accessed free of charge at the organisation’s website (turn2me.org).
Ffounder of Turn2me, Oisin Scollard, said:
“Many people today are going online to access support for a broad range of mental health issues. This makes sense as our society progressively moves towards greater engagement through technology. Turn2me has been online since 2009 supporting those most in distress as a result of difficulties involving their mental health.
The ‘Engage Programme’ is a new way of providing as much support as possible – and all at the click of a button. Nowhere in Ireland is a service quite like this available online, delivered by professionals, and offered free of charge.
In the context of our recent austerity measures and rising suicide rates, Turn2me views accessible, professional support available online as an important step forward for many people in this country. It’s time to engage more with our mental health”.