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Shocked volunteers are offered counselling for trauma
Irish Independent, By Ralph Riegel, Thursday December 10 2009
Traumatised volunteers who are working with recession and flood-hit families have had to seek counselling as the scale of the problems encountered threatens to overwhelm them.
The St Vincent de Paul Society (SVDP) said it is struggling to cope with the greatest flood of requests for help in living memory.
SVDP southern director Brendan Dempsey said some of their volunteers have been so upset by dealing with the consequences of poverty that they have come away from the households deeply upset.
Some volunteers warned that they needed specialist help in coping with the sheer scale of the problems -- and SVDP decided to offer counselling.
"This is something we have never had to do before," Mr Dempsey said. "But our volunteers have been totally taken aback."
The service is available for volunteers who are concerned that they may be overwhelmed.
The society said that a significant number of families contacting them for help this Christmas have never before sought help from a charity.
The poverty plight this Christmas has been worsened by the fall-out from the recent floods.
Mr Dempsey warned that many families have already defaulted on their utility bills and are struggling to cope with mortgages.
"Some of these families have no income and it is now only a matter of time before they cannot meet their mortgage repayments," he said.
Mr Dempsey pointed out that in Cork alone calls for help to the SVDP have soared by 44pc on 2008 levels.
- Ralph Riegel, Irish Independent
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