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Youth Mental Health Lab – Stories

Youth Mental Health Lab – Stories

Half day conference on self harm for professionals working with young people

(opens in a new window)'Self-harm and suicide prevention in young people: The role of primary care’ Dr Maria Michail, University of Birmingham

Dr Michail discusses research that she led on the development of evidence-based resources to support young people with self-harm or suicidal experiences to seek help from their GP. This presentation talks about the  processes that underlie self-harm and suicidal behaviour in young people and the challenges that they face in seeking help and support. The presentation then goes on to describe the development of a Guide to help young people who may be concerned about visiting their GP.  The Guide can be found (opens in a new window)here. An academic paper discussing the development of a Safety Planning intervention that GPs can use as a practical way of identifying risks and needs and that help to build a trusting relationship with a young person can be found (opens in a new window)here.  This is the first of three presentations comprising a half day conference (November 12th 2021) on ‘Working with children and adolescents engaging in self-harm’ that was organised by Aine French and Eilis Hennessy as part of a NOSP funded research project on ‘The Information and Support Needs of Parents of Young People who Engage in Self-harm’.  More details on this and other NOSP funded research projects can be found at (opens in a new window)this link.

(opens in a new window)‘Self-harm in children and its implications’ Dr Galit Geulayov and Professor Keith Hawton, University of Oxford

Dr Geulayov and Professor Hawton present findings from a study on hospital-presenting self-harm in under-13 year-olds from the Multicentre Study of Self-harm in England. It shows that the gender distribution is different from that found for self-harm in adolescents, with a male preponderance in 5-10 year-olds and similar proportions of boys and girls in 11-year-olds. Self-harm was strongly associated with socio-economic deprivation. While, as in older individuals, self-poisoning was the main method of self-harm, particularly dangerous methods were relatively common, especially in boys. The most common problems that the children were facing at the time of self-harm were with families and peers. The presentation will include consideration of clinical and policy implications. The academic paper describing the findings of the study can be downloaded (opens in a new window)here. This is the second of three presentations comprising a half day conference (November 12th 2021)  on ‘Working with children and adolescents engaging in self-harm’ that was organised by Aine French and Eilis Hennessy as part of a NOSP funded research project on ‘The Information and Support Needs of Parents of Young People who Engage in Self-harm’.  More details on this and other NOSP funded research projects can be found at (opens in a new window)this link.

(opens in a new window)‘The fertile ground in which it grows: understanding the role of stigma, discrimination and harassment as contributors to suicidal distress amongst LGBT+ young people and how to intervene in it.’ Dr Hazel Marzetti, University of Edinburgh

Dr Marzetti’s presentation explores the findings of her research which aimed to gain a better understanding of young lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT+) people's suicidal thoughts and attempts in Scotland. Members of the LGBT+ community are at a disproportionately high risk of suicide compared to their peers. Her research looks at barriers to accessing support as well as what is needed. Dr Marzetti’s thesis can be downloaded (opens in a new window)here.  This is the third of three presentations comprising a half day conference (November 12th 2021) on ‘Working with children and adolescents engaging in self-harm’ that was organised by Aine French and Eilis Hennessy as part of a NOSP funded research project on ‘The Information and Support Needs of Parents of Young People who Engage in Self-harm’.  More details on this and other NOSP funded research projects can be found at (opens in a new window)this link.

Information on Self Harm for Parents of Adolescents'

(opens in a new window)5 things parents need to know about adolescent self-harm


Recorded Tuesday 26th April 2022
In this video Sinead Raftery, a therapist working with Pieta, and Keith Gaynor a senior clinical psychologist and assistant professor in UCD School of Psychology present information that will be helpful to parents who are concerned about adolescent self-harm. The information is based on the results of a research project which asked parents who had experience of supporting adolescents who self-harmed, about the information that they would have found useful. Sinead and Keith talk about a wide range of topics including the signs of self-harm, managing strong emotions about self-harm, and talking to adolescents. The research that informed this presentation was funded by the National Office for Suicide Prevention (NOSP).

