24/05/2026
The Mid-Ulster Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (MACP), Coalisland/Mid-Ulster, this coming Saturday, May 30th 2026, will host our second āFrom the Dark Into the Lightā event, in partnership with the Fianna GAA Club, Coalisland. Our 5k walk will commence at 4 am from the Fianna Club grounds. There will be tea, coffee and refreshments in the clubās marvellous facilities after the walk.
Whilst the primary focus is on those who are feeling suicidal, and those who have lost loved ones to su***de, we also want to support everyone who has lost anyone to mental health difficulties.
It is no secret that too many families have lost loved ones to addiction, depression, domestic violence and many other mental health conditions. We want to remember and support each and every person from Coalisland, Mid-Ulster and beyond when we take to the streets to support you all.
4 am is an extremely early rise for most, but committing to this walk will show family, friends and colleagues alike that together we are willing to make this small token gesture to let you know that we care.
If you can make a donation, no matter how small, or if you can share this post, or indeed if you can come along and participate in the walk, you could not do a more meaningful or purposeful thing this year. But more importantly, if you are struggling with suicidal ideation, bereaved by su***de, have lost someone to addiction, depression, domestic violence, or suffer from any mental health difficulty, you are especially welcome to attend.
We will have many counsellors in attendance on the day and if anyone wishes to āwalk and talk,ā that can most definitely be arranged. Just let us know beforehand. Confidentiality will be strictly adhered to and no one will know if you are chatting to one of our counsellors regarding mental health.
As a therapist, Iām privileged that clients trust me with their story and their pain.
Some time ago, I was privileged to hear the story of one such client. This gentleman gave me permission to share his story with you, to give you an idea of just how things can be turned around.
(Trigger warning: su***de and additional mental health issues discussed).
Human beings are creatures that have an instinctive desire, a need even, to hear a good story. Stories capture our very essence; we become intrigued, bewildered, confused, happy or sad ā whatever those who produce the story want us to feel.
The storyteller often targets our emotions more than anything else. Think about it, itās not just books ā a movie is a story, art can be a story, even songs are stories.
But the most important and most painful stories of all are those that are true, the ones that end up completely flooring us.
But we all love a happy ending, and even though for thousands around the world they unfortunately do not get to experience the happy ending, my thoughts and prayers will always be with each and every single person and family who experience terrible tragedy.
But we also must celebrate those who made it, those who did get to the point where life becomes meaningful and purposeful once more. And tonightās little offering is one such story.
But before I tell you this particular story, I want you to think about this.
Iāve witnessed so many people over the years who have genuinely tried to help others who are in very dark places and who carry a heavy load.
And we all say things such as: āKeep going, thereās light at the end of the tunnel, youāll get there.ā
But for those suffering from terrible mental health difficulties, it really doesnāt feel like that to them.
I have my own issues of course, just as you do and as does everyone else, but hereās the thing ā mine are manageable.
Always remember the word āempathy.ā Iāll come back to that.
Take a look at just what YOU have. Do you have a nice house, car, good health, healthy children, a loving spouse, a good enough job, even pets, beautiful flowers in your garden, and maybe love in your home?
Sometimes we have so much more than we think. But do you know what? Thatās perfectly ok and NEVER let anyone put you down for having those things. Is that not what every single person wants? I know I do!!!
But I want you to imagine this: imagine someone in that position trying to convey the message to another person who has none or very little of what we have, āitās going to be ok, youāre going to be alright.ā I donāt know about you, but if I were in the suffererās position, Iām extremely unlikely to listen.
Letās go back to the word āempathy.ā Empathy is trying to imagine what it is like to be in someone elseās shoes, and then conveying THOSE thoughts and feelings back to the sufferer.
So instead of saying the usual stuff we all say, perhaps saying something such as:
āIt sounds to me like youāre feeling terribly depressed and dead inside because you have just lost your mother.ā
This is more than likely to have far more impact because the sufferer is now aware youāre trying to āconnect.ā And itās through these humane connections that healing takes place.
Tonightās little offering is my attempt at doing just that, with someone I worked with for quite a long period of time. I asked this gentleman recently if I could try and capture what he was thinking and feeling at the time he was in pain, and how things are now. I wanted particularly to empathise with his thoughts, feelings and actions through an empathic poem.
But I can never capture this accurately because no one can really feel or think as another. Nevertheless, this is my attempt.
I hope it serves some purpose and perhaps resonates with a few of you.
Iām 10 and Iām strong and I feel 6ft Tall!
The warmth of the sunshine, my friends and my ball,
Iām 10, and Iām strong and I feel 6ft tall.
My mumās lovely dinners, her smile and her smell,
my beautiful family, ātis here we all dwell.
My brothers and sisters, sometimes we all fight,
but when light turns to dark,
we make things alright.
My school and my teachers, they all are so nice,
sometimes at dinner, we get cola and ice.
Everything then seemed so easy and right,
but as time rolled on by,
how fast day turned to night.
My mum left this world when I turned just fifteen,
I remember back then how this felt like a dream.
I was hugged and was kissed as she lay in that box,
and it helped for a while but then faded and stopped.
My dad turned to drink because he couldnāt cope,
he was angry and loud, and my tears made me choke.
But then things got worse, because those lads on the bus,
they said I was weak, and not very tough.
At first they said things that hurt as I cried,
this was the first time I wanted to die.
They spat and they kicked as I lay on the ground,
they laughed and they jeered as I lay there and drowned.
I drowned in a pit that was lonely and dark,
I had nothing left, not even a spark.
But then I felt safe as someone appeared,
she stood by my side as they taunted and jeered.
Dazed and bewildered I didnāt know who,
I only remembered she was dressed in blue.
Anxieties grew and depression was rife,
it was then that I thought of a razor or knife.
As the days, and the months and the years rolled on by,
Iām now 24, and still wanted to die.
Iām sick and Iām tired and Iāve no purpose left,
where did my life go, it feels like a theft.
And so I decided that this was the end,
itās done and itās over, to this earth Iāll descend.
I wrote my goodbyes, I organised stuff,
I tidied things up, Iāll show them whoās tough.
As I walked to the tree that the rope would hang from,
a stranger approached, and said āI knew your mum.ā
My heart it did beat for the first time in years,
my face it was wet from the slow flowing tears.
At that point I realised I died that day too,
when the good Lord arrived, and took mum away.
But the stranger turned out to be someone I knew,
that little girl that day who was dressed up in blue.
Iāll never forget how she stood by my side,
and somehow again, and once more I cried.
We both walked together away from the site,
where Iād planned to end it, where Iād give up the fight.
She helped me to see that my heart it still beats,
and as painful the loss, there is no defeat.
As much as my pain and my heartache persist,
it was mum died that day, and itās her that I miss.
I realise now that this life can be so cruel,
but with love and with care, we all can get through.
But itās now that I know we canāt do this alone,
we all need each other, please pick up that phone.
I love life once more as the night turns to day,
I sing and I dance and I thank God each day.
And the years they roll by and love it is true,
for I married that young girl who was dressed in blue.
And now as I watch my son kicking his ball,
I feel like Iām 10, and still 6ft Tall!
This little piece of work is dedicated to one of the bravest, most courageous and kind-hearted gentlemen Iāve ever had the pleasure of meeting. Without people like this, we would never make progress. God bless each and every soul whoās out there tonight fighting their demons. There are people, good people, who live to help you fight another day. I sincerely hope you guys can take the risk, reach out, find that special person, and perhaps together you too can turn these demons into dust.
Please donate here if you can. Thank you! š
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