Psycare, a volunteer-operated organisation dedicated to providing psychological help to attendees at festivals throughout the nation, has requested financial support and asked event organisers to take patrons’ well-being more seriously. Psycare’s team, composed of doctors, nurses, and psychotherapists, offers round-the-clock welfare assistance, mental health support, and drug crisis intervention, as well as education on harm reduction.
Founded in 2021 to alleviate some pressure from festival medical staff, the service ensures all volunteers are well-equipped to identify signs that may require a medical professional’s attention, according to Deirdre Mullins, a volunteer representative who spoke from the Psycare tent at the recent Another Love Story festival in Killyon Manor, Co Meath. She disclosed their intentional strategy to be located alongside medical assistance for efficiency.
The festival tent offers a tranquil, dimly lit atmosphere that provides a comfortable environment for people to unwind, with a tea station and volunteer interaction available. The service users come from varied backgrounds, who might have been overwhelmed by substance abuse, received tragic news, or faced another form of distress.
The tent exterior demonstrates an enlightening infographic, indicating the risks corresponding with different drug combinations. The chart spans from moderate to high risk to promote safer practices and awareness, as relayed by Mullins, attracting genuine interest from passers-by.
Declan Hammond, another volunteer, highlighted this was the third year Psycare had been at Another Love Story and mentioned many festivals simply do not know that such services exist.
The presence of an older crowd at this festival suggests a lower requirement for their services than larger festivals with younger attendees. However, some other festivals have seen high numbers of individuals seeking help at the Psycare tent, who have been intoxicated or under the influence of drugs before even reaching the site.
“Festivals that realise the urgency of this matter tend to collaborate with us annually, but several larger festivals often respond with their inability to allocate budget for it,” remarked Mr Hammond. The increasing expenses of hosting a festival currently mean that “when coordinators disclose their expenditure plans, a few have mentioned that welfare aspects rank lower in their priority list,” shared Paul Kinsella, a volunteer.
He stated that the expense of offering Psycare at festivals is “extremely minor,” adding that all among the 150 individuals trained for Psycare participate voluntarily. He expressed that the association operates purely due to the generosity of its members, but warned that it was not a long-lasting solution. “We’re just about meeting our own expenses,” Kinsella said. He hopes to convince local councils and the Garda that a welfare service is not only crucial but should also be included in the licensing terms for events. “It must be equated to medical or security provisions. It’s equally significant.”