A Day in the Life: Mags Dillon

TAKING A CLOSER LOOK Mags Dillon has found people have taken a step back and are looking at their lives much closer during the pandemic.


Factfile
Name: Mags Dillon
Age: 36
Lives: Glencorrib, originally from Clare
Occupation: Mayo Drug and Alcohol Family Support and Addiction Counsellor

Once I get the kids up and out in the morning I try to spend maybe 20 or 30 minutes with myself in the calm and doing something that’s really good for me. I would’ve gotten that concept from the book ‘The 5AM Club’.
I am a night owl, so there’s not a chance I’d get up at 5am! But I’ve adapted my own way that before I actually start work I carve out 30 minutes where I will go for a walk or listen to listen a podcast or a TED talk, or maybe do some mindfulness. I pick whatever I’m in the mood for, or whatever I feel I need. I find it really sets me up for the day because my home life and work life are really busy so I really need that time and space to get the mind and body in shape.
Due to the nature of alcohol and drug issues within families in rural areas, the majority of the work that I do is one-to-one support. They need confidentiality and they need trust. The issue of fear and stigma is still really big for people. It’s important that when they present to me, they know that it’s private. Sometimes it’s the first time that they’ve spoken about this for anyone in their life. Often the family member has been dealing with it for a very long time or they hit a crisis point before they come to make the call to me. This can make our current waiting list very challenging.
Since I returned from maternity leave last August, I’ve had 110 families being referred into the service. Most of these are self-referrals and have got the information through word-of-mouth. I’m the only worker for Mayo and I work a four-day week. If you look at the service by this August it will be likely that the current demand for this particular service, based on annual capacity, would be about six times what one worker would actually be able to do at a quality level of service provision.
A typical day would involve having a number of one-to-one sessions with family members. It could be planning or running a group. There could be Teams meetings, Zoom meetings, lots of phone calls and different network meetings which are really essential. A lot of the families who do come into the service need support from other services as well, that could be with housing, financial and mental health.
I’ve been working in the field for over thirteen years. It’s so important to keep on top of the information and knowledge and skills out there. As part of my accreditation with the Addiction Counsellors of Ireland I have to undertake 30 hours  training each year.  Sometimes getting the time to fit that into a busy service can be hard.
In the past I would’ve done outreach clinics in Castlebar, Claremorris, Westport and Ballinrobe so I would’ve spent a lot of time travelling around and meeting with different people throughout the day.
There’s never a dull moment, I really like working within the busy and dynamic service. I’m constantly learning from the people I meet every day. It’s been an absolute privilege to walk beside people who’ve had huge life challenges and watch them progress in areas of their life.
For many people it’s about taking a step back, building themselves back up, learning a bit more about the complexity of addiction and mental health, processing what was happened and then understanding that it’s not their fault and finding new and positive ways to cope and improve their situation.
I also feel that there’s a greater complexity with cases. There’s a lot more issues and needs presenting with people coming in.
I feel as well that a lot more people are being really honest and reflecting on their lives. Pre-Covid people were really busy and there was a lot of rushing and racing. I find people have taken a step back and they are looking at their lives and they’re saying: “This has been going on for me for a long time actually, but now I have the opportunity to do something about it.”
If I was to go back doing outreach clinics again, I’d have to really drastically cut down the people we’re engaging. I find I’m able to engage a lot more families when I’m working from home with calls and online meetings.
Before Covid we didn’t have any online groups running just because of the need and demand for the one-to-one work. Since Covid has come in we’ve taken that as an opportunity. Someone can pop into a group, they can leave their camera off and they don’t have to speak. They can get to a comfort level before they even engage with a group. They are still coming into a group hearing other people’s perspectives and stories but they don’t have to reveal their stories. That’s actually a really big positive for a lot of people.
My home life with young kids means things are still all ‘go’. I enjoy cooking so straight after work I will make dinner and we all sit down and have a family meal together. Evenings are busy and full of chatter with a nearly 2- and a 4-year-old.
After being on the phone and in front of a computer all day, I love to get outdoors whether going for a walk, doing some gardening or bringing the kids outside to play. After they go to bed I like to relax with a good book, TV show or podcast.
In the past I enjoyed going to a yoga or a gym class a couple of times a week which was such a great way to wind down. I really enjoy the calmness in the evening after a busy day.

In conversation with Oisin McGovern

Quickfire questions

If money was no object, what would you do all day?
I absolutely love travelling so I would definitely go see more of the world

Tell us something about yourself we don’t know?
I actually love from working from home. I am much more productive and it makes the life-work balance a lot easier
 
What’s the most unusual thing you’ve eaten?
I did try a kangaroo burger once, I managed one bite

Where’s your favourite place in the world?
I loved Barbados - beautiful weather, scenery and way of life

What makes you angry?
People being excluded from society. Everyone wants to belong and to be included
  
Name three things that are always in your fridge?
My kids hands! And milk, blueberries and cheese 

What makes you nervous?
Speaking in public still makes me nervous even though I often have to do it

Favourite TV show?
Breaking Bad. I also really liked Suits, Orange is the new black, Derry Girls and Working Moms  

What do you miss most about being a kid?
The freedom of not watching the clock! I find a lot of my daily routine now with home, kids and work is scheduled quite finely
 
What’s your most prized possession?
I love taking photos, capturing moments and creating memories
 
Best advice you ever got?
“It’s not what you say, but how you say”

Describe yourself in three words?
Motivated, outgoing and empathetic