Free counselling and mental health support from the HSE: how to get it

Where to turn for free mental health support in Ireland: crisis lines, your GP, free counselling with a medical card, online therapy, Jigsaw for young people, CAMHS and adult mental health teams.

If you have a medical card and are 18 or over, your GP can refer you for up to 8 free counselling sessions with the HSE. Here is how it works, and what is there for everyone else.

If you need help now

If you or someone you know is about to harm themselves or someone else, call 112 or 999, or go to your nearest emergency department. These free services, listed by the HSE, can also help:

• Samaritans: freephone 116 123, 24 hours a day, or email jo@samaritans.ie
• Text About It: text HELLO to 50808, free, 24 hours a day
• Pieta: freephone 1800 247 247, any time, for self-harm or suicidal thoughts
• Childline, for children and young people: freephone 1800 66 66 66
• HSE Mental Health Information Line: freephone 1800 111 888, to find local supports

Start with your GP

Your GP is usually the first step. They can assess and treat difficulties like depression or anxiety, and advise on medicines if you need them. They can also refer you to talk therapy or specialist services.

If you are already, or were recently, supported by an HSE mental health team, you can contact that team directly.

Free counselling with a medical card

Counselling in Primary Care (CIPC) is free short-term counselling for adults with a medical card. A counsellor is a trained professional you talk to, in confidence, about what is troubling you.

1. Talk to your GP or another health professional. You cannot refer yourself.
2. If counselling suits you, your GP sends a referral and gives you a phone number for your local CIPC office.
3. Phone that office within 2 weeks to confirm you want counselling. Offices open 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
4. If no one answers, leave a voice message.

No medical card? Other free options

The HSE lists several organisations that offer counselling free or at low cost. Most do not need a referral.

You may also get free therapy through your school, college, employer assistance programme or health insurer. Community cancer support centres help people affected by cancer.

Online therapy while you wait

SilverCloud is a guided online course based on CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy). CBT helps you notice and change patterns in your thoughts and actions. A trained supporter checks in with you each week.

It usually runs for 6 to 8 weeks at your own pace. You need a referral from your GP, a counsellor, a mental health team or Jigsaw, plus a phone, tablet or computer.

Support for young people

Jigsaw supports young people aged 12 to 25, and parents or other adults who are worried about them. It offers live chat, courses and talk therapy, free or at low cost. Clinicians answer live chat on Monday and Wednesday from 1pm to 4.30pm, and Thursday from 2pm to 7.30pm.

CAMHS: specialist help for under-18s

CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) is a specialist HSE service for under-18s with moderate to severe mental health difficulties. A GP or another health or social care professional must refer your child. They talk to you and your child first.

Your CAMHS letter gives an estimated wait for a first appointment. The HSE says this may sometimes be up to a year. If things get worse while you wait, contact your GP or the CAMHS team.

Urgent referrals are dealt with separately. In May 2025, 96.6% of urgent CAMHS referrals got a response within 3 working days, against a target of 90%.

Community mental health teams for adults

Adults aged 18 to 65 with moderate to severe difficulties can be referred to a community mental health team. The team may include a psychiatrist, nurse, psychologist, social worker and occupational therapist.

You cannot refer yourself. A GP or another health professional must do it. People over 65 can be referred to a Psychiatry of Later Life team instead.

What Budget 2027 adds

• The Suicide Crisis Assessment Nurse programme, extended to all counties
• Two new Crisis Resolution Teams in rural areas
• Six more out-of-hours Solace cafés, offering peer support
• Four new Jigsaw early intervention services
• 40 more clinicians for a new ADHD pathway and CAMHS

No start dates have been given yet. If you are struggling, you do not have to wait for these. The supports above are open now.