A FREE counselling service with the potential to support around 20,000 people living with epilepsy has been launched.
The Talk and Support service is run by Epilepsy Action Northern Ireland with the help of its specialist counsellors. The charity believes it can be the first point of contact for people in the north as they embark on their epilepsy journey.
The service is available online and on the telephone to people with the condition as well as their families and carers.
The roll-out of the programme comes at a time when waiting lists in Northern Ireland are the worst in the UK, with people waiting between four to five years for an urgent referral in neurology.
Carla Smyth from Epilepsy Action NI said: "Northern Ireland’s waiting lists are dire.
"Waiting up to five years for an urgent referral to see a neurologist is not acceptable for local people diagnosed with epilepsy and their families.
"At Epilepsy Action NI, we are delighted to offer this free counselling service as it offers hope to people who can’t get instant help from their GP and who maybe can’t afford to pay for a private appointment.
"Being diagnosed with epilepsy can be frightening, and people often don’t know where to go to seek help.
"Our aim is that our qualified and specialist counsellors will be the first point of contact for people and give them advice, support and reassurance that they are not alone and support them longer term as they learn to live with an epilepsy diagnosis."
Belfast comedian Paddy Raff, whose sister Sarah has epilepsy and additional needs including cerebral palsy, is supporting the roll-out of the service.
"As someone with a sibling with epilepsy, I am supporting Epilepsy Action NI’s counselling service as it is something me and my family could really have benefited from when Sarah first acquired a brain injury," he said.
"Back in the nineties there was no internet, so finding out information or people in similar situations wasn’t always easy.
"I know there are more online resources now, but they lack a personal touch.
"Putting a face or voice to conversations and being able to speak to a real person and not just looking stuff up is so beneficial and having facts that can be backed up with science is very important to ensure you are getting the right advice.
"Although as a family we are able to manage Sarah’s needs, epilepsy is an ever-present threat, and my mum, who is Sarah’s primary carer, needs to keep on top of it.
"A counselling service such as this is great to help us understand more about epilepsy and to talk through what we were experiencing and what help was available."
For information, please visit www.epilepsy.org.uk or call 028 9018 4015.
