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Minister for Mental Health announces €2m for new counselling supports for men

  • Over 15,000 free counselling sessions to be provided to men annually
  • New pathways developed to simplify access to support to respond to the specific needs and preferences of men
  • Supports to be made available through GPs and though a national marketing campaign targeting men directly from September 2025

The Minister for Mental Health, Mary Butler T.D., has announced €2 million in funding to provide access to a suite of new talk therapies and counselling supports specifically tailored for men. Access to the services will begin from September 2025.

This initiative is embedded within Ireland’s approach to mental health policy implementation. Sharing the Vision – A Mental Health Policy for Everyone, and Connecting for Life, Ireland’s national strategy for suicide prevention, clearly state that talk therapies should be considered a first-line treatment option for most people who experience mental health difficulties.

This recurring funding is allocated from Budget 2025 as part of an integrated series of initiatives led by the Minister to ensure people with mental health difficulties are able to access the appropriate range of supports, from mental health promotion and prevention, through to specialist services and clinical programmes.

The funding is targeted at assisting with stigma reduction and to actively encourage men who otherwise would not usually avail of counselling to seek help with their mental health, to assist men in accessing mental health services, and to provide much-needed support for men experiencing a mental health crisis.

The funding will provide over 15,000 free counselling sessions to men and establish accessible supports over the phone and in-person.

Minister Butler said:

“This is a much-needed initiative to widen access to supports for men, from mental health promotion activities, right through to counselling services and specialist support. These new supports will be made available to every GP in the country for direct signposting to men during consultations. They will also be available directly to men through our HSE helpline and yourmentalhealth.ie website and promoted in a targeted national marketing campaign beginning from September 2025.

“It is well-documented that women are more likely to seek access to counselling services than men, with women making up two thirds of all clients availing of our national counselling service. However, around 80% of all people who die by suicide are men. We need to make it easier for men to access help when they need it, and this initiative aims to do just that.

“For men who may be struggling with difficult thoughts and feelings, counselling and talk therapies can support them to feel heard, help them achieve a better understanding of what they are going through, and equip them with the skills to deal with difficult emotions and thoughts.

“More than ever, it is essential that men feel that they can reach out, to access the services and supports that they need and deserve, or simply equip them with the confidence to talk to family and friends.”

While men are at particular risk of experiencing poor mental health, they are generally recognised as a group with specific needs and preferences, and these factors must be taken into account when designing supports tailored for this audience. This initiative will support men by:

  • Investing in new counselling and mental health supports, providing easier access to supports and greater choice for how men access them and when.
  • Actively promoting the full range of mental health supports which can be accessed by men.
  • Actively evaluating the impact of increased promotion of help-seeking supports for men.

Minister Butler said:

“We have to remove the stigma for men when talking about mental health issues, and provide talk therapies and counselling supports that are easy to access and reflective of the help-seeking behaviours of men.

“This funding will create new supports for men in partnership with Connect Counselling and MyMind, while also developing simple pathways for men to access to our National Counselling Service through Counselling in Primary Care.”

Funding is also being provided to specifically enhance mental health supports for young Traveller men through a partnership with Exchange House, as well as to support general population mental health promotion initiatives including the Minding Your Wellbeing for Men programme.

The initiative will go live from 1st September 2025 through your local GP and online through yourmentalhealth.ie

Notes

  • It is generally accepted that 90% of mental health needs can successfully be addressed in primary care settings and Counselling in Primary Care (CiPC) offers an evidence-based alternative to medication for people presenting with mild to moderate mental health difficulties.
  • The following activities are being funded under the initiative:
    • In collaboration with Connect Counselling, their freephone anonymous telephone support service 1800 477 477 will be extended to a seven-day service.
    • A direct referral pathway will be designed from Connect Counselling to Counselling in Primary Care for men, regardless of whether they hold a medical card or not. Over 1,250 additional 8-session counselling referrals will be funded under this initiative.
    • MyMind, another HSE partner organisation, which facilitates face-to-face and online counselling by qualified mental health professionals, will be funded to provide 5,000 free sessions which will be promoted to men through targeted advertising and through key stakeholders (e.g. GPs) in many different languages.
    • Minding your Wellbeing for Men is a six-week mental health promotion programme which aims to promote men’s mental health and wellbeing through self-care, self-awareness and social connectedness. The programme consists of six sessions delivered by a trained facilitator and address key topics.
    • Funding is being provided to the Organisation for Ex-Service Personnel to support their counselling and telephone supports for former members of the Defence Forces.
    • Exchange House will be funded to expand their youth mental health service for young Traveller men in Dublin and the mid-West.
  • These supports will be promoted to men through a targeted national media campaign. This will utilise the full range of communications channels available (targeting men, including middle-aged men), including social media and paid search as well a coordinated approach to stakeholder engagement with a range of voluntary and community partner organisations.
  • By way of encouraging uptake of services, the HSE will work closely with the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGPs) to ensure GPs are fully aware of referral criteria and care pathways.
  • An evaluation will be undertaken of this initiative to assess the effectiveness of these initiatives to target men, both from a quantitative and qualitative perspective.