On Monday August 12 health and wellbeing expert Dorothy Scarry, a qualified primary and secondary teacher, will host a wellbeing and resilience workshop in the Oranmore Lodge Hotel.
The objective of the workshop is to enable students to begin to take ownership of their personal wellbeing and resilience through identifying stressors and establishing a plan for interventions for themselves that they can maintain while they make the school transition and beyond. The practical aspects of starting secondary school, such as dealing with new teachers, timetables, movement between rooms, homework, etc, are also covered in part three of the workshop. Everyone will leave the workshop with a bespoke personal wellbeing plan.
Mental health problems affect one in 10 children and young people. These include depression, anxiety, and conduct disorder, and are often a direct response to what is happening in their lives (Mental Health Ireland ). According to the World Health Organisation around 50 per cent of mental disorders begin before the age of 14. These are alarming statistics and national curricular documents highlight that school transitioning is an area where children and young people need to be supported in their mental and emotional wellbeing. Transitioning to secondary school can be a time that is mentally challenging for a sixth class pupil’s wellbeing. With this in mind, the School Transitioning, Wellbeing, and Me workshop was expertly designed and is being rolled out nationwide.
Dorothy Scarry is bringing to the workshop insights from many angles — as a health and wellbeing expert, mum of a sixth class student, a sixth class teacher, and as a secondary school teacher who has worked with first year students. She is a member of the Society of Occupational Medicine, Association of Health Promotion Ireland, INTO, and the Teaching Council.
The two-hour workshop at the Oranmore Lodge Hotel will run from 11.30am to 1.30pm on August 12. Tickets are still available on Eventbrite and cost €30 (excluding booking fee ). Avail of 25 per cent off the workshop with the discount code Oranmore if booked before August 10. More information is available from www.nextstepforward.ie or 086 8902077.
