Counseling in Ireland

This chapter contains a description of the development of counseling and its current status, including common practices, counselor training, and credentialing. Counseling in Ireland continues to grow in popularity among those seeking services as well as those seeking to join the profession. School counselors provide counseling for students experiencing a range of mental health issues, including depression, anger, bereavement, and bullying. Counselors in private practice work with clients on a one-to-one basis on a broad range of mental health and emotional issues. The provision of community mental health counseling is somewhat patchy and underdeveloped in Ireland, possibly because counseling is a young profession in the country. According to a recent Irish Association for Counseling and Psychotherapy (IACP) membership questionnaire, the average counselor is 45-55 years of age. As for the future of counselor training in Ireland, this whole area is being reviewed by the Higher Education and Training Awards Council.