Who We Are – Solas Family Resource Centre develops community-based supports and services for individuals, families and groups in an open, friendly, caring and confidential atmosphere.

What We Do – The work of Solas Family Resource Centre is informed by a community development approach that proactively encourages and supports participation for all. Voluntary participation is central to a healthy community. We actively encourage volunteerism and community ownership in all the projects we are involved in. We regularly reflect on the impact of professional interventions and seek to ensure meaningful community engagement.

Who We Serve – Lone Parents, Unemployed, Children and Families, Elderly, Migrants, People with Disabilities, Members of the Travelling Community, Members of the LGBT community and any person who finds themselves in need.

Solas Family Resource Centre is situated on Main Street in Headford, County Galway. Contact Co-ordinator John Middleton or Administrator Maura Egan at 093-36446. Email john@solasfrc.ie or maura@solasfrc.ie

Affordable Counselling Service from Solas Family Resource Centre

Counselling and Psychotherapy
Counselling and psychotherapy involves a trained therapist who offers a professional service as a helper and a client who seeks the service. Counselling is often the preferred term for a brief intervention with an individual who presents in crisis, usually precipitated by some specific challenging event in their life.

Psychotherapy refers to a wide range of interventions and programmes that target difficulties which by their nature tend to be more complex. These difficulties often reflect developmental difficulties, painful childhood experiences which continue to have a negative impact on the clients relationship with self and others.

The therapist offers an impartial, safe space in which the client can explore specific issues and develop more satisfying and resourceful ways of living. Confidentiality is a vital basis for such a relationship.  The therapist respects the client’s values, personal resources and capacity for self-determination. Carl Rogers described the relationship as the basis of the therapeutic alliance. Counselling and psychotherapy are formal activities where both parties explicitly agree a contract about times of sessions, length of sessions, fee, safety and reviewing therapy.

To ensure that their practice remains effective and appropriate, therapists are obliged to meet regularly with a supervisor, who is trained and experienced, with whom they review, monitor and explore their work.

All therapists adhere to the guidelines of their accrediting bodies e.g. IACP, IAHIP, ICP. etc.

Fee: We operate a sliding scale which is negotiated with your counsellor. If your financial circumstances change while in therapy, bring it up with your counsellor.

Missed Sessions: If you realise you are going to miss a session please notify the centre 24 hours in advance if possible. Otherwise you are responsible for payment for missed sessions.

Confidentiality: Counselling is a safe confidential space. The only time this is an exception is if it becomes apparent that you are a danger to yourself or others or that any other person is a danger to others.

Review: Your counselling will be reviewed at regular intervals.

Closure: Whenever you decide to terminate your counselling it is recommended that we have one session to put closure to the work.

Each counsellor/therapist works within a code of ethics of an approved accredited body. All our counsellors/psychotherapists are in one-to-one supervision. Our counsellors are either accredited or working towards accreditation or completing advanced courses. Accreditation bodies: IACP, IAHIP, ICP, FTAI.

Policy on Client Referrals: When a client contacts the office and requests an appointment, the therapist contacts the client and does an initial intake interview. The time, date and place for further sessions is then agreed between therapist and client.

Policy on Clients Referred by Doctors: If a client attends on the recommendation of a Doctor or Psychiatrist, the counsellor uses his/her own discretion as to whether it is necessary to contact the doctor or not, with the permission of the client.

If a client attends and is on prescribed medication, it is important to assess the clients ability to engage in a therapeutic process – this is necessary as supportive work may be more appropriate in some cases.

Best Practice for Client Attendance: If a client misses a subsequent appointment without making contact, the therapist calls the client and requests that they confirm their attendance for their next appointment.  If there is no further contact from the client the counselling is deemed to have terminated.

The counsellor processes with the client who misses appointments and seeks to establish regular attendance.  If however this does not happen, the counsellor will discuss postponement of counselling with the client.

It is best practice that individual clients attend weekly. Holiday time is negotiated with the client; these sessions do not have to be paid for. Payment is due for missed sessions if the centre is not notified 24 hours in advance. If a client is taking a longer break a closure is necessary, and their name goes back on the waiting list.

Child Protection: Implications for the Counsellor: Counsellors and Psychotherapists are among the designated professionals who are obliged to report disclosures of childhood abuse made by their clients, even if the client is now an adult.

Emergency appointments can be arranged for one session.

If it is the wish of the client, their name is put on the waiting list for further appointments.

If you have been bereaved, separated, recently become redundant or are suffering from the stresses of today – for an appointment or further information phone 093 36446. The Service is strictly confidential and affordable.

For any information please contact Co-ordinator John Middleton  John@solasfrc.ie or Maura Egan Administrator maura@solasfrc.ie Phone: 093-36446 Fax: 093-36447 Or Just Pop In!

 Adult Literacy Information

The East Galway Adult Literacy Services provide classes in Reading, Writing, Spelling and Maths. Classes are available both daytime and evenings. We provide referrals to Adult Literacy Classes or phone Bridget Tomson at 087-6404438.

Citizen Information Clinic (Outreach Service)
This provides free, confidential and impartial information on Social Welfare, Employment Rights, Health Services, Family Law, Taxation etc. This service is provided in SOLAS on the first Wednesday of the month by appointment only.

Clothes Bank
We accept all clothes and shoes inside bags. No quilts or pillows, please. Clothes bank available behind Duffy’s Hardware, Delaney’s Trading post and in Joyce’s car park.

