Irish Council for Psychotherapy

Intent: ICP launched a Pre-Budget 2025 Submission to Government, & General Election Manifesto addressed to all political parties. Both documents included a call for the inclusion of specific commitments by all parties in health/mental health, education & finance. ICP called on all political parties to include a commitment to implement several recommendations in its Health & Mental Health Manifestos for the general election.

Methods: Email, Informal communication

Intent: ICP launched a Pre-Budget 2025 Submission to Government, & General Election Manifesto addressed to all political parties. Both documents include a call for the inclusion of specific commitments by all parties in health/mental health, education & finance. ICP calls on all political parties to include a commitment to implement several recommendations in its Health & Mental Health Manifestos for the forthcoming general election.

Methods: Email, Informal communication, Letter, Meeting, Submission

Intent: Increased funding for mental health & move into funding community based psychotherapy.

Methods: Email

Intent: ICP wrote to Minister Foley to request her to approve the use of state-aided school funding to avail of the services of psychotherapists in private practice according to each school’s unique context, culture, and environment. ICP urges Minister Foley to reconsider this position & to put in place a trialling of psychotherapy services purchased by grant-aid into a set of post-primary schools, with a review of its effectiveness to be carried out following a year of implementation.

Methods: Email, Letter

Intent: In summary, our recommendations in the submission to CORU are for: the development of clarity around the nature of the work of psychotherapists; the re-setting of the threshold level of training at Level 9; the inclusion within the framing of training programmes of personal psychotherapeutic experience; the revisiting of details around direct observation of clinical practice within training; the revisiting of details around practice placement context & clinical supervision.

Methods: Email, Letter, Meeting

Intent: In summary, our recommendations in the submission to CORU are for: the development of clarity around the nature of the work of psychotherapists; the re-setting of the threshold level of training at Level 9; the inclusion within the framing of training programmes of personal psychotherapeutic experience; the revisiting of details around direct observation of clinical practice within training; the revisiting of details around practice placement context & clinical supervision.

Methods: Meeting

Intent: Mental Health Reform (MHR) contacted ICP re: sending a letter on behalf of its members to An Taoiseach, Mr Leo Varadkar, TD. The letter called on the Government to prioritise funding for the voluntary and community mental health sector in Budget 2024. ICP was happy for MHR to add our signature to the letter, i.e., Rea Walshe, Interim Chair, Irish Council for Psychotherapy. Over 60 Leaders Call On The Taoiseach To Fund Under-Resourced Mental Health Services http://tinyurl.com/58hb938v

Methods: Letter

Intent: ICP member Eoin O'Sullivan contacted ICP re: his petition 'Reform Irish Mental Health' P00009/23. He was invited to address the Committee on Public Petitions and the Ombudsmen at the Oireachtas on 28/09/2023 re: issues raised by the petition. Eoin had to submit an opening statement on 18/09/2023. ICP spoke with Eoin, agreed with his points outlined, and wrote a letter of support on the issues he raised. Reform Irish Mental Health – Petition & Submission (ICP Website) https://tinyurl.com/2s3r2sev

Methods: Letter

Intent: Immediately update the criteria to include all ICP registrants in the list of accredited bodies acceptable to apply to join the programme. NEPS to train specialist ICP therapists (& other bodies) as opposed to generalist Education Wellbeing / Mental Health Practitioners. Include art & play therapists in the application process. Recognition of the professional standards in training, ethics, adherence to codes of ethics, & rigour in accreditation processes in the other 9 bodies under ICP umbrella.

Methods: Email, Letter

Intent: To make the representative aware of the situation

Methods: Meeting