If you or someone you know is in crisis, or may be a danger to themselves or someone else, please call 999 or present to your nearest emergency department.
If you’re struggling with your mental health it can be tough to know where to go for help.
When you are struggling with your mental health, this can sometimes feel like a lot of information, so our recommendation would be that you look over the information now, and that way you will feel familiar with it should you ever need it. If this information feels too much now, that’s ok. We recommend speaking to your students’ union or your college counsellor. They can help you figure out the rest.
It’s important to note that you don’t need to stick to one type of support at any given time. It is not recommended that you see more than one counsellor or therapist at once, but you can see your counsellor and use a text support line, or go to a support group. You can see your GP and a counsellor. You can take medication and do therapy. What’s important is to find a type of help that is helpful for you and doesn’t add to your problems (e.g. by putting you under financial stress).
Every college has a counselling service that’s free to use. You don’t need to have a diagnosable mental illness, and you don’t need anyone to make a referral for you to attend the service. You can make an appointment for yourself – usually this is done through email or phone call. This can differ from college to college so the best thing to do is to search your college and ‘counselling service’ online and you will find the right page for you. You can talk to the counsellors about anything that is bothering you, such as if you’re stressed about exams, or if you go through a breakup, right up to if you have a mental illness that you need help with.
Sometimes there can be a bit of a wait for an appointment. However, please don’t let that put you off making one. Many counselling services will operate a triage system, and some will bring in extra counsellors during busy times like exam periods.
Your students’ union is there for you. Most colleges will have an officer who covers welfare issues. They can help you figure out how to get support if you need it, whether that’s for your mental health or other issues. Sometimes they can be helpful in particular because they know the services specific to your college as sometimes these services can have different names or be in different departments.
Your lecturers aren’t mental health professionals, but if you are struggling it might be a good idea to talk to them. Sometimes they can have helpful suggestions about managing your workload etc. If you are in a situation where you might need an extension or you might need to miss class etc, it’s always best if your lecturers know as soon as possible. There is very little they can do to help if they don’t have enough notice.
If you have certain mental health or other health diagnoses, if you applied to college through the DARE scheme, you may be entitled to accommodations. The best place to find out about this, as well as other supports available, is through the disability services. Again, you can find out how to contact them by searching your college and ‘disability supports’ online.
Your campus GP can also be a source of help with mental health issues. Some even have mental health nurses. Not all campuses have an on-site GP, but those that don’t usually have an arrangement worked out with a local community GP. GP appointments do usually cost money, but through your college they are a lot cheaper than usual.
Tutors and peer support programmes are available in some colleges. If they are an option on your college you may have gotten an email about them; or seen information up around campus or on social media. If you are unsure if these are available in your college, you can ask the students’ union.
Online supports available on campus
Some campuses have online programmes that you can make use of. Some colleges will direct you to these if you are on a waiting list for a counselling appointment to help while you are waiting. The main two you might hear about are called Silvercloud and Togetherall.
Silvercloud is a programme of online cognitive behavioural therapy that you might be referred to by your doctor or your counselling service, although some colleges allow you to sign up on your own. It provides personalised programmes based on your need and can be helpful because it is available 24/7, and free to use.
Togetherall is a platform of anonymous peer support, which is moderated by clinicians. It also has mental health courses you can take to learn more about how to mind your mental health. Many college will have this accessible through the college website, but it is also available to all Irish residents aged 16-30. Again it can be helpful because it is available 24/7, and free to use.
Niteline is a phone listening service available on some campuses around the country, which is open from 9pm – 2.30 am every night during term time. It also has a live chat option during those times. It is a volunteer run confidential service specifically for students. You can find out if your college is signed up to it on their website.
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