Your 24/7 Mental Wellbeing Support

Immediate help and fast access to expert advice

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1.8 million adults in Ireland suffer from loneliness

Connect to the help you need with one call

Dealing with stress, anxiety, relationship strain, money worries or work-related pressure? We’re here to look after you always.

When you contact laya healthcare’s 24/7 Mental Wellbeing service by phone, chat or callback, you get immediate in-the-moment emotional support from a qualified counsellor.

And you get connected quickly to the next right step for you. That could be self-help resources, counselling or psychotherapy, expert guidance or interim support while you wait for specialist intervention.

This confidential, around-the-clock service is available at no extra cost to all laya healthcare members aged 16+. Call as often as you need, any time.

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Available to all laya healthcare members aged 16+

Fast access to the right mental wellbeing support for you

Want to know more? Discover your 24/7 Mental Wellbeing supports

Your first call or chat

Fast follow-up support

Our 24/7 Mental Wellbeing support team

Support services we offer

Access 24/7 Mental Wellbeing support through your Laya App or by logging into laya-wellbeing.com with your member details.

A qualified counsellor will listen to you in confidence to understand your needs and recommend the right support for you. They’ll also give you in-the-moment support there and then.

Not a member? Get a quote here or call us on 021 202 2000.

Once you call or chat with our 24/7 Mental Wellbeing service, our clinical team will assess your needs and guide you towards suitable further support. 

If you’re referred for counselling, you'll be contacted within 48 hours and offered an appointment within 5 working days.

For digital psychology or digital psychotherapy services, your first appointment will be within 10 working days. (You must pay and claim back for these appointments.)

Support can also include referrals to financial, legal, career or parenting experts, or online resources such as iCBT.

All our 24/7 Mental Wellbeing counsellors hold at least a diploma in counselling and/or psychotherapy, have a minimum of two year's post-qualification experience and maintain fully accredited membership with a relevant professional body, including IACP,ACAP or IAHIP. 

Our psychotherapists are also IACP-accredited, while all psychologists hold doctoral-level qualifications. Our practical career, life, finance and parenting experts are highly experienced professionals with specialist expertise in their respective fields. 

 

In-the-moment support for any issue you're facing (available 24/7, with 90% of calls answered within 90 seconds)

  • Short-term individual counselling
  • Couples counselling
  • Digital psychotherapy (Age 6+. Cost applies)
  • Digital psychology (Age 6+. Cost applies)
  • Structured CBT programme
  • Legal advice services
  • Financial & consumer advice
  • Mediation
  • Career guidance
  • Parenting advice 


Digital mental wellbeing resources

  • Self-guided mind health courses
  • iCBT

The hidden crisis: Ireland’s struggle with mind health


Mind Health Report 2026

As part of the AXA global family, we're proud to share the Mind Health Report 2026. It’s the biggest study of its kind ever done – 19,000 people, 18 countries – meaning laya healthcare is the only insurer in Ireland with direct access to data on this scale.

  • Ireland’s mind health distress is higher than the global average.
  • People in Ireland are more likely than any in Europe to take sick leave for mental health reasons.
  • People here are also the most likely in Europe to use AI for mind health reasons.

This year’s report covers the silent epidemic of depression, stress and anxiety hitting Ireland and dives deep on three fronts with spotlights on the workplace, access to support and AI. It also includes clinical insights and recommendations for change.

Access the report
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Supporting our members with 24/7 Access to Mental Wellbeing Support

Looking after your mental health

For many people, finding head space starts with small, everyday moments a walk outdoors in nature, a conversation with a friend, or time to reset as highlighted by laya healthcare brand ambassador Johnny Sexton. But sometimes that isn’t enough. Laya healthcare provides members with access to a 24/7 Mental Wellbeing Support service, offering confidential counselling and professional mental health support at any time of the day or night. Our goal is to make support accessible, reduce stigma around seeking help, and ensure our members always have someone to turn to. Because looking after your mental wellbeing is just as important as looking after your physical health.

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1 in 2 people in Ireland are struggling or languishing (Mind Health Report, 2026)

Make sure you get the help you need to thrive in your life

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Mind health self-check

Invest 10 minutes in your wellbeing – take the Mind Health Self-Check now.

Answer a few questions about yourself and your state of mind, to get your personal mind health report with practical tips for keeping well.

If you’ve been putting mental health to the back of your mind, this is an simple way to start to take control, and give your mind health the attention it deserves.

  • Clear and comprehensive insurance solution recommendations that align perfectly with your company's goals.
  • Ongoing support at every stage of your journey with us.
  • We prioritise your employees' well-being and your company's success.
Take the self check

Mind Health FAQs: Stress, Anxiety, Burnout & Support

The first step is acknowledging it’s a good idea to mind and improve your mental health, so you’re already on the way.

For most people, consistent self-care makes the biggest difference. It’s not so much about making huge changes, as it is about trying to allow space in your life for regular sleep, movement, time outdoors and staying connected to people you trust.

If you find your stress levels or low mood have been building for a while, tell someone. That could be a friend, family member, your GP or a counsellor. People often worry about asking for help, but it’s the right thing to do and the first step to improving things.

And know if you're struggling, you're far from alone. Our Mind Health Report 2026 found 33% of working people in Ireland took sick leave for mental health reasons last year.

