Mental Health and Wellbeing

The overall aim of the Mental Health & Wellbeing Programme is to promote positive mental health and wellbeing across the population and among priority groups. The content of this webpage relates to the work of the Mental Health & Wellbeing Programme within the HSE. For advice and information about minding your mental health please go to www.yourmentalhealth.ie

Our work

A HSE Mental Health & Wellbeing plan is in development in collaboration with cross-sectoral partners across the organisation as well as funded agencies. The plan will include evidence based actions to promote mental health and wellbeing among HSE staff, service users and wider communities. The plan will be launched in 2021.
Minding Your Wellbeing (MYW) was originally developed as an evidenced based, one day programme, promoting a positive approach to mental health and wellbeing. Since Covid 19 the programme is now available online as 5 video sessions, each lasting approximately 20 minutes
Stress Control onlineis an evidence-based stress prevention and management programme which aims to help people who want to learn effective ways to prevent stress or manage stress becoming a problem. It works for people with severe, moderate and mild symptoms of stress. It is a six session online class each lasting for 90 minutes.
A National Framework for Social Prescribing is in the advanced planning stage and the Mental Health & Wellbeing Programme team leads this work. This framework will provide a roadmap for the sustainable development and integration of Social Prescribing across the HSE. A minimum outcomes evaluation Framework for Social Prescribing was launched in September 2020 (link to launch and report).
Creativity and Mental Health & Wellbeing. The arts and creativity has been demonstrated to play an important role in promoting positive mental health and wellbeing because it creates a space for social connection, enhancing self-esteem and resilience and supporting people to manage mental ill-health and enable recovery. A Memorandum of Understanding between HSE Health & Wellbeing, The Arts Council, Creative Ireland and Healthy Ireland has been signed. This partnership will sustainably deliver effective and high quality, national creative programming initiatives in support of specific health and wellbeing goals for staff, patients and wider communities.
Youth Mental Health & Wellbeing Collaborative. There is a renewed focus on youth mental health in the context of Covid 19. This initiative aims to promote the mental health and wellbeing of young people aged 16-25yrs through the development of action co-produced by young people and a range of interested stakeholders from various services and organisations. A half day on-line interactive training programme is currently in development by H&W and Jigsaw to provide support to youth workers and others in how to support the mental health of young people aged 12-16yrs during this time.
School based mental health promotion programmes. Two school based programmes are currently supported by H&W. Zippy’s Friends is a 24 week programme targeting children in 1st Class in primary School. MindOut is a 12 week programme targeting senior cycle students in Post Primary schools. Both are evidence based programmes and have been independently evaluated.