Faoiseamh, the counselling service set up by the Catholic church to assist survivors of clerical abuse, has cut the number of therapy sessions it provides to new participants, the Sunday Tribune has learned.

Despite the fallout from the Ryan commission report on child abuse, Faoiseamh has confirmed that following an "independent" external review of the service in 2007, it was decided to limit the number of sessions it provides to new or returning participants to a maximum of 80 sessions over two years.

Previously, abuse survivors who availed of the service could avail of an on-demand and 'open-ended' number of sessions, something that is now automatically available only to clients who signed up before February of this year.

The general manager of the service, Michael Lyons, told the Sunday Tribune that the new "case management procedures" it has introduced are "in line with best practice models internationally and are considered to meet the needs of the vast majority of our clients".

He denied that the decision to cut the number of sessions was financially motivated, but acknowledged that "clearly any organisation is accountable to its funders".

"It has to ensure its governance is in line with best practice," he said . "If somebody has gone beyond 80 sessions, they may need referral to further services. But it is not a case that clients are simply cut off after 80 sessions."

The average number of sessions availed of by participants is "something in the order of 40 or 50", he said, adding that some 800 people are availing of the service.

However, John Kelly, coordinator of the Survivors of Child Abuse (SOCA) organisation, said he believes the decision is aimed at saving money.

He said many survivors were reluctant to avail of the service due to its perceived ties with the religious congregations whose members had, in many instances, abused them.

"It is about money. The orders are in control of the setting-up of the service and deciding which therapists can be used," he said. "If it is best practice to reduce the number of sessions, then it is wrong. At the end of the day, some might need years of therapy.

"They're the cause of the counselling. They should simply pay for it and let others run it."