The Deaf community in Northern Ireland face significant challenges when trying to access treatment and support for their mental health.
Louise McDonnell is the only one to one mental health counsellor for the Deaf and hard of hearing in NI and has spoken to Belfast Live about the issues that are facing the community and the often overlooked barriers in front of them as they go about their everyday lives.
She says that mental health support is something that a lot of people in the community need, but can be difficult to access due to the limited number of counsellors who are able to properly communicate with a deaf person.
Louise said: "It can be very difficult for people in the Deaf or hard of hearing community to access mental health support primarily due to not having enough qualified people who are able to properly communicate with them on a one to one basis.
"Even trying to speak with someone through an interpreter can create issues because someone may not feel comfortable speaking through someone about personal struggles and things they are going through.
"Many within the Deaf community develop mental health problems due to the communication barriers in everyday life and can often be exploited or abused and suffer from trauma, but are unable to speak out about it to others, particularly if they are mute.
"Isolation and depression are also common among the community and increasing the numbers of counsellors who are able to provide them with support would mean that more people can get the help they need, because at the moment I am the only one in Northern Ireland."
Louise said that the Covid pandemic has also created further challenges for the deaf community due to some of the measures used to combat the spread of the virus.
She continued: "The pandemic has been a very tough time for many in the deaf community. Just going to the shop could cause a lot of anxiety as you are not as aware about who will be coming up behind you or approaching.
"Even the wearing of masks has created problems as those people who rely on seeing someone's mouth move to understand them cannot do that if they are wearing a mask. There have been a number of occasions where people have struggled to buy things in a shop because the person working wouldn't pull their mask down.
"The pandemic has been a very hard time for many people's mental health, but it can be even worse when you struggle to find the right treatment and support because of your disability."
Louise is hoping that more people can get involved in providing mental health support for the deaf and hard of hearing saying that she has a high demand for her service.
She said: "I am hoping to develop a team in order to provide more mental health support for the deaf because I have a high demand for my service and would like to ensure that even more people are getting the help that they need.
"It would be great to see more mental health counsellors learning sign language and recognising the importance of making sure that everyone is able to access mental health services in a time of need.
"I currently run a 10 week Anxiety Self regulation class & Counselling support group for the Deaf funded by the Department for Communities. Counselling is also available through a professional referral or self referral to AMH/Newlife."
