Need to Talk – counselling and confidence building support
Our Need to Talk team helps blind and partially sighted adults and young people (aged 11 or older) and those who support someone with sight loss.
Call the RNIB Helpline on 0303 123 9999 or email: [email protected] if you need support and live in Northern Ireland, or Western Scotland.
If you live in the Republic of Ireland, you can call Fighting Blindness on 01 674 6496, or email: [email protected].
Watch our videos to find out how Need to Talk can help
Download our Need to Talk booklet
Find further information on how we can support you and your family through telephone and online counselling and confidence building programmes in our project information booklet:
New – free eLearning courses
Online Living Well with Sight Loss course – for individuals, friends and family
Our online confidence building programme will support you in adapting to life with sight loss, covering topics such as: mobility and daily living; emotional support and wellbeing; eye health, peer support and assistive technology.
This can be taken at your own pace, in the comfort of your own home.
Close family or friends have also found this course beneficial in understanding how they can support their loved ones.
To register your interest in attending a face to face Living Well with Sight Loss course near you, call the RNIB Helpline on 0303 123 9999.
For professionals: how to become an Emotional Support Vision Champion e-learning short course
This short online course (taking approximately 90 minutes to complete) will equip you to provide the best possible emotional support and practical advice to your current or future patients, clients, customers, and colleagues who have any degree of sight loss.
Read about our latest events and courses:
Request a Mental Wellbeing Check-in
Many blind and partially sighted people have faced anxiety, sadness and even fear about the unique challenges created by the coronavirus pandemic.
Our Mental Wellbeing Check-ins are an hour-long call with a counsellor, where you will have space to share feelings, explore coping strategies and any further support needs you may have at this time.
You can register for a one-off check-in by completing our referral form:
About Need to Talk
A five-year (2017 - 2021) cross-border counselling and confidence building project, Need to Talk is delivered in partnership between RNIB in Northern Ireland and Scotland, and Fighting Blindness in the Republic of Ireland. The €1.8million project is funded by the European Union's INTERREG VA Programme, which is managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB).
Related links
Help us give the support people need now
Information and local support are vital at times like these, so we are boosting our services to meet a record demand. Please help us ensure blind and partially sighted people do not face these challenges on their own.
Donate todayContact us
For further information, and to register interest in counselling, or take part in one of our confidence building courses, contact your local Need to Talk team:
Northern Ireland and Western Scotland
Phone: RNIB Helpline 0303 123 9999
Email: [email protected]
Republic of Ireland
Phone: Fighting Blindness 01 674 6496
Email: [email protected]
If you live in a region of the UK outside of these areas, don’t worry, you can still get counselling and confidence building support through RNIB. Simply contact the RNIB Helpline on 0303 123 9999 or [email protected].
Urgent support
Need to Talk is not a crisis service. If you need to speak to someone urgently, the Samaritans is available via freephone on 116 123 (UK and Ireland) or you can email [email protected].