Counselling service will turn 40 in 2022

Next year marks 40 years in existence for Cork Counselling Services, one of the longest established community counselling services in the country.

It was founded in the early 1980s by Maria Huss, a clinical psychologist, psychotherapist and trainer who moved to Ireland from Germany. The south of Ireland did not have a strong history of professional counselling and psychotherapy at the time.

Cork Counselling Services became one of the first centres in the country to provide a professional counselling training for counsellors which it started in the mid nineties.

In its 39 years of existence, the numbers accessing it have increased hugely. Through its work, this not-for-profit registered charity has helped families in conflict, supporting positive change and preventing children from being taken into care. It continues to work with individuals who are suicidal and in extreme distress helping them to resolve that crisis.

It has supported people recovering from physical, sexual and emotional abuse. It has helped individuals manage or recover from anxiety attacks and depression and deal with major life events such as serious illness, loss of employment or family home.

The centre works with individuals, families, couples and groups and remained open to offer phone counselling throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. It reopens its doors for face to face counselling from this week.

See corkcounsellingservices.ie for more.