(opens in a new window)What parents want to know about adolescent self-harm


Recorded Friday 22nd April 2022
In this video Aine French, research assistant on this research project and Eilis Hennessy Principal Investigator on the project talk about research that sought to understand what parents want to know about adolescent self harm. In the video they describe the three methods that were used in the research, including the findings of a survey of over 100 parents who had experience of an adolescent who was self-harming. The findings are presented as a series of questions that parents would like answered and will be useful to any organisation that is planning to provide information for parents. The research that informed this presentation was funded by the National Office for Suicide Prevention (NOSP).

'(opens in a new window)What is self-harm, why is my child doing it and what can I do about it?'
Madeleine Connolly and Katie Murphy, Lucena Clinic, recorded Monday November 8th 2021

Madeleine Connolly and Katie Murphy will share their extensive experiences of working with parents and their young people who engage in self-harm. Ideas on understanding, acknowledging and validating their young person’s distress will be shared. Parental self-regulation and other strategies which promote de-escalation will be explored. Increasing safety and seeking help and information will also be discussed. This is the second of three presentations comprising a webinar series in November 2021 on ‘Understanding self-harm in Adolescents’ that was organised by Aine French and Eilis Hennessy as part of a NOSP funded research project on ‘The Information and Support Needs of Parents of Young People who Engage in Self-harm’. More details on this and other NOSP funded research projects can be found at (opens in a new window)this link.

 '(opens in a new window)Understanding Self Harm'
Sinead Raftery and Leigh Kenny, Pieta, recorded Monday November 1st 2021.

In this talk Sinead Raftery and Leigh Kenny from Pieta discuss self-harm terminology, self-harm myths and facts, and signs of self-harm. They outline the cycle of self-harm, examples of soothing activities, and tips for parents- how to listen, what you might say, and what is needed in the short term and the long term. This talk includes how to seek professional help, what intervention might look like, and how parents also need to mind themselves during a difficult time. This is the first of three presentations comprising a webinar series in November 2021 on ‘Understanding self-harm in Adolescents’ that was organised by Aine French and Eilis Hennessy as part of a NOSP funded research project on ‘The Information and Support Needs of Parents of Young People who Engage in Self-harm’. More details on this and other NOSP funded research projects can be found (opens in a new window)at this link

 YouLEAD 2nd Annual Research Webinar Series October 2021

Monday October 11th. (opens in a new window)What did the pandemic tell us about young people’s mental health? Professor Kathryn Abel, University of Manchester

Wednesday October 13th. (opens in a new window)Self-harm and suicide in young people: Associated risk factors and evidence-based interventions. Professor Ella Arensman, University College Cork

Thursday October 14th. (opens in a new window)Stigma and other barriers to care for youth with mental health problems. Dr Sara Evans-Lacko, London School of Economics and Political Science

Friday October 15th. (opens in a new window)Mental Health Support in Schools - What does the evidence say? Professor Jessica Deighton, University College London

Youth mental health and COVID-19

Dr Niki Nearchou discusses the impact of Covid-19 on young people living with chronic health conditions (opens in a new window)https://publicpolicy.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Niki-Nearchou.pdf

Video of the session hosted by Prof E. Hennessy (including a talk by Dr Amanda Fitzgerald)

Watch this (opens in a new window)conversation on youth mental health in the time of COVID-19 from ‘UCD In Conversation’ series with Dr Tony Bates and Dr Sarah Fortune moderated by Eilis Hennessy from the Youth Mental Health lab

   

 Webinars on Youth Well-Being for Parents and Teachers

In this Webinar Professor Eilis Hennessy talks about adolescent development and how parents can support young people's well being.

Managing school stress webinar

In this the (opens in a new window)second of our series of Webinars for parents, Elizabeth Charles, Educational Psychologist working with the National Educational Psychology service, talks about managing stresses associated with school.

How to talk to a young person about how they're feeling

In this (opens in a new window)webinar Dr Tony Bates, Professor Gary Donohoe and Dr Charlotte Wilson talk about their experiences both as clinical psychologists and as parents. The webinar is full of useful tips for parents about the does and don'ts of talking to young people.

Compassion approaches for supporting young people

In this (opens in a new window)webinar Dr Ciara Mahon, post-doctoral research fellow in the UCD School of Psychology, talks about the importance of helping young people to be self-compassionate.

