Declan Harrigan: Last News

The mental health crisis facing young people in West Lothian was laid bare this week after a local charity reported that half of its clients are experiencing suicidal thoughts.

A West Lothian charity offering free mental health support for young people has been nominated for ‘Charity of the Year’ by the Scottish Charity Awards.

Sign up to the weekly West Lothian Courier newsletter for the latest West Lothian news and sport.Lockdown has presented local mental health charities with an even greater workload but the pandemic has also helped focus the need for greater support for community mental health and shine a light on the valuable work being done.West Lothian’s Community Planning Partnership Board heard presentations from Declan Harrigan of SMILE which offers counselling services to young people aged 11 to 24.SMILE established five years ago is a key player in mental health services for young people in the county also working in local high schools and developing training services.Mr Harrigan said that the charity has developed services to include an App and

Sign up to the weekly West Lothian Courier newsletter for the latest West Lothian news and sport.A local counselling service for young people has reported referrals for their service have increased drastically during the Covid-19 pandemic.SMILE counselling from Bathgate told The Courier that they have had a 130 per cent increase in referrals since March last year.In addition one in four of their referrals from under 16 year olds are now presenting with suicidal thoughts, whereas the year previous it was one in five.Declan Harrigan, the CEO, says the funding they received recently from West Lothian Council’s Third Sector Fund is crucial.The charity are now aiming to offer a unique mobile mental health service in the community and offer

Sign up to the weekly West Lothian Courier newsletter for the latest West Lothian news and sport.A mental health support group has warned that West Lothian is currently being hit by a “mental health tsunami”.SMILE Counselling in Bathgate say enquiries have quadrupled since May and they need help to continue to deliver their service.Declan Harrigan, CEO at SMILE, said: “My concern is that we may risk losing more young lives to suicide if we cannot offer the support they need when they need it.“Waiting lists are getting longer for statutory services, which in turn creates an ever-increasing dependence on the voluntary sector.“As a charity we have never been more needed than we are right now, yet we have also never felt more vulnerable due

A West Lothian counselling service for young people has 16 extra spaces for those affected by the coronavirus crisis.