Members of Dublin City Council are to be entitled to free counselling services worth up to €600 per annum to help them cope with dealing with stress and trauma associated with their work as public representatives.
A new counselling service is being introduced by the council to allow its elected members access to a maximum of six counselling sessions each year at a cost of €100 per session.
The initiative comes following a call 18 months ago by independent councillor Mannix Flynn for the local authority to provide some form of counselling to help councillors cope with dealing with tragic cases involving their constituents.
Mr Flynn claimed councillors were “at the coalface” of many upsetting incidents in Dublin, including gangland murders, drug-related deaths and residents who were so distressed about their housing situation that they were contemplating suicide.
He expressed concern about “the level of unease and hostility and human tragedy” that councillors in Dublin city faced on almost a daily basis.
Mr Flynn said that as a councillor he did not feel he had the “tools” to deal with issues raised by people who were facing threats, intimidation and harassment and appeared to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder that had impacted on his own wellbeing.
He also pointed to racist abuse suffered by Dublin Lord Mayor and Green Party councillor Hazel Chu earlier this year at an event outside the Mansion House on Dawson Street.
A report published last week by the Association of Irish Local Government found almost 72 per cent of city and county councillors across the country had experienced threats, harassment and intimidation in the past three years with 48 per cent considering leaving politics because of such threats, he added.
Dublin City Council has now agreed to offer an Assistance Support Scheme for its 63 elected members that will be provided by Corporate Health Ireland (CHI) and the Elmwood Centrem, which offers counselling and psychotherapy services.
Councillors will have access to a range of services including stress management workshops, well-being programmes, psychological first aid, couples therapy, psychotherapy and art therapy.
The council said members can make a request for a referral to the counselling service through its officials and an assessment will be carried out by a CHI occupational health professional to determine the need for referral on to counselling at the Elmwood Centre and to advise on the recommended number of visits.
“The service is available to councillors only and not to family members with the exception of couples therapy,” the council stated.