They need your help.
Aware, Ireland’s leading organisation providing support, education and information services about depression and bipolar disorder, is calling for 40 volunteers in the Greater Dublin area, to join the “Aware Support Line” team and be a voice of hope for people seeking mental health support.
The “Aware Support Line” is a crucial, free service providing callers with telephone support and information about issues relating to their own mood or the mood of a friend or family member who may be experiencing depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder.
Depression is the leading cause of ill health and disability worldwide. According to the latest estimates from the World Health Organisation, more than 300 million people worldwide and approximately 450,000 people in Ireland are now living with depression.
Figures also show that 45,000 people in Ireland are experiencing bipolar disorder. As a result, Aware has seen a 20% increase in the volume of calls to their dedicated support line, in the past twelve months alone.
In order to manage the increase in call volumes and ensure no calls go unanswered, Aware must add a new phone line to their current service to meet this demand.
“The Aware Support Line is a crucial lifeline to the one in ten people in Ireland experiencing depression,” said Brid O’Meara, Director of Services, Aware.
She added: “We know that it takes a huge amount of courage for callers to make that initial first contact with us, and without more volunteers and an additional phone line we are running the risk of those calls going unanswered.”
As part of the recruitment process, potential volunteers will be guided through a series of training sessions that will empower them with the tools to respond to callers in a helpful way.
Volunteers will be trained to point callers in the right direction to get the help they need and most importantly to be there to simply listen.
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