“PsyCare Ireland provides a peaceful, friendly and safe space in the heart of the busy world of the festival,” says founder Mick Ledden. “The type of services that we provide would be positioned at a central location in any music festival or dance music event. Ideally, we would be positioned next to or close to the medics to work in tandem with them and security staff, as is done in other countries and would be linked into the festival radio system.” 

 The PsyCare specialised multidisciplinary team has experience in the behaviours and risks that affect the service users, and offer intervention to prevent escalation to traumatic or high-risk situations which may involve medical or police intervention.

“In addition to this, our service offers a safe space to create a festival-wide atmosphere of responsibility and awareness around drug taking and the potential ill effects. Our service offers non-judgemental healthcare advice around harm reduction and risk minimisation in drug use.” 

 PsyCare services are open 24 hours a day for the duration of the event, from providing support for those undergoing an intense psychedelic experience, to those who just need to have a quick chat or sit down.

Each year over a million people attend music concerts and festivals in Ireland, which for some individuals may turn out to be environments that are overwhelming and stressful. Additionally, they are synonymous with high levels of recreational drug and alcohol abuse.

Until 2022, Ireland had no permanent and dedicated service to look after the mental and emotional wellbeing of patrons at music events, nor was there a service to provide substance-induced crisis intervention, peer-to-peer service to provide information and advice to prevent substance induced crises.

A 2021 HSE survey found that 94.2% of 1,193 respondents said that they has used drugs at festivals, with many others reporting polydrug use and mixing drugs and alcohol.

“Concerts, electronic dance music parties, and festivals offer rich aesthetic and social environments that some attendees rightly or wrongly choose to explore with psychoactive drugs and alcohol.

“A combination of factors such as inexperienced users, novel substances, festival chaos, contaminated or misidentified drugs, may create a context where some participants may have psychologically difficult or physically dangerous experiences.”

 While emergency medical services are present at most large events, but they are set-up to handle physical health issues, rather than emotional, mental or substance-induced crises.

“Individuals who find themselves overwhelmed mentally need a different kind of support than what a medical tent can provide. This support would be a service designed to help those in mental turmoil who need a quiet space, time, a friendly voice, or assistance in recovering from internal and/or external chaos.

“We also provide a watchful eye for when a person needs further medical intervention. The presence of trained and prepared care givers can have a strong positive impact on those in delicate mind states, whether those states are fearful or joyous.” 

 Mick Ledden is a fully accredited psychotherapist, founding director and chairperson of PsyCare Ireland.

He has a background in working in homeless services with clients in addiction, and also worked in a support and advocacy role with International Protection Applicants and refugees.

For the last number of years he has run his own psychotherapy service, Anxiety Ireland, and works as a facilitator and psychotherapist with InwardBound Psilocybin retreats in the Netherlands. In 2021 he started to volunteer with PsyCare UK, which served as life changing moment, ultimately inspiring him to form the founding board of PsyCare Ireland.

Since then he has been successful in leading PsyCare Ireland to win places on Social Enterprise grant programmes with RETHINK Ireland, Oakfield Trust and Social Entrepreneurs Ireland.

“For many, music festivals are an annual rite of passage, times of great celebration and community where friendships are made and solidified. Festivals, it has to be acknowledged, are also a space where drugs are easily available and consumed in all their forms.

“At PsyCare Ireland, we approach drug use in a non-judgemental way and acknowledge the reality that many people who use drugs do not do so to feed an addiction.” 

 The motivation for many recreational drug users may be to connect more with music, the environment and their friends.

“While a relationship with drugs can most definitely lead to harm and the development of addiction for anyone at any time, many across Ireland will partake in social, occasional or exploratory kinds of drug use every year. Some will only partake once or twice a year at events like concerts or festivals.” 

 PsyCare Ireland offers a safe space to the service users at festivals as well as realistic and non-judgemental information and awareness around drug taking and the effects of drugs on the body and mind. 

“Really, risk-minimisation is at the heart of what we do.”