Counselling service extends its hours

A telephone counselling and support service has extended its hours until March.

Connect revealed on Monday that it is to provide a 7-day-week service as a trial period to test the service and demand across the week.

Connect is a free, confidential and professional telephone-based counselling and support service for adults who were abused in childhood and will open from 6-10pm each evening.

Connect’s normal opening hours are 6-10pm Wednesday to Sunday.

People can call Connect for free at 1800-477477.

A spokesperson for Connect said: “Callers will get to speak with a trained counsellor who can listen and provide professional counselling and support.

“Connect also extended its service to open seven days during the Christmas period and there was strong demand and is now going to trail maintaining additional availability outside of the festive period.”

The spokesperson added: “Connect was established in 2006 following demands from groups representing survivors of institutional abuse that an independent and professional out of hours telephone-based service be established. It is funded by the HSE.”