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The University of Limerick now has an Employee Support Service (ESS) in place.
The ESS is a confidential counselling and advice service to assist all of us in dealing with personal issues that could pose a threat to our health, well-being, relationships or employment.
- The service is free – the University of Limerick bears the cost of this service.
- The service is voluntary – the decision to use the service and avail of counselling rests with the individual.
- The service is confidential and independent – and provided by an external company called Inspire Wellbeing.
How does the Support Service operate?
Inspire Wellbeing, an external provider, engage a range of professional and experienced counsellors and practitioners for this service. All counsellors/ practitioners meet the training and experience requirements of professional bodies such as the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI) or the Irish Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists (IACP).
To access this, you call the freephone helpline number Freephone:1-800-201-346, which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Users may prefer to access this number from a private telephone as UL telephone bills are itemised. From here, you will be referred to the appropriate counsellor. You will be able to avail of up to six counselling sessions in a twelve-month period.
Who can use the ESS?
This service is provided for all University of Limerick employees and their family members. A family member is defined as a partner or adult child (18+ years) residing at the same address as the employee.
We all go through stages where life seems tough and you may be finding it hard to cope with day-to-day issues. This service can also be used to help with a variety of difficulties such as bereavement, stress, relationship problems, issues with alcohol, drugs, or gambling, etc.
Will my employer know I am using the ESS?
No. The University will not be told who is using the service and receive only anonymous figures for evaluation of the service.
When is the ESS available?
Access to the helpline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Freephone:1-800-201-346
Staff can also access the ESS Support Hub here: https://www.inspiresupporthub.org Please Note:
You will need to log on using a completely randomly generated anonymous username by following the Instructions Here.
The Support Hub provides instant access to a range of information, guidance, screening, and intervention tools, tailored to help care for your individual wellbeing needs including a rich Resource Library on many specific mental and physical health topics.
Your anonymity is completely secure and is in no way linked to the University of Limerick.
Once you enter the P.I.N. provided in the instructions above, you will be asked to create your own password. You may wish to save the log-in details into your web browser settings for ease of repeat access.
Click here for Additional Information
Click here for Guidelines for use of this Service
Click here for Instructions for Access to the Support Hub
Click here for the ESS Leaflet
Printed materials are also available throughout the HR Offices.
