How’s your Head? A guide to staying afloat post COVID-19

The Ombudsman for Children’s Office is proud to support How’s your Head? A guide to staying afloat post COVID-19, a mental health manual created by young people, for young people.

The brain child of Leaving Cert student and Irish Second-Level Student’s Union (ISSU) Donegal Regional Officer India Kennedy, How’s your Head is full of handy tips on staying positive and coping with stress, anxiety, depression and bereavement in a Covid world. The guide also includes a list of support services and encourages sharing your worries and experiences. It was put together by India and the ISSU, along with input from the Clinical Nurse Specialist Team at West Cork Mental Health Services and SpunOut, as well as support from the ETB National Parent Association and the Ombudsman for Children’s Office.

The past six months haven’t been easy for anyone, particularly children and young people who made some of the biggest sacrifices as schools closed their doors and lessons went online. Now that schools are reopening, children and young people will once again have to adapt to the ‘new normal’ in a Covid world.

While the reopening of schools is an exciting time for students who are looking forward to seeing their friends and teachers once again, it can also be an unsettling and anxious time. That’s why we are delighted to support India and the ISSU in taking this initiative to create a mental health manual for their fellow secondary school students in managing the transition back to the classroom.