The beginning of the year can be difficult for very many, which is why the Aisling Centre’s Hope, Healing and Growth event helps us to press the reset buttom and start January on a more positive note.

Never was hope needed more than now, and in our part of the world, perhaps more so.

In 2022/23, 35.0 per cent (1,542) of a total of 4,401 admissions under the mental health programme of care were within the Western Trust region.

The Southern Trust had the lowest percentage of mental health admissions, with 14.6 pc (642) of the total, according to figures from the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA).

Last year, the Aisling Centre supported 5,500 sessions of counselling, helping 668 people, with more than 100 people a week reaching out for professional help to deal with their distress.

Why do so many of us need help? The answer is multi-faceted.

There are many triggers, including anxiety, stress, ill health, loneliness, isolation, and powerlessness caused by the pressures of daily living in a complex world.

More importantly what can we do about it?

The Hope, Healing and Growth event is our flagship event dedicated to promoting self-care to enable each of us to look after ourselves, and therefore be able to support others around us.

We provide a vital service to support people to cope positively with their mental health and wellbeing, and if we can prevent people from needing our services by helping them help themselves, then even better.

Amazing speakers

Over the past seven years, an amazing range of speakers have shared their experiences and have found the event to be life-changing.

One of last year’s speakers commented: “I feel humbled to have had the opportunity to be involved and see as a first-hand witness such a heartfelt event.

“I was deeply moved by all the speakers’ adversity faced, and how they have chosen to give back to this world when they have every right to turn against it.”

A new year message from former speaker, ‘horse whisperer’ Joe Slattery, shared at this year’s event sums it all up.

“Every day is a new day. If you are happy, keep doing what makes you happy. If sometimes you’re feeling sad or unmotivated, that’s okay too because tomorrow is another day, bringing another opportunity to be happy, or kind of happy, or less sad than you were the day before.”

But there is hope: 97 per cent of our service users say they feel more positive about the future.

The key theme emerging from this year’s event was the need to stay connected with ourselves and one another; to be resilient and realise our full potential.

If we can all heed the wisdom of Joe’s advice. then 2024 can truly be a year of Hope, Healing and Growth for us all.

Aisling Centre is open 9am – 5pm, Monday to Friday. If you need help outside of these hours, or need emergency support, the contact details below may be helpful.

Emergency Contact Numbers

Lifeline: 0808 808 8000

Emergency Services: 999

GP Out of Hours Service: 028 7186 5195

Samaritans: 116 123

NSPCC: 0808 800 5000

Childline: 0800 1111

Gateway team: 028 7131 4090

If you are concerned about a child or young person, your first point of contact should be the Gateway Team.

Videos of the speakers will be available to view on Aisling Centre website, www.theaislingcentre.com, from January 15 for four weeks.