This week saw Minding Creative Minds announce a major enhancement of their service, to include  specialist trauma and abuse counselling care. The additional service was launched in collaboration with the organisation's partners at Screen Ireland, The Arts Council and the Irish Theatre Institute, as part of the Safe to Create programme.

In both public and private health tiers, trauma and abuse counselling services can have significant waiting lists. With Minding Creative Minds' enhanced service, their team of counsellors will also provide supportive care while the service user is waiting for a specific service referral.

The new addition to Minding Creative Minds' service offering is being supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, with Minister Catherine Martin present at the announcement at Dublin's Project Arts Centre on Wednesday, October 5.

“This specific enhanced service has been in planning for over twelve months but our conversations around the area and its need reaches much further," comments Dave Reid, the founder of Minding Creative Minds. "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.

"We are very happy with our commencement model for this enhanced trauma and abuse counselling service," he adds. "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.”

Minister Martin also warmly welcomes Minding Creative Minds' announcement.

"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," she says. "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.”

Credit: Mark Stedman

Niamh O'Donnell, Director of the Irish Theatre Institute, notes that the Minding Creative Minds' enhanced service "marks an important start"  to the work that needs to be done to transform the entire creative sector – to move towards "safer working conditions for all artists and arts workers."

Désirée Finnegan, Chief Executive of Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, also states that Minding Creative Minds' announcement is "a huge step forward in terms of giving extra support to anyone in our industry who needs it."

If a caller contacting Minding Creative Minds outlines that they have been the victim of trauma or abuse, the case manager – who is a fully qualified psychotherapist/counsellor – will first offer in-the-moment support. They'll also arrange 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 24 hours, at a suitable time for the caller.

During this call, specialised support will be provided to the caller, and a comprehensive intake assessment of their needs will take place. Following the assessment and support call, the Senior Clinician will determine the most suitable intervention, and determine if short-term counselling (up to 12 free sessions) is appropriate – or if more specialised, long-term or open-ended support would be a more clinically appropriate intervention.

If a referral to short-term counselling is deemed the most appropriate step, a referral will be made during the call to one of Minding Creative Minds' Trauma Specialist Counsellors. The organisation can also arrange a suitable referral pathway for longer-term or open-ended support for survivors of sexual abuse if that's deemed necessary through signposting to the most suitable services.

“We are proud to continue to work with Minding Creative Minds," says Clinical lead at Spectrum Life, Dr. Emelina Ellis,  "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.”

Safe to Create is a Dignity at Work programme managed by the Irish Theatre Institute, on behalf of the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, and in partnership with the Arts Council, Screen Ireland and Minding Creative Minds. Its aim is to effect change on the culture and practices of the arts sector in Ireland, in relation to dignity in the workplace, to provide safer working conditions for artists and arts workers.

Minding Creative Minds is Ireland's first 24/7 (32 county and Irish overseas) wellbeing support programme for the entire Irish creative sector. Their 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 alongside other contact options.

Alongside their counselling services, they also 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, and career guidance and life coaching.

The contact details for Minding Creative Minds' enhanced service offering remain as they have been since the organisation's 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.