This week Minding Creative Minds announced an enhancement of its service to include specialist trauma and abuse counselling care. We are pleased to announce this service enhancement in collaboration with our creative partners at Screen Ireland, The Arts Council and Irish Theatre Institute as part of the Safe to Create programme on this primary advancement for our service offering and very thankful to do so with the continued support of Minister Catherine Martin and her team at The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. Minister Martin was present at the announcement at Dublin’s Project Arts Centre on Wednesday October 5th.
In both public and private health tiers, trauma and abuse counselling services can have significant wait lists, depending on the user’s catchment area and services accessed. At the time of writing, we understand a six-months plus wait list exists. With Minding Creative Minds enhanced service, our team of counsellors will also provide supportive care while the service user is waiting for a specific service referral. This approach ensures our (enhanced) service user is supported day to day with their coping and managing techniques until the bridge to engagement around the historical trauma is secured.
Minding Creative Minds founder, Dave Reid says; “This specific enhanced service has been in planning for over twelve months but our conversations around the area and its need reaches much further. We are delighted to have arrived at our launch point in collaboration with our partners at Screen Ireland and Irish Theatre Institute. We are also sincerely thankful, once again to Minister Martin and The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media for its continued support and without whom, frankly, today’s launch would not be possible.” Dave continued; “We are very happy with our commencement model for this enhanced trauma and abuse counselling service. Our plan is to continually monitor and review this and in doing so aid our focus in being positioned to offer the best and most efficient service possible for our sector, as we go forward.”
The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sports and Media, Catherine Martin T.D. says; “I warmly welcome today’s announcement from Minding Creative Minds for the enhancement of its service offering to include specialist trauma and abuse counselling care. This specific enhanced service is complementary to the confidential 24/7 mental health and wellbeing support programme for the Irish Creative community already offered by Minding Creative Minds in collaboration with Spectrum Life. My department has funded Minding Creative Minds since it launched in 2020 and I highly commend them on achieving so much and supporting so many artists in that short space of time.”
Niamh O’Donnell, Director of the Irish Theatre Institute says; “Abuse of power is a sector-wide issue (indeed, a society-wide issue) that requires sector-wide solutions. Irish Theatre Institute (ITI) is delighted to support the important work of Minding Creative Minds in this regard. Working with Minister Catherine Martin and our Safe to Create partners, ITI is determined to lead a programme of supports and initiatives designed to transform our sector. The specialist, expanded and enhanced service of care announced by Minding Creative Minds for the entire creative sector marks an important start to this work that moves us towards safer working conditions for all artists and arts workers.”
Désirée Finnegan, Chief Executive of Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland says: “Screen Ireland is proud to support Minding Creative Minds and the essential services and wellbeing supports they are providing to the creative industries. A key focus for Screen Ireland is building a more inclusive, stable and fair screen sector – ensuring a safe and respectful working environment for all creative artists and industry professionals. The new and enhanced services provided by Minding Creative Minds is part of that process, and a huge step forward in terms of giving extra support to anyone in our industry who needs it.”
How will our enhanced service to include specialist trauma and abuse counselling care work?
- The first point of contact on initial engagement with the Minding Creative Minds helpline is our case managers who are fully qualified psychotherapists / counsellors.
- In the case of a caller contacting the service outlining they have been the victims of trauma / abuse the case manager will offer in the moment support while also arranging a call with one of the Minding Creative Minds Senior Clinicians and Trauma Specialists (who have expertise in trauma, rape, sexual violence and abuse) within 24hrs, at a suitable time for the caller. During this call, specialised support will be provided to the caller and a comprehensive intake assessment of the caller’s needs will take place.
- Following the assessment and support call the Minding Creative Minds Senior Clinician will determine the most suitable intervention and to determine if short-term counselling (up to 12 free sessions) is appropriate or if more specialised, long term or open-ended support would represent a more robust and clinically appropriate intervention.
- If a referral to short term counselling is deemed the most appropriate intervention; a referral will be made during the call to one of Minding Creative Minds Trauma Specialists Counsellors who would have expertise in trauma, rape, sexual violence and abuse for up to 12 sessions of counselling.
- Minding Creative Minds can arrange a suitable referral pathway for longer term or open-ended support for survivors of sexual abuse if this is deemed necessary through signposting to the most suitable services.
Clinical lead at Spectrum Life, Dr. Emelina Ellis says; “We are proud to continue to work with Minding Creative Minds to deliver best-in-class care to those in the creative arts sector and, in particular, to be partnering with the team to provide enhanced support for those who are currently dealing with or have previously experienced trauma or abuse. Our priority with this enhancement to the existing service is to ensure that those in need of more specialist care, for example those currently experiencing abuse or someone who may have experienced sexual violence in the past but who is now ready to seek support can easily access the support they need.”
*The contact details for our enhanced service offering remain as they have been since our launch in June 2020.
- 24/7 Dedicated Phone Line: Phone 1800 814 244 | Calling from NI / UK: 0800 0903677 | International: 00353 15180277
- By texting‘Hi’ to 087 369 0010 for SMS & WhatsApp Support (standard rate applies) with a qualified psychotherapist / counsellor.
Minding Creative Minds (MCM) is Ireland’s first 24/7 (32 county and our Irish overseas) wellbeing support programme for the entire Irish creative sector. Minding Creative Minds’ counselling and advice services, in association with Spectrum Life, includes a *24/7 Dedicated Phone Line; Short-term intervention, telephone Counselling together with secure video counselling amongst other contact options (see the full list later in this document). Alongside our counselling services we offer advice and support on practical day to day issues which have the potential to cause stress and anxiety; for example, legal and financial advice, career guidance and life coaching. Our service offering focuses on the entire individual; whatever your need or question; if you work in any area of the Irish creative sector, contact us and let us help you; our services are free and confidential.
In the two years since its launch in 2020 Minding Creative Minds has facilitated in the region of 1,600 hours of support; 65% of which have been our counselling supports and 35% of advice and other support services (service sessions advice (legal, financial, career etc.) and in the twelve months since its inaugural programme close to 500 mentoring sessions have taken place as part of our Minding Creative Minds Mentoring programme.
- In its first 24 months Minding Creative Minds has hosted, organised or participated in numerous panel discussions within the creative sector including at Galway Film Fleadh, Docs Ireland Festival Belfast, Ireland Music Week, First Fortnight, RTE Choice Music Prize. The organisation has also hosted Masterclasses with Irish Theatre Institute, Screen Ireland, Improvised Music Company, Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art & Design. Minding Creative Minds holds a monthly online meet and greet session; The aim of this event is, quite simply, to share experiences and advice with each other. To support each other. More recently we have also commenced supporting well-being events and initiatives including singer-songwriter Maria Kelly’s Postcards In-between this spring, Molly Sterling’s Reclaim Project and this summer, Joy in The Park; a festival legacy in honour of Joy, which took place at Fitzgerald Park in Cork.
- Minding Creative Minds pilot mentorship programme was established in 2021. Over 90 fully funded mentorships have been issued since 2021 equating to close to 500 mentoring sessions. A number of creative disciplines are represented in our mentorship programme; from music, dance, theatre, artist management, publishing, television production, life coaching, event management, label and project management, digital marketing and so much more. Applications for our fourth programme open this October.
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