HSE Mental Health Waiting List: What to Do
If you are in crisis right now
Please reach out before reading further
Samaritans: call 116 123 (free, 24/7)
Text About It (50808): text HELLO to 50808 (free, 24/7)
Pieta: call 1800 247 247 (free, 24/7)
Emergency services: 999 or 112
This article is not a substitute for professional mental health support. If you are in distress, please contact one of the services above first.
Low Tide Blog · HSE Waiting List Support
What to Do While You Are On the HSE Waiting List for Mental Health
You have been referred. You are waiting. Here is what you can actually do right now.
You went to your GP. You talked about how you have been feeling. They referred you for counselling, psychology, or a psychiatric assessment. And then you were told to wait.
If you are reading this, you are probably still waiting. You are not alone. At the end of December 2025, over 4,400 children and adolescents were on the CAMHS waiting list, with more than 600 waiting over twelve months. Overall hospital waiting lists rose by more than 86,000 patients across 2025, from around 808,000 at the end of 2024 to around 894,000 at the end of 2025, according to National Treatment Purchase Fund data. And health and social care staffing is under severe strain: a January 2026 TASC study of 3,775 Fórsa health workers found almost half reported feeling burnt out often or always, with three in four thinking about leaving their role.
The TASC figures apply to health and social care workers specifically, not the general Irish workforce. They matter here because they describe the people trying to deliver the services you are waiting for. The system is stretched beyond capacity. That is not your fault. But it does not help you today.
This post is not therapy. It is not clinical advice. It is a practical guide to things you can do right now while you wait.
I am not a psychologist or psychotherapist, and nothing here replaces the professional support you have been referred for. What this is, is a list of supports that are accessible without a referral, and a handful of nervous system practices that may help hold things in place while the proper work gets done. Some are free. Some are low-cost. All are accessible today.
First: know what is available to you right now
There are more free and low-cost mental health resources in Ireland than most people realise. The HSE itself funds several partner organisations that you can contact directly, without a GP referral and without a waiting list.
Turn2Me
Up to six free online counselling sessions for adults (over 18) resident in the Republic of Ireland, funded by the HSE. Sessions are delivered via video, instant chat, or phone. Turn2Me also runs free online support groups throughout the week. Apply at turn2me.ie.
Jigsaw
Free mental health support for young people aged 12 to 25, and for parents or concerned adults. Available in person across multiple hubs around Ireland and online. Visit jigsaw.ie.
Aware
Free support groups (online and in person, no referral needed) and a support line for anyone experiencing depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder. Family members and supporters are welcome too. Support line 1800 80 48 48. Visit aware.ie.
MyMind
Online and in-person counselling. Not free, but operates on a sliding scale and offers reduced-rate sessions. Visit mymind.org.
Social prescribing
Connects you with non-clinical activities and supports in your local area: walking groups, community gardens, art programmes, or peer support. Free, available in many parts of Ireland, self-referral. Visit allirelandsocialprescribing.ie.
Your Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)
If you are employed, check whether your workplace offers an EAP. These typically provide four to eight free, confidential counselling sessions. Many Irish employers expanded their EAP provision after the pandemic, but employees often do not know the service exists. Ask HR or check your employee handbook. More on your workplace rights around mental health.
Your health insurance
VHI members can claim €30 back toward an annual Headspace or Calm subscription. Irish Life Health members on 4D Health Mind Extra plans can claim €30 toward mindfulness app subscriptions plus €30 toward meditation support. Laya Healthcare offers EAP referrals and mindfulness seminars. These benefits are underused because most people do not know they exist. Log into your member portal and look.
What you can do for yourself (honestly, not as a platitude)
I want to be careful here. "Things you can do for yourself" can easily sound like "just try harder," which is the last thing anyone on a waiting list needs to hear. So let me be clear about what I mean and what I do not.
I do not mean these things will fix what you are going through. I do not mean they replace professional support. And I do not mean that if you are struggling to do any of them, that is a failing on your part. What I mean is that there are a handful of evidence-informed practices that can help regulate your nervous system, reduce the intensity of distress, and give you a slightly more stable foundation while you wait.
Think of these as scaffolding, not a cure. They hold things in place while the proper work gets done.
