An Irish charity says it expects racism to be a “huge issue” as it launches a new range of online mental health support groups for migrants.

Migrants can log into the Turn2Me support groups free of charge every Monday at 6pm throughout this month to discuss any issues they face.

On Breakfast Briefing, spokesperson Fiona O’Malley said she hopes the sessions will help migrants deal with any prejudice they encounter while living in Ireland. 

“We will have a fully accredited psychotherapist who will be able to guide them through some coping methods,” she said. 

Ms O’Malley said sessions have been organised as the mental health needs of migrants are often fundamentally different to people who have lived in Ireland all their lives. 

“These support groups will be online and the online format ensures that these support groups are accessible to anyone in Ireland - including people living in Direct Provision centres where access to mental health services can be quite limited,” she said. 

“We do recognise that migrants in Ireland do face unique challenges, from adjusting to a new culture, from coping with separation, from loved ones and obviously, dealing with the complexities of the asylum process.”

Asylum seeker tents are seen in Dublin city, 28-4-24. Image: X/@carthy_aubrey

The online format is also designed to help people who might struggle with in person sessions. 

“It also allows people who don’t have good English to share their experiences,” Ms O’Malley said. 

“Because it’s online, people can join the support group on one page and then on another page they can integrate Google Translate.” 

The sessions are confidential and some people have also expressed a preference to take part anonymously. 

“I think they’re afraid of a backlash,” Ms O’Malley said. 

“They might be hesitant because [they fear] it might have some negative impact on their applications for the asylum process, so this is totally anonymous.” 

Up until July 7th, 11,052 people arrived and applied for asylum in Ireland this year.

Main image: Asylum seeker tents. Image: RollingNews