Ashik Prasad took part in our 2019/20 Transition Year Programme and tells us of his experience of this mental health awareness placement.
Ashik Prasad took part in our 2019/20 Transition Year (TY) Programme and tells us of his experience of this mental health awareness placement.
The Walk in My Shoes (WIMS) TY Programme was a very enlightening journey for me. I got the opportunity to attend this programme from my school and was thrilled about it. This five-day journey gave me a strong understanding on how St Patrick’s Mental Health Services (SPMHS) approaches and tackles mental health difficulties to bring its service users towards a mentally healthy life.
Getting hands-on training
From day one to day five, I was involved in multiple sessions led by different mental health experts, and these sessions were very interesting. I learned about the multidisciplinary team (MDT) which consists of a diverse group of professional staff who work together to better understand a person’s mental health and help them in the most effective way. I also got to view a mock MDT scenario performed by a team of health workers, and this enhanced my understanding of this approach, which was completely new to me.
During the programme I got an opportunity to take part in Cardiac First Response Training, which was very practical and beneficial. I had a great time getting to know how to react in various emergencies. This kind of training is very important and I was delighted to get a chance to participate in it.
Valuing our mental health
As always said, our health is truly our wealth, and having good mental health is very valuable. Though our mind is something abstract, it can show up for us physically; for example, if you feel cold or numb inside, I think is it important to reveal it because there is help out there. It can be hard to open up in a situation like this, but there is definitely a way out.
I had a wonderful time getting involved with the whole group at WIMS and SPMHS. Everyone was very nice, and they were so kind to take time from their busy schedules to give an insight about their input in the field of mental health. We were treated very well (and, I must say, the lunches were great!).
Marking our graduation
Though the event was cancelled, WIMS got everyone’s graduation certificates to them and also kindly organised a selfie raffle, which I was very pleased to have won.
I had a great experience during my week in SPMHS. I’m glad to have engaged with the TY Programme and it is something that I would really recommend.
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A school return like no other