Kilkenny student making his mark as a mental health ambassador

Daniel Power of Abbey Community College in South Kilkenny joined 110 Transition Year students from across Ireland to graduate as a St Patrick’s Mental Health Services’ mental health ambassador during a special online ceremony held to celebrate the class of 2024/2025.

For 14 years, St Patrick’s Mental Health Services has run a Transition Year programme, with over 100 students from across Ireland taking part annually.

The week-long programme runs five times during the academic year between October and March, with 20 to 25 students per programme.

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The programme takes place in a hybrid format, with students beginning their week with a day spent onsite at St Patrick’s University Hospital campus, and the remainder of the week’s sessions attended virtually.

Students receive first-hand insight into how a mental healthcare service operates and the experiences of those with mental health difficulties.

They meet mental health experts and clinicians; hear from people who have gone through mental health difficulties and their experiences of mental health recovery; and discuss mental health stigma and ways to tackle it.

During the programme, participants undertake a range of activities, which include viewing a mock multidisciplinary team meeting with psychiatrists, psychologists, occupational therapists, nurses and social workers; taking part in sessions with pharmacists, the medical director and the CEO; and participating in group presentations.

Throughout the week, students build their mental health awareness and leave the programme empowered to act as mental health ambassadors in both their schools and local communities.

Students are also given the opportunity to contribute to design concepts for a large-scale mental health promotion project that is being progressed by St Patrick’s Mental Health Services at present.

Sinead O’Kelly, Mental Health Promotion Manager at St Patrick’s Mental Health Services, said that the programme 'is a valuable opportunity for students to learn more about mental health in a real-life hospital setting'.

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"Not only does it give young people insight into the field, but it also helps them better understand their own mental wellbeing," she said.

"By engaging in a programme informed by mental health professionals and learning in a supportive environment, students are supported to build empathy and resilience and develop tools for managing everyday stressors."

To celebrate their completion of the programme, students took part in an online graduation ceremony in May. 

To date, over 1,300 students have completed the Transition Year programme.

The 2025/2026 programme is now open for applications.

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