Eden Programme
Have you thought about or
attempted suicide?
If so, the Eden Programme may benefit you
Eden is:
- An educational programme with a therapeutic element
- For people over the age of 18 years
- Group setting: up to 16 people
- 1 morning a week for 26 weeks
- No fee (participant financial contribution agreed depending on means)
- Application process with informal interview to see if programme can meet needs
- Endorsed by the HSE and evaluated by DCU
The Eden Programme provides a safe space where participants can develop the skills to monitor and manage their own mental health, build a range of supports appropriate to their individual needs and move away from suicide as an option of choice in times of crisis.
Where?
The Eden Programme is run in Dublin by Suicide or Survive and in Galway and Claremorris (serving Roscommon and Mayo) by the HSE’s National Counselling Service on license to Suicide or Survive.
How to Apply
To apply for the Dublin Programme, you can download the application form here. Please return your completed application to us by post to the address on the bottom of the form, or by email to eden@suicideorsurvive.ie . If you would like us to send you an application form, please phone us on 01 2722158 and we will post one to you.
To apply for the programme in either Galway or Claremorris please contact Antoinette Hennessy at antoinette.hennessy@hse.ie or you can call her on 091 528030 and she will email or post you an application form.
If you want to chat it through before making an application, you can email us on eden@suicideorsurvive.ie and we will arrange to give you a call.
What happens on the programme?
Each programme session starts with a short mindfulness exercise. Participants then check in saying how they are in coming to the programme that day and get support from facilitators and the group. This is followed by a tea/ coffee break. The remainder of the time is taken up with an educational session and check out where participants can share how they are at the end of the session and if and how they think they can apply their learning from the day.
What’s covered in the educational sessions?
The educational sessions cover a different topic each week ranging from emotions and emotional awareness to building resilience, through self-acceptance, relationships and relationship building, diet, exercise and mental health, spirituality, depression, anxiety, suicide, building hope, and building supports to meet your needs among many others. We also have guest speakers who share their own experience of struggles with their mental health and suicide and what has helped them.
The programme also contains a 2-day WRAP (Wellness Recovery Action Planning) Programme where you can develop your own Wellness Action Plan that goes right through from daily mental health maintenance, to identifying and planning for triggers, identifying when your mental health is challenged and planning for what to do if this happens, right through to crisis and post-crisis planning.
How much does Eden cost?
The programme is funded by the National Office for Suicide Prevention, so there is no fee to attend. Participants are asked to make a financial contribution each week. The amount is dependant on their means and is agreed with each individual at their interview for the programme.
Who facilitates the programme?
The programme is run by two facilitators who have a background in psychology or counselling/ psychotherapy who have been trained by Suicide or Survive to facilitate the Eden Programme. We also have a range of guest speakers who have personal experience and/or expertise in particular topics.
The programme also contains a 2-day WRAP (Wellness Recovery Action Planning) Programme where you can develop your own Wellness Action Plan that goes right through from daily mental health maintenance, to identifying and planning for triggers, identifying when your mental health is challenged and planning for what to do if this happens, right through to crisis and post-crisis planning.
Who can apply?
The programme is open to people over the age of 18 years who have attempted or contemplated suicide. Participants are required to have access to counselling/ psychotherapy outside of the programme to support them while they are attending.
How do I apply?
We only take self-referrals for the programme, so you don’t need to be referred by anyone. The first step is to download the application form, complete and return it to us either by email to eden@suicideorsurvive.ie or by post to the address on the bottom of the form. We will email you to let you know we have received your completed application form when it arrives. The next step is a holistic interview with two members of the Eden Team. Everyone who applies is invited to interview. This is an informal process where the team can find out more about you and why you have applied for the programme so that they can see if it can meet your needs and you can find out more about the programme to see if it is something you think can be of benefit to you.
Eden Programme Evaluation
The Eden Programme was most recently evaluated with DCU in 2021. You can read that report here.
The transferability of the Eden Programme on license to the HSE National Counselling Service in CHO2 was evaluated by DCU in 2016. You can read the full evaluation report here, or a summary of the key findings here
The ten-year lifespan of the Eden Programme has been evaluated by DCU. * You can read the full evaluation report here, or a summary of the key findings here.
The Eden Programme is in line with Strategic Goals 1 and 3 of Connecting for Life: Goal 1: To improve the nation’s understanding of, and attitudes to, suicidal behaviour, mental health and wellbeing; Goal 3: To target approaches to reduce suicidal behaviour and improve mental health among priority groups. This programme is run to the highest standards of practice and service delivery and is underpinned by an evaluation framework as required by ‘Connecting for Life’.
For Information on the National Suicide Prevention Strategy of Ireland click on the Connecting for Life Logo