Prioritising good mental health and wellbeing

Launch of Tipperary Mental Week 2023

tipperary Mental Health Week 2023 will run from Monday to Saturday, October 9 to 14.

On Friday, September 22, Tipperary Mental Health Week committee came together in TÚS Thurles Campus to officially launch the week. This was an all-county event to launch and promote a range of actions that will take place during Mental Health Week.

The theme for the week is ‘Make mental health & wellbeing for all a global priority’.

The committee is made up of community and statutory agencies, who recognise and value the importance of people minding their mental health. Cathaoirleach Cllr Ger Darcy officially launched the week and spoke of the value in highlighting the services and supports that are available in the county for mental Health and Wellbeing, he also stated that the theme of mental health week reminds us that mental health is not a privilege, but a fundamental right for every individual. It is a theme that calls us to action. To ensure that everyone in our community has access to the mental health support and care that they deserve.

At the launch Dr Sean O’Connell, head of counselling from TÚS Midwest, spoke about the services available to students and staff and how to access these services at TÚS Midwest Campus, he also spoke about mental health and how to look after our mental health and how peoples’ thoughts and doubts impact negatively on their mental health, so Dr O’Connell did a few simple exercises at the launch with the attendees on how to work with our thoughts and how to turn these into positives images in our head and how we can use these thoughts for a better purpose in our lives.

Neil Dennehy, from Health Matters, spoke about mindfulness and explained the process of practicing mindfulness on a daily basis and did a very enjoyable mindfulness exercise with the attendees at the launch.

KEY EVENTS PLANNED

There will be some key events held during the week. Shane Martin, Chartered Psychologist of the Psychological Society of Ireland, is a Psychologist dedicated to teaching the very best evidence-based psychology to help people protect their mental health and enhance the quality of their lives. Shane has vast experience of the education sector in Ireland. His work to date includes a focus on how schools can cultivate a culture of resilience. As a former teacher he promotes realistic evidence-based interventions that can foster better mental health within whole school communities. Shane is scheduled to speak in two locations, on October 9, in Roscrea in the morning and Tipperary Town in the afternoon. These sessions will be open to the public, and places are offered on a first come, first served basis.

One of the second key events taking place during the week, will be a talk from Tony O’Reilly. Tony is an Irish counsellor and psychotherapist, and author of a book ‘Tony10’, which details his own struggles with a gambling addiction.

These talks will be delivered firstly to Transition Year students in Tipperary Town, on Wednesday, October 11, and again on Wednesday evening, when parents will be invited to attend an evening session with the speaker. These events are closed events. The hope is to create awareness and understanding about the importance of minding one’s mental health and supporting children and young people with theirs.

There will be local events and initiatives running during Mental Health Week organised by a variety of local community and voluntary organisations. Keep an eye in the press for local details. If you would like to get involved in some small way during Mental Week – please consider acting on the Mental Health Ireland’s ‘Five Ways to Wellbeing’ – Connect (with family/friends), Take Notice (of your surroundings), Be Active (walk/jog/swim), Keep Learning (try a new hobby), and Give (of your time to others).

FURTHER DETAILS

There is a mixture of closed and open events planned for 2023; information on these events can be found on the following social media pages: Twitter: @Tipperarymhw; Instagram: Tipperarymentalhealthweek; Facebook: Tipperary Mental Healthweek.