Parkinson’s Ireland Launches Counselling Service

Parkinson’s Ireland is pleased to announce the launch of a new counselling service for people with Parkinson’s and their care partners.

Kathleen Moore Avila has recently joined the team in the role of Counselling Psychotherapist.

Kathleen is a fully accredited counselling psychotherapist with the Irish Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy and brings over 15 years of experience across the charity sector. Throughout her career, she has developed extensive expertise in supporting individuals and families navigating grief and loss, suicide intervention, and critical incident stress.

Kathleen previously worked as a therapist with Pieta House and later served as a Suicide Bereavement Liaison Officer in collaboration with Pieta and the HSE.

Most recently, Kathleen was part of the Counselling and Wellbeing Team at Vision Ireland, where she provided therapeutic support remotely to individuals and families living with vision impairment.

Speaking about the launch of this new service, CEO of Parkinson’s Ireland Shane O’Brien said: “We know that people with Parkinson’s experience higher levels of mental health symptoms compared to the general population. The period following a diagnosis can also be particularly challenging and may require professional support. It is vital that the mental health‑related symptoms associated with Parkinson’s are recognised and addressed, alongside motor symptoms. We are delighted to be able to offer this service and hope it will support as many people as possible.”

The service will complement the existing Parkinson’s nurse specialist and dietician callback service. This service is provided free of charge.

Counselling sessions are provided remotely and can be accessed either by phone or through secure video call appointments, helping to ensure the service is accessible to people with Parkinson’s and their care partners across the country.

Counselling Service Update

Following the recent launch of our counselling service, we have experienced very strong demand, highlighting the significant need for this type of support within the Parkinson’s community.

As a result, the service is currently operating at full capacity, with extended waiting times for new appointments.

To ensure that people can access support within a reasonable timeframe, we are temporarily pausing new referrals to the service.

We will continue to support individuals who are currently engaged with the service or on the waiting list, and this position will be kept under review.

Referrals will reopen as soon as additional capacity becomes available and further communication will issue regarding this.

In the meantime, our team can provide information on alternative supports where appropriate.