A total of €431,667 in funding for mental health support at ATU has been announced, as part of a €5 million package for third level mental health services.
The announcement was made by Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris today.
Minister Harris said: “We know this generation are facing mental health challenges like no other.”
“The pressure our young people are facing requires important interventions at the right stage of their lives. That is why we have provided €20.9 million to Higher Education Institutions since 2020. Crucially, this has allowed universities recruit additional Student Counsellors, additional Assistant Psychologists. 77 were hired last year alone.”
“The funding this year will embed these services in our college campuses.”
Local Fine Gael Cllr. Jimmy Kavanagh has also welcomed today’s announcement.
“The funding is a very welcome investment in the wellbeing of our college going students across the country. The current generation of students face challenges that are more complex than those faced by previous generations, the prevalence of drugs in society and the challenges posed by social media pressures and financial challenges can make life very difficult for many students especially as most will be living away from home for the first time and the pressures can be overwhelming.”
“I welcome the new data building service, to establish a network of researchers to examine the area of suicide and self-harm, we have lost far too many young people in recent years to suicide. The funding can also help provide a range of relevant professional services around mental health for example mental health nurses, the colleges have also flexibility to tailor funding to specific issues that they identify as needing addressed.”