Burnout builds over time due to chronic stress. Classic signs include persistent exhaustion, feeling cynical about work and feeling less effective than you used to.

Take some time why you feel burned out. Is it a heavy workload, the feeling you’re not in control or being unclear what’s expected of you? It makes sense to raise it with your manager or HR before you hit a wall, and it will help if you can share more context.

If you’re a healthcare member, make sure to call 24/7 Mental Wellbeing where you’ll be immediately connected to a qualified counsellor. You can talk to them in complete confidence and they’ll refer you to other services if needed.

Burnout is rarely down to just one thing – our Mind Health research found 82% of working people in Ireland say multiple factors are affecting their mental health at once. It’s also something that’s hard to manage alone. Getting help is the first step.

Recovery from burnout means more than rest. It’s about addressing the cause, so that could mean adjusting how you work and protecting your downtime.

There's no instant switch-off, but proven techniques can help. In the moment, try some breathing exercises or other grounding techniques. Consider cutting back on caffeine and increasing your time moving or spent outdoors.

If you’re a laya healthcare member, log onto laya-wellbeing.com and make the most of the wide selection of guided meditations there. They’re designed to help with stress and anxiety.

One of the most helpful things to do when you’re feeling anxious is to talk through what’s worrying you with someone you trust, such as a friend, family member or counsellor.

If your anxiety is frequent, intense or getting in the way of daily life, talk to your GP or a therapist rather than managing it alone. With the right support, anxiety is manageable and treatable.

If you’re a laya healthcare member, make sure to call 24/7 Mental Wellbeing where you’ll be immediately connected to a qualified counsellor who can refer you on to other services if needed.

Yes — prolonged stress doesn't stay in your head. It shows up as poor sleep, tension and fatigue, and it can affect your immune system and heart health over time.

Our Mind Health research found 73% of working people in Ireland said work-related stress had at least one tangible impact on them, from disrupted sleep to lower motivation.

Treating stress early protects your physical health as much as your mental health. If you’re a laya healthcare member, log onto laya-wellbeing.com where you’ll find some helpful resources. Take a yoga or Pilates class in the Digital Gym or make the most of the wide selection of guided meditations there that can help you with stress and anxiety.

If your mood, anxiety or stress is affecting your sleep, relationships, work or daily life, especially if that is consistently the case over a few weeks or longer, it’s time to talk to someone about it.  You don't need to hit a crisis point to reach out. In fact, it’s better to get support as soon as you can.

In our Mind Health research, 36% of people said their struggles didn't warrant help, even when they were genuinely struggling. Don’t be afraid to ask or worried what people will think. Most people experience a dip in their mental health at some point. If you’re asking if you need help, it's worth exploring further.

If you’re a laya healthcare member, make sure to call 24/7 Mental Wellbeing where you can talk through your concerns immediately with a qualified counsellor. It’s confidential and they can refer you on to other services if needed.

Open up to a friend or family member as a first port of call, if you’re comfortable doing that. Otherwise, your GP is a good place to start. They can assess what's going on and point you to the right kind of support, from counselling to more specialist care.

You can also go directly to a therapist yourself, use a workplace support service if you have one, or call a helpline if you need to talk today. The right person is whoever you feel able to talk to and the most important thing is not to suffer alone.

If you’re a laya healthcare member, call or chat in confidence immediately with a qualified counsellor through 24/7 Mental Wellbeing. They can refer you on to other services if needed.

It depends on your plan and provider, so it's worth checking your specific policy. Many laya healthcare plans, for example, include cover for counselling or psychotherapy.

If you’re a laya healthcare member, you can access immediate support from a qualified counsellor through our confidential 24/7 Mental Wellbeing service at no extra cost.

This counsellor can also refer you to many other resources and supports at no extra cost, including online guided courses, counselling or expert advisors. They can also refer you to psychotherapists or psychologists, who you’ll need to pay, but this cost may be covered by your policy’s outpatient benefit.

Several services now offer online or phone-based counselling and CBT in Ireland, through the HSE and private providers.

If you're a laya healthcare member, our 24/7 Mental Wellbeing service can connect you to online counselling, digital psychotherapy or psychology, or a structured online CBT programme. Just call our free 24/7 phone line (1800 911 909 in Ireland or 0800 0988 350 in the UK), or log into laya-wellbeing.com or your Laya App to get started.

AI can be a genuinely useful first step — it's free, immediate, and can help you find the words for what you're feeling. But it has real limits: our Mind Health research found a third of people in Ireland said AI advice led them to do something harmful.

Use AI tools to understand, not to diagnose, and treat AI as a starting point. Sometimes you need help from another person.

If you’re a laya healthcare member, remember you can access immediate and fully confidential support from a qualified counsellor through our confidential 24/7 Mental Wellbeing service.

And make sure to download our Mind Health AI guide, which includes five ways to use AI well for your mind health.

No. AI can be a helpful starting point — for understanding a feeling, or working out what to say — but it can't replace the judgement, accountability or human connection a trained therapist brings, especially when things are more serious.

In Ireland, 33% of AI users told us it had led them to harmful behaviour, above the 28% global average for AXA’s Mind Health research.

Six in 10 people in Ireland use AI now for mental health support, but use it mindfully and reach out in the real world if your challenges are more than minor issues.