THE CATHOLIC Church’s free psychotherapy service for
abuse victims has denied its plans to impose limits on the amount of
counselling victims can receive is driven by an order to cut costs.
Up to 900 victims use the services of "Towards Healing" which, up to February of this year, was known as Faoiseamh.
As part of the reorganisation of the services, after 80 sessions each case will now be referred to an independent review panel, made up of three psychotherapists, who will decide if the person still requires counselling.
A number of victims have reacted anxiously to the changes saying they were always told that counselling support would be "open ended".
Towards Healing have said the changes are in line with best international practice and that they "won’t turn their backs on anyone".
Towards Healing say that newer clients, those who began counselling after February 2009, have always been subject to this new proviso. However, from February of this year it is being applied to the more longstanding clients.
One man, raped regularly by a priest in County Cork when aged 12 and 13, said he believes the changes are a "deviation from the church’s committed support" and something he finds "difficult to fathom.
"The Catholic Church, and one of its priests, imposed no limits on the extent of the abuse imposed on me. Now they want to impose limits on the support they offer after that abuse?" he said.
"I do not agree to the notion that limits of any kind can be put on my process of healing and recovery from catholic institutional abuse and especially when those limits are being suggested by that same institution under the guise of a newly-formed organisation called ‘Toward Healing’," he added.
Towards Healing chief executive, Michael Lyons said that to date, "no requests for additional services have been refused" by the organisation.
"There is no funding issue at play here. This is an attempt to move from an undesirable mechanism to one of best international practice and clinical advice. A review of our records show that the average client leaves our services after 40 sessions but if clients need more than 80 sessions, we won’t turn our backs on anyone," he said.
As part of the reorganisation of the services, after 80 sessions each case will now be referred to an independent review panel, made up of three psychotherapists, who will decide if the person still requires counselling.
A number of victims have reacted anxiously to the changes saying they were always told that counselling support would be "open ended".
Towards Healing have said the changes are in line with best international practice and that they "won’t turn their backs on anyone".
Towards Healing say that newer clients, those who began counselling after February 2009, have always been subject to this new proviso. However, from February of this year it is being applied to the more longstanding clients.
One man, raped regularly by a priest in County Cork when aged 12 and 13, said he believes the changes are a "deviation from the church’s committed support" and something he finds "difficult to fathom.
"The Catholic Church, and one of its priests, imposed no limits on the extent of the abuse imposed on me. Now they want to impose limits on the support they offer after that abuse?" he said.
"I do not agree to the notion that limits of any kind can be put on my process of healing and recovery from catholic institutional abuse and especially when those limits are being suggested by that same institution under the guise of a newly-formed organisation called ‘Toward Healing’," he added.
Towards Healing chief executive, Michael Lyons said that to date, "no requests for additional services have been refused" by the organisation.
"There is no funding issue at play here. This is an attempt to move from an undesirable mechanism to one of best international practice and clinical advice. A review of our records show that the average client leaves our services after 40 sessions but if clients need more than 80 sessions, we won’t turn our backs on anyone," he said.