WIMS supports positive mental health

SOCIAL media influencer and mental health advocate Grace Mongey and professional football player Brendan Clarke are ambassadors for a new campaign for St Patrick’s Mental Health Services which encourages people to make their mental health a priority.

First established in 2012, the ‘Walk in My Shoes’ (WIMS) 2021 campaign is the flagship awareness campaign of St Patrick’s Mental Health Services to promote positive mental health in schools and communities throughout Ireland.

As we prepare to adapt to the further easing of Covid-19 restrictions in the coming weeks, the service is launching an online programme of interactive wellbeing events, workshops and curated content.

WIMS Live 2021 will feature some of Ireland’s top mental health experts and wellbeing ambassadors, such as artist Don Conroy, Blathnaid Treacy and influencer and mental health advocate, Grace Mongey, who hails from Tallaght as well as Ballyfermot professional footballer Brendan Clarke.

Brendan Clarke, Paul Gilligan (CEO, St Patrick’s Mental Health Services), Conor O’Keeffe and Grace Mongey Photos by Marc O’Sullivan

The programme will run for four weeks from September 27 to October 24, with each week focusing on a theme covering a number of mental health topics and targets a wide range of audiences.

Some of the themes that will be covered over the four weeks include exploring the mental health impacts of climate change, wellbeing in the classroom, self-harm awareness and family and community wellbeing.

Speaking about this year’s WIMS Live, Paul Gilligan, CEO of St Patrick’s Mental Health Services, said that although the easing of restrictions has been “long-awaited and anticipated for many” it may also bring fresh anxiety for some people.

He said: “The launch of the WIMS Live programme is an opportunity to make our mental health a priority, to reflect on all the skills we’ve learned to protect and nurture our wellbeing over the past 18 months, and to connect with our inner resilience so that our mental health is protected as we move forward in this new recovery phase of the pandemic.”

For more information on WIMS Live and to access the full programme, which kicks off from September 27, visit www.walkinmyshoes.ie/wimslive