Mental Health Literacy

Mental health literacy is more important now than ever, particularly for young people. Watch (opens in a new window)Maeve Dwan O’Reilly’s short video:

Learn more about Maeve Dwan O’Reilly’s research on the experiences of teachers in the Jigsaw One Good School mental health literacy initiative in this(opens in a new window) video:

Body image

Read this article on RTE Brainstorm reporting on findings on body dissatisfaction from the My World Survey and Dr. Amanda Fitzgerald discussing the impact of body dissatisfaction on mental health. (opens in a new window)Why body-positive role models like Lizzo matter 

Hear Ciara Mahon discuss her PhD research on adolescent body image and social media use on RTE drivetime with Della Kilroy: (opens in a new window)https://www.rte.ie/radio/radioplayer/html5/#/radio1/21901670

Read this article in the Irish Examiner reporting on the findings of Ciara Mahon’s PhD research on adolescent body image and social media use.  (opens in a new window)https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-40210904.html

Watch Ciara Mahon in a panel discussion at the Science Gallery TCD: "(opens in a new window)In pursuit of the perfect presence":

Supporting young people who are distressed

Learn more about Neil MacDhonnagain’s research on the factors predicting psychological distress in young people in this (opens in a new window)short video:

Neil introduces Jigsaw’s brief intervention model of youth mental health support:
(opens in a new window)https://twitter.com/neilmacdh/status/1308353164375191559?s=20

Maria Tibbs gives a brief introduction to her research on Jigsaw Live Chats an online mental health support service for young people. 
(opens in a new window)https://twitter.com/MariaTibbs1/status/1308358041650237441

Learn more about reslience

In this video Dr Niki Nearchou discusses the concept of (opens in a new window)resilience as a Personality Trait and A Dynamic Process

What is the power of resilience in children exposed to adversities? Read this blog post in Women Are Boring by Dr Niki Nearchou (opens in a new window)https://womenareboring.wordpress.com/2018/04/05/the-power-of-resilience-in-children-exposed-to-adversities/

Anti-stigma videos

Watch these films address mental health stigma developed by Professor Eilis Hennessy in collaboration with the Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art Design and Technology

Sharing Research Data

In(opens in a new window) this video Maeve Dwan O'Reilly explains what is meant by 'Open Data' and the principles guiding FAIR data sharing.  She explains the benefits of data sharing for individual researchers as well as for the research community and wider society.  In her presentation she then goes on to talk about the practicalities of archiving a data set using data from the 'Teacher Confidence Project' as a worked example of how to choose a repository, prepare a data dictionary and complete a depositor form.  This PDF of Sharing Research Data slides accompanies the video

There's an App for that!

Maeve Dwan O'Reilly, IRC Enterprise Scholar with Jigsaw and UCD Psychology provides Lab members with useful information and examples of Apps that can support research. [(opens in a new window)video] [App_for_That_slides_PDF]

(opens in a new window)Body image and eating disorder: What parents need to know


Body image is an area of increasing concern for students and parents. On a daily basis we are bombarded with messages about our appearance and bodies that can pressurise us to look a certain way. It can be difficult to know how best to support young people who are struggling with these issues, yet they can permeate across all aspects of life. In this webinar Dr. Ciara Mahon from the UCD School of Psychology, Youth Mental Health Lab offers parents advice on how to support young people with eating disorders. Ciara also discusses how parents can help promote positive body image among young people.

(opens in a new window)Positive parenting to support adolescent development

Adolescence is a time of great developmental change, bringing with it tremendous opportunities but also some challenges. In this video Professor Eilis Hennessy of the UCD School of Psychology talks about the changes associated with adolescence and goes on to describe some challenges and how parents can think about managing those challenges with a new approach to parenting.

(opens in a new window)Tired but wired? Parenting teenagers when worry and anxiety get in the way of sleep - tips, guidance and supports 

Dr Paul D’Alton is an Associate Professor in the UCD School of Psychology.  He is a clinical psychologist, teacher, researcher, writer and speaker, regularly appearing on national media talking about a range of topics related to mental health.  He has been actively involved in national policy development and public debate. In this talk he dispels the idea that it would be possible to live a stress free life because stress is essential for human survival.  He considers the value of focused attention and how it is linked to having a sense of contentment.

UCD School of Psychology

Newman Building, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.