Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 1 October 2025
202. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Health if she has considered introducing a counselling and psychotherapy funding model under the medical card through accredited private therapists; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52450/25]
View answerBetter access to talk therapies for people experiencing mental health difficulties is a priority for myself as Minister, the Government, and the HSE.
I recently launched free counselling supports for men, supported by recurring annual funding of €2m. The supports are available via GPs and are being actively promoted through a national campaign targeting men The initiative will provide over 15,000 free counselling sessions to men and establishes accessible supports over the phone and in-person.
The funding is targeted at assisting with stigma reduction and to actively encourage men who otherwise would not usually avail of counselling to seek help with their mental health, to assist men in accessing mental health services, and to provide much-needed support for men experiencing a mental health crisis.
Funding is also being provided to specifically enhance mental health supports for young Traveller men through a partnership with Exchange House, as well as to support general population mental health promotion initiatives including the Minding Your Wellbeing for Men programme.
This initiative is embedded within Ireland’s approach to mental health policy implementation. Both Sharing the Vision – A Mental Health Policy for Everyone, and Connecting for Life, Ireland’s national strategy for suicide prevention, emphasise that talk therapies should be considered a first-line treatment option for most people who experience mental health difficulties.
More broadly, the HSE is also working to establish a therapeutic interventions service improvement programme board (TISIP). The programme board will provide consolidated leadership and governance for therapeutic interventions across the whole health system, with the aim of increasing capacity, and facilitating access to, high quality integrated supports and services for all who require them.
Finally, medical card holders have access to free counselling from the HSE’s National Counselling Service, through the Counselling in Primary Care service (CiPC), with referral from their GP.
