This document summarizes a presentation about Limerick Youth Service and their approach to youth mental health issues. It discusses Limerick Youth Service's mission to support young people and engage those with complex needs. It outlines Limerick Youth Service's preventative and interventionist approach to youth mental health, which includes offering safe spaces, encouraging youth participation, and facilitating meetings with counselors. The document also summarizes some of Limerick Youth Service's specific mental health initiatives in 2015, including their Express Yourself group and participation in mental health awareness events. It concludes by noting some regional and national mental health issues faced by Irish youth.
The impact of social media on mental health and well-being has been a topic o...
Presentation at eu seminar monday 4th
1. Youth Work & Mental Health Issues
Presented by:
Maurice Walsh (Youthwork Manager)
Áine Sage (Learner with Limerick Youth Service)
7th April 2016
2. About Limerick Youth Service
Mission Statement: “To support and encourage young people to be active participants in shaping
their futures”
Integrated Youth Service founded in 1973, affiliated to Youth Work Ireland with collective representation and negotiation
with a range of groups.
4000+ young people across Limerick access : Youth Cafes, Youth Clubs, Garda Youth Diversion projects (GYDP),
Youth & Family Support Projects, Special projects for youth (SPY), Youth participation initiatives, International youth
work opportunities, Counselling, Vocational Training & Education.
Recognised as being capable of enagaging young people with complex needs and issues and those disaffected from
their community (homeless, significant mental health issues/suicidal ideation/self-harm, involved in criminal and
anti-social behaviour).
Proven track record and reputation for successful engagement with Travellers,young people in direct provision and
migrant communities.
Rooted in communities with strong local relationships – the “go to” Organisation by young people, families, GP’s,
Politicians, Service providers.
3.
4. LYS approach to Youth Mental Health
• Young people are the experts on their own mental health - never assume that everything is right with a young person
yet never assume there is something wrong.
• Offer preventative and interventionist approaches to youth mental health.
• Offer safe spaces where young people can participate as they feel comfortable in a range of programmes and
activities, reducing stigma around Youth Mental health (in all aspects of the LYS model of youth work).
• Encourage young people to share their Mental health experiences in safe environments that can help shape future
policy and practice.
• Offer opportunities to all young people to express themselves through various youth-led initiatives.
• Create opportunities for active engagement between young people and youth worker, sometimes leading to an
introduction to a counsellor.
• Facilitate young people to meet with a counsellor (in a youth space) used to working with young people and flexible in
their approach.
• Lead/participate in Meitheal (National practice model) where young person is placed at the centre and agencies
intervene to support the young person & family around presenting issues (www.health.gov.ie/meitheal).
5. LYS Youth Mental Health Initiatives 2015
• Youth Mental Health Worker (JobBridge Intern) working to support mental wellbeing through focused
groups and engagement in national campaigns.
• Psychotherapist (funded by HSE Drug & Alcohol Services 4 days per week) and Counsellor specifically
for Community Training Centre (funded by DES under National Youthreach Programme 2 days per wk)
focus mainly on strengths based counselling .
• Promotion of positive mental health through Youth Cafés and Youth Information and Communications.
• Advocate for and with young people through Comhairle na nÓg (Youth Parliament and Youth
Participation initatives.
• Presentation to Minister Kathleen Lynch (Junior Health Minister with Mental Health brief) leading to
funding being secured for dedicated Youth Mental Health initiative.
6. Express Yourself
• Express Yourself group established for young people aged 14-19 to address both individual & collective needs of young
people as identified by members (including LGBT, body image, grief & loss, drugs & alcohol misuse).
• Collaboration with GOSHH on LBGT issues, participation in Limerick Pride Parade, support re sexual orientation &
identity.
• Engagement with young people from Comhairle na nÓg (Youth Council) helping them plan & deliver Let’s Go Mental
(Nationwide campaign to promote positive mental health in young people
• Young people participated in See Change Green Ribbon events sparking conversations aimed at reducing stigma
associated with mental health and raising the awareness of mental health related issues.
• Limerick Mental Health Awareness Week: young people participated in activities ranging from Be Youth Self , youth led
celebration of World Mental Health Day .
• Input to Samaritans volunteer training to enable trainers to gain a better understanding of self harm amongst young
people.
• Mobilise the Youth Vote: youth-led panel discussion with politicians Nov 2015 following which Deputy Dan Neville
raised in our National Parliament (Dáil) the lack of regional and young person specific Mental Health services meaning a
young person has to be hospitalised in adult services in Dublin.
7. Counselling Approaches
• Strengths based approach to empower young people.
• Brief interventions and group work supports to young people with a range of presenting issues
including substance misuse and mental health and wellbeing.
• Meet young people in buildings/areas that they are familiar with and comfortable in.
Referrals come from youth worker who introduces young person to counsellor at first
session.
• Provide young people with the tools necessary to identify when they need help and support
them to do so.
8. Regional & National Issues
• Mental health is the number one concern for young people in Ireland today.
• 75% of all adult mental health difficulties arise before the age of 24, yet mental health services are often difficult to
access or simply don’t work for our young people.
• Rate of deliberate self harm in Limerick City is double the National average for both genders.
• Increasing demand for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) in Ireland with 2,541 children and
adolescents on waiting list.
• (My World 2012) found that almost 30% of the 14,500 surveyed self reported levels of depression and anxiety which fell
within the mild to severe range.
• Grief and loss identified as a serious issue amongst young people involved with LYS.
The Youth Work process means that the frontline Youth Worker is often the first point of contact the young person seeks support from.
A SERVICE and not just a collection of Projects, clubs and Programmes
The Delivery of Be Well Limerick, a weeklong of events that will promote positive mental health & ta.ckle associated stigma
All Youth Workers and Manager trained in ASIST. The long-term presence and visibility of LYS in many communities acts as a pre-existing engagement for many young people and families
This aims to reduce waiting times young people are currently experiencing across all mental health services.
A number of self referrals was also evident in 2015 of clients “top up sessions”
.