A late-night mental health cafe has opened its doors in Limerick \u2014 in a first for the city \u2014 offering a \u201clifeline for those who need it\u201d, particularly at the weekends.<\/p>\n
Launched by the HSE Mid-West, Solace Caf\u00e9 is a free, confidential, and out-of-hours non-clinical mental health service, where adults in Limerick City can access the mental health support they need by appointment.<\/p>\n
A Solace cafe opened in Cork in the summer, while there are also cafes in Sligo and Ranelagh with plans for more.<\/p>\n
The Limerick cafe is based at Limerick Mental Health Association (LMHA) headquarters at Sarsfield Bridge \u2014\u00a0in the former premises of the Pier One Hotel.<\/p>\n
In its pilot phase, Solace Caf\u00e9 is open 6pm to midnight, from Thursday to Sunday.<\/p>\n
Adults who need support can book one-hour support sessions through text or via a telephone booking process.<\/p>\n
Staffed by trained support workers and peer connectors, the sessions are provided in confidence in the safe space of the cafe.<\/p>\n
The Limerick service is the latest of five such pilot initiatives running nationally as part of the HSE Crisis Resolution Services model.<\/p>\n
Ian Hackett, LMHA chief executive and and operations manager at Solace Caf\u00e9, said: \u201cIt\u2019s more than just a cafe \u2014 it\u2019s a lifeline for those who need it, and a symbol of our city\u2019s commitment to compassion and community care.<\/p>\n
\n By creating a place where anyone can get support without judgment, we\u2019re strengthening the community of Limerick and ensuring that well-being is accessible to all.\u00a0\n <\/p>\n
\u201cThe benefits extend far beyond the walls of the caf\u00e9 and bring people together in a spirit of hope and solidarity.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
HSE Mid-West Integrated Healthcare area manager for Limerick City and North Tipperary, Maria Bridgeman, said: \u201cBy offering support in an informal, accessible, safe space in the evening, the cafe staff and trained volunteers will help adults navigate and resolve distress at the time most needed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are deeply grateful to all stakeholders and supporters who helped bring this vision to life.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Solace Caf\u00e9 is for adults who are experiencing emotional distress, anxiety or feeling overwhelmed, and are seeking a calm, confidential space.<\/p>\n
To make an appointment, contact Solace Caf\u00e9 on 061 446786, send an email to solace@limerickmentalhealth.ie, or send a text or WhatsApp message to 085 2612025.<\/p>\n
However, those at immediate risk of harm or needing urgent medical treatment, is advised to call 999\/112.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A late-night mental health cafe has opened its doors in Limerick \u2014 in a first for the city…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":347963,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[60],"tags":[97,259,260],"class_list":{"0":"post-347962","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mental-health","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-mental-health","10":"tag-mentalhealth"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347962","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=347962"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347962\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/347963"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=347962"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=347962"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=347962"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}