Computer Course
We offer an eight-week computer course to individuals over 55 years of age. No previous experience is necessary. Please ring Solas for further details or to register for class.

Counselling Service
Counselling and psychotherapy is offered by a trained therapist who provides an impartial and safe environment for clients to explore specific issues and develop more satisfying and resourceful ways of living. This service is both confidential and affordable.

Domestic Violence Outreach Service
Waterside House domestic violence outreach service provides refuge and support for women to live free from violence. If violence in the home is an issue contact Waterside house directly on 091-565985 or contact Solas on 093-36446.

Family Support Services
Support and advice offered for parents who need help with their children’s behavioural issues. This service is offered through Tuam Family Services once week. Ring Solas for further info.

Galway Advocacy Service
Working with young people between the ages of 16 to 21 years old, who have dropped out of the education system or who are at high risk of dropping out , with the aim of achieving educational training or employment progression and long term independent living, remember the service is confidential, friendly, and free of charge.

Information Service
Leaflets and forms on: Health Issues, Social Welfare, Education, Courses, Grants Motor Tax, Driving Licences, passport application form etc.

MABS (Outreach Service)
Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) is a national, free, confidential and independent service for people in debt or in danger of getting into debt. The service is free and confidential and can help you escape the poverty trap. The Service is available Bi-Weekly in our Centre. For an appointment please contact MABs directly at 0761072560

Meals on Wheels
Would you like a hot nutritious meal at a reduced price delivered to your home? Meals on Wheels is a service delivered by Solas FRC. All meals are prepared by the Angler’s Rest. Contact Solas for further information.

Office Services
Copying, Faxing, Laminating, Computer and Internet Access and Meeting Room space. Check with us for pricing and availability.

Rainbows
Rainbows support group is a peer support programme, which assists children who are grieving a death, separation or other painful transition in their family. Rainbows help by providing a safe setting in which participants can talk through their feelings with others who are experiencing similar situations. They are helped to articulate their feelings by a facilitator or listener.

Rural Transport Initiative
The Rural Transport Initiative is a national pilot initiative aimed at people in rural areas who are excluded because transport is not available, accessible or affordable to them locally. The principles of this system are: to take account of the social and economic needs; to make the service available within specific areas; to complement rather than compete with existing transport; to make transport accessible to the mobility impaired; and to use local knowledge in the development of the service. Rural Transport is available on Wednesdays to Tuam and on Fridays into Headford. Phone: 093-36446 or Lena on 087-2873542 to book a place on the bus.

Security Alarms
Pendant security alarms available to those over 65 who live alone or live with someone else who is also over 65. Call into Solas FRC for more details.

Telephone Befriending Service
For vulnerable individuals living alone.

Galway Rural Development
Need employment/ education assistance, advice and training? Galway Rural Development (GRD) now have an employment officer based in Solas Resource Centre (Headford) this is FREE and CONFIDENTIAL one to one service offers assistance with CVs and interviews and also training courses aimed at helping people to gain work. The employment officer will be available every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month from 2-5 pm. Call (093) 26211 or (087) 7035556. The Solas Family Resource Centre is your one-stop-shop for a wealth of information, leaflets, forms, and personal advice on Health Issues, Social Welfare, Education etc.

The team in Solas work hard to keep up to date on all the issues that can affect individuals and families in this area. Please feel free to call, write or drop in for whatever help and advice you may need.

Chances are, if we can’t help you, we can put you in touch with those who can. Remember, it’s your Resource Centre, here to help you.

Support and advice offered for parents who need help with their children’s behavioural issues.

History of Solas

In 1999, as part of the Government’s Partnership 2000 Programme, the Department of Social, Community & Family Affairs pro-actively targeted a number of areas in the country for the development of new Family Resource Centres. As part of this process Headford, Co. Galway was identified as an area in which a Family Resource Centre was to be established.

During 2002, a series of meetings were organised by West Training & Development with local community groups, activists and statutory agencies to discuss the setting up of a Family Resource Centre in the Headford area. This included meetings with key groups and individuals and a number of more general public information meetings. Arising from this consultation / information process a core group of local people volunteered to work with West Training & Development to set about developing a 3-year workplan for the Family Resource Centre. This entailed identifying the needs in the local area that a FRC could address, outlining the aims and objectives for the FRC and agreeing the key target groups that the Resource Centre would seek to work with and support.

Solas opened to the public in September 2005 starting off with one office and a full-time Co-ordinator. In 2006 a part- time administrator was appointed and made full – time in 2007. Due to its increased success Solas Family Resource Centre moved to bigger premises on the Main Street in Headford in August 2007, a big step up from their humble beginnings in a small room in the Parish Hall so as to expand even more and provide more services and supports to the community.

‘Solas’ means light which reflects the ethos of the organisation. The centre is a Community run project and values the input of all the people in the area on what issues need addressing.

The official launch of Solas Family Resource Centre, Headford took place on Saturday 28th of June 2008. The launch was performed by Michael Kitt TD Minister of State at the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government (with special responsibility for local services).

Solas Family Resource Centre
Main Street, Headford, Co Galway, Ireland.  H91 H6H0
Phone 093-36446    Fax 093-36447    www.solasfrc.ie    info@solasfrc.ie

Opening Hours – 9.30am to 5.00pm, Monday to Friday