Free mental health programme for Limerick

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A NEW, free positive mental health programme for ย Limerick, run byย Aware, Irelandโ€™s national charity supporting people affected by depression, bipolar disorderย and mood-related conditions, beginsย next month.

Awareโ€™sย Life Skills Programme, which is open to anyone wishing to learn new ways ofย dealing with lifeโ€™s ups and downs, gets underway at the Clayton Hotel, Limerickย onย Wednesday September 11ย atย 7.30pm.

The programme takes place over a period of six weeks and is open to people aged 18 yearsย and over.

To secure a place a booking deposit of โ‚ฌ30 (โ‚ฌ10 for students, and those who areย unemployed or over 65 years or who hold a medical card) is necessary but this refundable atย the end of the programme. To book visit ย www.aware.ie/education

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It is estimated that there are more than 450,000 people in Ireland who experienceย depression at any one time, while there are approximately 45,000 people diagnosed withย bipolar disorder. Depression and bipolar disorder are mental health conditions that affectย thinking, energy, feelings and behaviour.

While they can vary from mild to severe, and impact on relationships family and work lives,ย it is possible to find ways to manage the conditions, and to lead healthy and productive livesย according to AWARE

According to Brรญd Oโ€™Meara, Awareโ€™s Director of Services, the new programme is designed toย help people better cope with the challenges in their lives.

โ€œTheย Life Skills Programmeย is designed to give people insights into how we think and howย this can influence our actions in both helpful and unhelpful ways. Based on the principles ofย cognitive behavioural therapy, each session is guided by our trained facilitator to help
people better manage the stresses of everyday life, learning to spot unhelpful thoughts andย discovering new and healthier ways of thinking.

โ€œIt is important to emphasise that confidentiality is the bedrock of the programme andย nobody is asked to share personal information or experiences. The results speak forย themselves with evaluations showing participants experiencing reduced levels of anxiety
and improved mood on completion of the programme.โ€

Anyone worried about depression or bipolar disorder, can call theย Aware Supportย Lineย onย Freephone 1800 80 48 48ย or [email protected]