Group support Pieta House

by Wayne - DSPP Sun May 10, 2015 03:15

Thanks to all in Indymedia for allowing us to place this here. All the project appreciate it and we had a great time. Very empowering.

by Rational Ecologist. Mon May 11, 2015 11:00

Has there been an external, objective, professional assessment of the service as provided by Pieta House? I am not doubting the quality of the service, however, the service definitely excels in terms of PR, marketing, self promotion and profile, and yet a lot of what we are told is on blind faith.
Is the service any good? Does it work? What is the model? How many sessions does a client get?
What is the professional profile and level of experience of the professionals employed; what are their terms and conditions..............??
All reasonable questions to be asked of a service with such a public profile, and indeed support.
Thanks.

by FX Mon May 11, 2015 12:00

In this youtube video ,”The Story of Pieta House “ ,the work of Pieta's CEO, Joan Freeman, is introduced by Marie Freeman .

. .https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=48&v=mMVG8kfWwMI

Readers of Indymedia Ireland who are unfamiliar with the joyful Pieta concept can read more at the link below : “The Pietà is a subject in Christian art depicting the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus."  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piet%C3%A0

And for more on the ethos that underpins the wonderful new service at Pieta House, see :

 "Everyone is responsible for his life before God who has given it to him. It is God who remains the sovereign Master of life. We are obliged to accept life gratefully and preserve it for his honor and the salvation of our souls. We are stewards, not owners, of the life God has entrusted to us. It is not ours to dispose of" (#2280).
http://www.catholiceducation.org/en/culture/catholic-co....html

In this Health scan lifestyle Q&A interview conducted by the Irish Times in 2012 ,Joan offers some useful advice for those leading the sort of worrisome life-styles that could possibly bring them to commit acts of self-harm.

Irish Times :Do you worry?
Joan Freeman : No. I’ve never worried about the financial future of Pieta House. We’re running six years and it costs €1.3 million to run it. We’ve no source of income really as such,but I’ve slept every single night. I don’t believe in worry. I’ve great personal faith and I trust in God and that would be why I don’t worry.
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/health-scan-lifes...38710

by atheist Tue May 12, 2015 02:56

I would rather there was a place like pieta house than nothing at all for people considering suicide.
Nothing at all is what FG would have us spend on suicide (and indeed health in general) as this is the basic ideology of neoliberals: i.e. no public services, everybody pays for everything, everything privatised for profit, every rat for himself, as this means more taxes saved for corporate loopholes, their own bloated salaries, and lucrative business opportunities for their capitalist pals etc.

FF don't give a shit about suicidal people either (bertie was famous for encouraging people to commit suicide if they didn't like his housing bubble money wasting cowboy economics). The state should provide services for the suicidal. However FG don't care about human beings, only money and power. So meanwhile, while we are waiting for the Irish people to cop on and stop sleepwalking and kick these rats out and install a more humane government and restructure and re-educate our sick americanised money driven society, if the religious help fill the void in the interim, who are we to knock this. It's certainly better than nothing. But there is a case to be made for non denominational state counselling services to help those at their wits end after years of austerity and other problems created by our uncaring inhuman consumerist society. Perhaps religion is a silly notion, but when people are having existential problems, it often provides solace and comfort. So keep up the good work at Pieta house

by Rational Ecologist. Tue May 12, 2015 09:45

I don't disagree with any of the above; however, to describe a service as better than nothing, is not acceptable.
Pieta House is in receipt of a lot of donations, and hence should be accountable, by the way, I am not suggesting it has anything to hide, nevertheless, it has never really been scrutinised and assessed from a performance point of view. Maybe it is excellent, and I don't doubt that is.
I 'd like to know the professional status and pay and conditions of its counselling staff, and how they are treated. It's a fair and reasonable request.
In light of recent scandals in the charity sector, I don't think I am being unreasonable.

by T Tue May 12, 2015 18:03

I see they publish their accounts on their website....which might go some way to answering your questions above

http://www.pieta.ie/about/pieta-house-financials/