A Message from Michael Ryan,

Head of Mental Health

Engagement and Recovery.

Dear friends,

The current Covid-19 situation is a very

distressing and challenging time for everyone

but it is really fantastic to see such unified and

innovative responses to it by so many people

and I would like to add my voice of

appreciation as we all do, for the selfless and

courageous work of all the front line workers

particularly on the medical frontlines caring

for those ill with the virus but also to those on

the community front lines who provide vital

services to keep our communities ticking over.

We in Mental Health Engagement and

Recovery are also very committed to playing

our part in responding to the Covid-19 crisis.

In that regard many of our staff across the

country have already been redeployed to

support the Covid-19 response and for the

remainder the priority is to support and

maintain the wellbeing of service users, family

members and carer’s through reassuring them

that mental health services remain open and

how they can access those services during

Covid-19. We have produced a frequently

asked questions guidance document (for both

those that use the mental health services and

their supporters) that may be helpful in this.

Please click here for supporters FAQ and here

for service users.

Additionally we are working to ensure that we

are able to provide recovery education and

engagement activity specifically targeting

responses to Covid-19.

As you know our Engagement and Recovery

work is always underpinned by personal

interaction and person centred relationships

so it is very important that we continue to try

to do this and thankfully through online video

platforms such as Zoom we are able to

provide continuity of service. You can find out

about our Recovery Education on line services

and modules through accessing our recovery

education page click here.

I would like to thank all those

involved in recovery education

and engagement for their

work in keeping Mental Health

Engagement and Recovery

business going during Covid-

19.

You can contact mhengage@hse.ie and we

will put you in touch with your local Mental

Health Area Lead if you do not know their

details.

Please follow Mental Health Engagement and

Recovery national team on twitter for up to

date information.

https://twitter.com/Recovery_Ire

This is of course a very distressing and anxious

time for everyone and it is very important to

try and minimise your anxiety as much as

possible. Firstly it is important to understand

that it is a very normal thing to feel anxiety

and worry in this type of situation. Here are

some tips that you might find helpful.

Make sure you have access to

the most reliable and accurate

fact by only following reliable

sources’ such as national

broadcasters and the HSE.

You can access the latest Covid information at

the HSE Covid-19 page by clicking here

It is also important to be proactive about

managing our mental health and anxiety by

acknowledging our anxieties and having a

maintenance plan in place.

This is where a schedule or plan could be very

useful, keep in touch with people who you

find a positive influence on your recovery by

phone, text or social media, watch videos,

listen to podcasts or read articles that

empower you.

The HSE have a dedicated page click here

which has lots of links and tips for minding

your mental health. Our community partners

are offering very important mental health

services during this time, find more

information here

In recovery we are very aware

that hope that things can get

better is so essential. In the

current crisis I have great hope

that things will get better

because of the commitment

and responsible behaviour of

so many which will make that

hope a reality.

We must try and be that holder of hope for

each other so let us all keep well, be

responsible and look after each other and I

look forward to meeting and speaking with

many of you post Covid-19 in the not so

distant future.

Michael Ryan

Head of HSE Mental Health Engagement

and Recovery.

Contact:

If you would like to submit to our next

newsletter please contact Aisling Duffy at

aisling.duffy3@hse.ie

Recovery Education during Covid-19

Recovery Education colleges and services

across the country are adapting to the current

situation where students cannot not attend

modules in person. This adaptation involves

using online platforms to provide recovery

education during Covid-19, other supports are

also being provided by recovery education

providers online. Please check out what is

happening here and here, you will be directed

to the appropriate recovery education

providers.

We would like to thank all of

those involved in making this a

success.

This includes the staff in the

recovery education colleges

and services, facilitators, HSE

staff and our community

partner Mental Health Ireland.

Mental Health Engagement and Recovery Team Update

On April 20th

we

welcomed

Michael

Norton as

National

Engagement

and

Recovery Lead onto the MHER team. Michael

has been involved in the recovery movement

since 2015. He has a lived experience

background and until recently has been

working as a Peer Support Worker in the

Rehab and Recovery team for Carlow and

Kilkenny. He is also extremely involved in the

research process as he is completing a

Masters through Research with Waterford IT

in the area of peer support and mental health

recovery. We are looking forward to working

alongside Michael going forward.

In welcoming Michael, we have had to say

goodbye to Gina Delaney. Gina has moved

onto a new role as Development Officer in

Mental Health Ireland, however will remain

very involved in promoting recovery in our

services and making sure the voice of the

family member is heard and acknowledged.

We would like to say a big thank you to Gina

for her dedication, creativity, support and

friendship.

We would like to welcome Debbie Murphy as

our team administrator. Debbie started in the

role in February and has quickly adapted!

Debbie brings much experience to the role

having worked for 16 years as a Local Training

Initiative Coordinator helping people who for

various different reasons needed support to

progress into further education/employment

working on confidence building and hard/soft

skills to help them progress. We are delighted

to have Debbie on board!

Family Recovery Online Event

The HSE’s Mental Health Engagement and

Recovery Team and its community partners

will on May 15 – the UN’s International Day of

Families –host an online event to celebrate

and promote family recovery. The conference

will include:

Online family recovery training and

education facilitated through recovery

education services and colleges

around the country. (using zoom)

Facebook live family recovery

conversations and discussion

Family recovery narratives shared via

podcasts

Sharing family supports and

resources

A pioneering event for the HSE,

the day will connect families,

people that use mental health

services, service providers,

community partners and

anyone with and anyone with

an interest in mental health

across the country during a

time of unprecedented

interruption to our way of life.

