Protecting Counselling Services Crucial For Welfare Candidates
The support and funding given to counselling services by the university do not match the demand was a belief shared by each of the three candidates for the position of UCCSU Welfare Officer.With the introduction of semesterisation more students than ever before are using these services, with approximately 6% of students having attended at least one counselling session this year. However, throughout the last number of years mental health services within and outside UCC have been the victim of repeated cutbacks, something which this year’s candidates agree needs to end.Katie Quinlan, a Masters in Government student, believes that continuous lobbying by UCC students is needed in order to improve the service. “Coming into a general election year we need to be getting onto TDs and securing funding for our counselling services. The service is an absolute joke at the moment, and it’s not due to their incompetence it’s due to the fact that they’re understaffed.”However, Denis Savage, a final year Arts student, believes students need to take a more proactive stance in helping to support the service financially through a consistent fundraising effort as he believes the counselling group is too reliant on external assistance. “What I’d like to do would be set up a fundraising campaign which the students could donate to, and then try to get the university to match those donations.”In addition to fighting for further funding for the existing services, Hannah Eames, a 3rd year Law student, would push for the introduction of support groups for specific mental health issues to try to relieve some of the strain on the current system. “There’s a big waiting list at the moment for counselling, so if elected... I would hope to bring in support groups. So take for example someone suffering from anxiety, if they can’t get to see a counsellor they’d have their own group of people who also suffer from it and can share their experiences and coping methods.”For all three candidates bridging the gap between the SU and students, and as a result getting students more involved in decisions relating to welfare, such as the ongoing debate over the €20 charge for the contraceptive pill, was crucial to strengthening the student voice.Following recent efforts to have the charge scrapped it was confirmed that the only way this could be achieved was to charge students €2.50 for each visit to the doctor. However, Eames pointed out that students had never been asked which option they’d prefer, and all three candidates agreed that a student wide poll on the topic may be needed.Whilst Savage pointed out that students who may require regular visits to the doctor could be put under increased financial pressure if a €2.50 charge is introduced, all three candidates agreed the current system was unfairly affecting a select number of students. As a result, all three mentioned the need for the matter to be properly discussed by students, as only then would the welfare officer be in a position to truly represent the wishes of UCC students.