Practice 1
Breathe through your nose, slowly
This is the simplest nervous system intervention available. Slow, nasal breathing activates the vagus nerve and shifts your autonomic nervous system toward a calmer state. You do not need an app. You do not need a course. Just close your mouth, breathe through your nose, and slow the exhale down. Five minutes of this, done regularly, can reduce anxiety and improve sleep. It is not a solution to what you are going through. But it is a tool that costs nothing. More context: why you cannot take a deep breath.
Practice 2
Move your body, even a little
You do not need a gym membership. A 20-minute walk, ideally outdoors, ideally in daylight, does more for nervous system regulation than most people realise. Walking activates bilateral stimulation (the alternating left-right pattern), which has a calming effect on the brain. It also gets you out of the environment where distress tends to loop. If a walk feels like too much right now, even standing outside for five minutes is a start.
Practice 3
Maintain a basic routine where you can
When mental health deteriorates, routine is usually the first thing to go. Eating at roughly consistent times, getting daylight in the morning, and having a loose structure to the day helps anchor your nervous system. This is not about productivity. It is about giving your body predictable signals so it does not have to stay on high alert.
Practice 4
Be honest with one person
Not everyone. One. Tell someone you trust what you are going through and that you are waiting for support. This is not about getting advice. It is about not carrying it alone. Isolation amplifies distress. Connection, even a small amount, reduces it.
Practice 5
Consider a structured mindfulness practice
Not as a quick fix, but as a way to build your capacity to be with difficult feelings without being overwhelmed by them. Mindfulness does not make pain go away. What it can do, when practised consistently, is widen the space between a feeling and your reaction to it. That space is where you get your footing back. Free resources are available through your health insurer, through Aware's programmes, and through community courses.
Stay on the list
This is important. If you have been referred by your GP, stay on the waiting list even if you find other supports in the meantime. Do not assume that because you are managing today, you will not need the referral when it comes through. And if your situation changes, whether it improves or gets worse, go back to your GP. They can escalate the referral, adjust medication if appropriate, or point you toward resources you have not tried yet.
Your GP is your advocate within the system. Use them.
A note on what this post isn't
I am a mindfulness teacher and breathwork instructor, not a psychologist or psychotherapist. Nothing in this post is clinical advice, and none of these suggestions are a replacement for the professional support you deserve and are waiting for. The Irish mental health system is under severe strain, and the gap between referral and first appointment is a space where people are left largely unsupported. This post exists to fill that gap with something practical and honest, not to exploit it.
If you are on a waiting list right now, I am sorry you are in that position. It should not be this way. But while the system catches up, you do not have to just sit with it. There are things you can do today. Some are listed above. Start where you can.
About Low Tide Calm
Low Tide Calm offers structured breathwork and mindfulness programmes for people with stress, burnout, and nervous system dysregulation. These programmes are not a mental health service and are not a substitute for clinical care. Free breathing tools are available in the Low Tide Calm app. If you want to add breathwork or mindfulness to your support toolkit while you wait, you can read more on the contact page. If you are in acute distress, please contact one of the crisis services at the top of this post first.
Contact Low Tide CalmCian O'Driscoll is the founder of Low Tide Calm, a Wicklow-based wellness practice. He is a certified mindfulness teacher (Mindfulness Now UK), Buteyko breathing instructor, and complementary therapist. He is not a psychologist, psychotherapist, or counsellor. Nothing in this post is clinical or therapeutic advice. If you are in distress, please contact Samaritans on 116 123, text HELLO to 50808, or call 999 or 112.
Waiting list and workforce data
Irish Times (March 2026). A quarter of children on Camhs list are waiting more than nine months (end of December 2025 figures: 4,462 on list, 602 waiting over 12 months). irishtimes.com.
RTÉ News (January 2026). Waiting lists up by 86,300 patients in 2025. National Treatment Purchase Fund data. rte.ie.
McDonough, T. (2026). Morale Among Health and Social Care Workers. TASC, commissioned by the Health and Welfare Division of Fórsa. Survey of 3,775 Fórsa members. tasc.ie.
Services and supports (official sources)
HSE. Get urgent help for a mental health crisis. hse.ie.
HSE. Organisations that provide mental health supports and services. hse.ie.
Text About It (50808) by spunout. textaboutit.ie. Samaritans Ireland: samaritans.org. Pieta: pieta.ie.
Citizens Information. Mental Health Services. citizensinformation.ie.