Mental Health Ireland collaborates with a vast and diverse community of volunteers, groups and teams across the country to educate, empower and build connections. The members of the Mental Health Ireland community are our team, our network and our partners. We believe that by working with every aspect of the community in Ireland, we can effect change and have a positive impact for people through our work.
To find out more about Our Community in your area, visit Our Community
Meet our Community
Mental Health Associations
Across the country, Mental Health Ireland and our team of Development Officers work with a regional of Mental Health Associations (MHAs). The volunteer-led MHAs have a particular interest in mental health, wellbeing and recovery including;
- People from the local community
- People with lived experience of mental health challenges
- Family members/carers and professionals working in the mental health area
- The activities of a Mental Health Association include:
- The promotion of mental health awareness in communities
- Working with local recovery initiatives such as peer-led day services, Recovery Colleges, Recovery Fairs
- Working alongside our Development Officers in the delivery of national mental health promotion campaigns, projects and training at a local level.
- The roll out of other activities and developments in line with our Strategy
Recovery
Mental Health Ireland is a recovery focused organisation and all our work is undertaken in alignment with the recovery principles of Connectedness, Hope, Identity, Meaning, and Empowerment. (CHIME). This alignment is evident not only in our own work but also in our strong partnerships with the HSE Mental Health Services nationally, local Integrated Health Areas, Regional Health Areas and through our ongoing working relationship with the National Office of Mental Health Access and Integration (Mental Health Engagement and Recovery). This is done through the recruitment and deployment of employees into local roles, based on local needs and requirements.
Mental Health Ireland is the leading employer of people working into Recovery Education services across the country, which requires lived experience and recovery of Mental Health challenges as an essential expertise. Additionally, we employ people in other recovery orientated roles that operate under specific funding arrangements with HSE Mental Health Services. These include Family Peer Support, Galway Solace Café, Exercise Effect, Vista Research, and Community Health and Wellbeing. Through these funding arrangements and our ongoing partnership with the HSE, our employees occupy an abundance of roles on behalf of local Mental Health Services, including service coordinators, support workers, relief support workers, administrative support workers, research contributors, service user representatives and peer connectors, across a broad range of recovery orientated initiatives in Regional Health Areas.
Affiliate Partnerships
As an organisation that values partnerships and working in collaboration to innovate and provide support locally, we collaborate with and support partner organisations across Ireland, including:
- Mindspace Mayo
- Gateway Mental Health Project
- Wexford Mental Health Association
- Cavan Monaghan Connects We also support other projects operated by HSE Mental Health Services under specific funding arrangements.
These include:
- Exercise Effect Programmes
- Family peer supporters
- Service user representatives
- Research contributors
- Crisis Café peer workers