People will be encouraged to take part in

live chats, questions and answers and to

share their own stories. The running order

will allow people to dip and out of the

day, attending virtual sessions as

desired. If you are interested in

participating on May 15th. Please contact

Debbie at debbie.murphy5@hse.ie Please

keep up to date by following us on twitter

at https://twitter.com/Recovery_Ire

SOPHIE IS HOPE

Catherine had wanted to call the baby Hope,

not Sophie. She felt her luck was now turning,

and her chance had come.

Brian lay on Sophie’s bed, gazing out at the

deserted street. He pulled the baby’s fluffy

unicorn to his chest and turned to the wall.

Would this ever end?

When he awoke the SOPHIE wooden frame

over baby’s bed came slowly into view. He

absently studied the letters. S.O.P.H.I.E. He

studied them again.

Eyes wide, he shouted,

“SOPHIE IS HOPE, SOPHIE - IS

HOPE”.

He bounded down the stairs. He swung the

sitting room door wide. “Sophie is Hope”, he

announced again.

The Baby looked up and smiled. Brian’s heart

filled with joy. He knew then that life would

go on.

That Sophie would never really know what

happened with the virus. He stretched his

arms out as if to grab the world. “I love you

guys”, he said. Tears filled his eyes.

Tears of hope; tears of joy. He

knew then that they would be

ok.

That we would move on together, like we

always do. He laughed. Catherine smiled. The

baby giggled and giggled and giggled in that

uncontrollable way that only ever springs

from unbridled happiness and HOPE.

Barry Hurley

April 2020

Kelly’s tips for minding

your mental health during

COVID 19:

I hope this newsletter finds you all safe and as

well as can be. In these unknown and

uncertain times, we are all facing together,

globally, nationally and within our own

communities, it would be fair to say that now

more than ever is the time to mind ourselves

physically, mentally and emotionally. We

need to mind our family and friends and

neighbours when safety allows us to do so.

These past few weeks and months have been

a new experience for us all to face.

We have a “new normal"

within our daily lives and

routines with the introduction

of social distancing and self-

isolation.

I understand from a mental health aspect and

through my own mental health anxieties how

hard this has been for everybody to get use to

this past while.

What I have learned through my own

recovery is that we all have resilience within

us, and in times like these I would encourage

you to explore your strengths and capabilities

and build on your resilience as we will come

through this together and stronger. We need

to be kind to ourselves too.

There are a few things that have helped me

mind my mental health these past couple of

weeks that I would like to share with you.

Firstly; having a visual schedule in place daily.

All you need is paper and a pen and to keep it

in sight when possible. Having this in place

and completing the schedule daily gives me

the sense of accomplishment and satisfaction

as my day goes more smoothly having the

schedule in place. Secondly; for me personally

is to use humour whenever I possibly can. I

am not taking away what is happening in the

world, but in saying that, using humour can

help us to feel less stressed and diffuse tense

situations at times and also reminding

ourselves that this will pass.

On a positive note I have witnessed so many

acts of kindness and understanding

throughout the world and how countries and

communities have really come together to

help those that needed support. There seems

to be a sense among us of a shared

connectivity. Supporting each other and

helping people in your community will have a

positive impact on your mental health. Lastly,

is rest and self-care. Have an extra-long sleep

when you need. Have an extra two bubble

baths a week. Whatever self-care means to

you go for it!!

Thank you for taking the time to read this,

stay safe and well and hopefully when this is

over, we will have a kinder approach to

ourselves and to others too.

Take care

Kelly Delaney

CHIME POSTERS:

In 2019, the Mental Health Engagement and

Recovery team asked service users, service

providers and family members/supporters to

share their recovery narratives through the

use of CHIME (Connectedness, Hope, Identity,

Meaning and Empowerment).

The recovery Narratives

identify somebody who was

instrumental in the person’s

recovery.

We will be distributing 9 different narratives

across the country in printed version. Please

read a sample of them here. Thank you those

who shared their stories.

Updates:

Peer Support

Peer Support Workers have been employed

by the HSE since 2017. The introduction of

this role has brought about developments

within Community Mental Health Teams and

how support to people using the services is

offered. People using the services can now

access a different type of support in the form

of sharing lived experiences to support their

recovery. In 2019 the HSE commissioned a

piece of research that focused on the Impact

of Peer Support Workers in Mental Health

Services in Ireland. As a follow up to the

recommendations within the Peer Support

Worker impact research a toolkit to support

Peer Support Workers working in the HSE was

co-produced.

Please click here to read more.

HSELAND

We would like to invite you to complete the

30 minute module ‘Recovery in Mental

Health’ on HSELAND.

If you already have access to HSELAND please

search the Mental Health Services course

catalogue for the module.

If you don’t have access to HSELAND please

log on using the following:

URL:

http://www.hseland.ie/dash/Account/Login

Username: hselandtestuser

Password: testaccount

As above please search Mental Health

Services course catalogue

Recovery Education Evaluation

and Data Collection

On the 20th and 22nd of April two discussion

days were facilitated via zoom.

Recovery Education in Ireland is growing

continuously over the last number of

years, anecdotal evidence is showing positive

outcome from a life, community and

organisational perspective.

In 2020 The Mental Health Engagement and

Recovery team (MHER) are now focusing on

researching and evaluating the impact of

Recovery Education. The two national

discussion days on recovery education

research and evaluation included

representatives from the HSE, Recovery

Education, SRF, Mental Health Engagement

and our community partners and higher level

education institutes.

The aim of the day was to decide: What data

to measure and how to measure it.

To do this we identified: What we are seeking

to change in order to collect data and

explored practical ways it can be measured. A

report on the two days will be written up and

shared widely.

We also launched two documents: the

Resources and Toolkit to Support the

Development and Implementation of

Recovery Education 2020-2025. These will

support existing and new recovery education

colleges/services within and outside of the

HSE to operate in a best practice model.