Applications for the 2024/25 Transition Year (TY) Programme have opened.
Do you have an interest in the area of mental health and wellbeing; have you considered working in the field of mental healthcare; or do you know someone who would like to delve further into mental healthcare as a career path?
Walk in My Shoes (WIMS) has opened applications for a mental health awareness placement with clinical staff from St Patrick’s Mental Health Services (SPMHS).
Students will meet with members of SPMHS’ psychiatry, occupational therapy, pharmacy teams and more. They will also meet a former service user to understand their personal lived experience of having a mental health difficulty.
Students taking part will gain knowledge and understanding around mental health difficulties, human rights, and mental healthcare. Graduating students who complete the programme will return to their schools and communities as mental health ambassadors.
The programme will be run on a hybrid basis, with students meeting on site at St Patrick’s University Hospital at the beginning of the week, before attending virtual sessions throughout the programme.
How the TY Programme works
The TY Programme runs over five weeks between October 2024 and January 2025. The students selected to take part in the TY Programme will attend for one of the five weeks, with places for 22 students available for each week.
Students learn about careers in mental healthcare to get first-hand insight into the delivery of mental health care and treatment, and will enjoy interactive elements and activities, including a mock multidisciplinary team (MDT) meeting,
Students will learn through individual activities, as well as group presentations and projects, to learn about different types of mental health difficulties, tackle stigma around mental health, and gain tools to make them mental health champions.
On completion of the 2024/25 programme, students will be awarded completion certificates and their dedication to the programme will be acknowledged at a graduation ceremony, where their achievements are celebrated.
The five weeks of the 2024/25 TY Programme will take place between:
- 21 to 25 October 2024
- 11 to 15 November 2024
- 25 to 29 November 2024
- 13 to 17 January 2025
- 27 to 31 January 2025.
Sinéad O’Kelly, Mental Health Promotion Manager with WIMS, says “We are delighted to be opening applications for our 2024/2025 WIMS Transition Year Programme. Every year, the WIMS team gets to spend time with students from all of Ireland, educating them around the importance of mental health and wellbeing and minding themselves and others. We too get to learn from the students, and every young person brings something different to the table during the TY Programme."
"We are excited to meet our next group of students and hope the insight they gain around the roles within a mental health hospital will help them in their future career choices.”
How to apply
We’re inviting applications from students and teachers or school staff. The deadline for applications has now been extended until Friday, 2 August 2024.
Places are selected through a lottery draw basis after the deadline closes. Successful applicants will be notified by email by the end of August 2024.
Due to the high number of applications we receive, only successful applicants will be contacted. Unfortunately, we are unable to accept applications from parents.
Please note that the TY Programme deals with topics relating to mental health difficulties and may not be suitable for people who are engaging with mental health treatment and/ or experiencing ongoing mental health difficulties.
