They discuss topics and issues relating to the stigma of living with HIV in Ireland.

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They discuss topics and issues relating to mental health within the Traveller Community.

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Have you thought about or attempted suicide? The Eden Programme may be for you. The Eden Programme provides a safe space where participants can develop the skills to monitor and manage their own mental health, build a range of supports appropriate to their individual needs and move away from suicide as an option of choice in times of crisis.

Join SOS facilitators Bríd O'Meara, Brian Kelly & Patricia Allen Garrett discuss the SOS Flagship Eden Programme in detail.

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Headline is Ireland’s national media programme for responsible reporting, and representation of mental ill health and suicide. Join SOS as we chat with Áine O'Meara from Headline as we discuss the very important role of mental health reporting in the media.

This is not one to be missed and an informative episode for all interested in mental health and stigma reduction.

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Join SOS CEO Paula Lawlor as she chats with Dr Aishling Hearns from Spirasi - The National Centre for Survivors of Torture.

Spirasi leads in rehabilitating Asylum Seekers & Refugees who are victims of torture. In this episode, Paula and Dr Aisling discuss the work of Spirasi, the issues facing refugees and asylum seekers and the impact on their mental health.

About our guest:

Dr. Aisling Hearns, B.A. (Hons) Psychology, M.A. Addiction Studies, M.A. Cognitive Science, M.A. Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, PhD in Psychology Research, Dept. of Psychology TCD and Trinity Centre for Global Health, A.P.P.I, I.C.P

Dr. Aisling Hearns is a qualified psychotherapist registered with the Association for Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy in Ireland and the Irish Council for Psychotherapy. After gaining a BA in Psychology in 2003, she went on to attain several master’s degrees in Addiction Studies, Cognitive Science, and Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy between the years of 2005 and 2011. Most recently, Aisling completed PhD research on the complexities of trauma experienced by survivors of torture and serious harm.

Aisling is the head of therapy in Spirasi and has worked in Spirasi for ten years. In addition to being a member of the senior management team in Spirasi and managing the wider therapy team, Aisling's role in Spirasi is to provide individual and group psychotherapy to survivors of torture and complex trauma with the aim of improving trauma symptoms and creating greater psychological resilience so that clients can begin to live a meaningful life again. In previous employment she has worked with severely traumatised clients suffering from addiction, psychosis, eating disorders and various personality disorders. In her private practice Aisling works with adults who have suffered trauma, complex trauma, depression and anxiety, in addition to providing shorter-term work for those interested in developing coping mechanisms to deal with particular life events. Aisling specialises in working in cross-cultural psychotherapy, working through an interpreter, and working with diverse or marginalised communities.

To Learn more about Spirasi, go to: Spirasi - Spirasi

To learn more about SOS, go to Suicide or Survive | Mental Health and Wellness Training | CHY 16442

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We talk about the lived experience of being in the LGBTQ+ Community, the stigma and shame in the community and how this impacts on mental health. We also talk about the importance of Pride, the history and the special year of anniversaries in 2023 for Pride in Ireland.

An insightful conversation with so much to learn - we hope you enjoy!

Philippa is a transgender woman. She joined the civil service, the Property Registration Authority, in 1980 and retired in 2022. She is married with one daughter.  

She became involved with LGBTQ+ activism when she came to terms with herself as transgender, eventually transitioning about 12 years ago. She was very involved with both the Marriage Equality and Repeal the 8th referenda. She describes herself as a passionate, inclusive feminist. 

Over the past 15 years she has been a board member and chair of Transgender Equality Network Ireland (TENI) and part of the Steering Committee of Transgender Europe (TGEU). She was a founding committee member of Sporting Pride, Ireland’s LGBTQ+ sports organisation and represented Ireland at the World Gay Games in Paris in 2018.  In 2019 she was one of the founders of Under the Rainbow, a Therapy, Counselling, Diversity and Inclusion company and she gives workshops, presentations and talks on EDI subjects. She is also Chair of the Board of Dublin Pride. 

Her memoir, My Name is Philippa, is now out from Mercier Press and available in all good bookshops, libraries and online. 

Jamie Kenny previously worked with a number of LGBTQ+ organisations in Dublin, Belfast and Derry in both youth work and community work roles. Jamie has a passion for supporting people wishing to engage with Queer Spaces, making spaces accessible for all, and tackling stigma and discrimination. 

To learn more about Dublin Pride - please go to dublinpride.ie/

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Barbara Brennan - Change Maker, Stigma Disruptor, Mental Health and Human Rights Advocate. 

An inspirational ‘thought leader’ in her field, Barbara has over 13 years’ experience in changing the culture of mental health at all levels of society. A regular contributor to national mainstream and social media, Barbara is at home speaking to local community groups, CEO’s or senior leaders in the public and corporate world. She has lectured at Dublin City University, Trinity College Dublin, and University College Cork inspiring people to think differently about mental health and wellbeing. In the national discourse on mental health Barbara has motivated change and advised policy makers such as the National Office for Suicide Prevention, Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, Mental Health Commission and Irish Mental Health Lawyers Association.  

A highly esteemed trainer and facilitator, Barbara now uses her passion and experience to lead a national programme ‘See Change’, to give voice to people with lived experience of mental health difficulties, inspire a message of hope and recovery and ultimately spark an international conversation on reducing stigma. Her desire to bring that message of hope and share the knowledge that people who have struggled with their mental health can and DO recover, is at the heart of her work, and comes from her own lived experience of surviving suicide and overcoming severe and long term mental illness. 

Programmes Leader for See Change; the National Stigma Reduction Partnership Ireland 

To learn more about See Change, go to: https://seechange.ie/

To learn more about SOS and the Eden programme, go to: https://suicideorsurvive.ie/programmes/eden-programme/

Don't forget to 'follow' the Connections podcast on Spotify and other streaming platforms! Search for Connections: Conversations worth having

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Adam Harris is the Founder and CEO of AsIAm, Ireland’s National Autism Charity. Adam founded the organisation based on his own experiences growing up on the autism spectrum. Today, AsIAm provides support to the autism people and their families, advocates on behalf of the community, and works to support public and private sector organisations and communities in becoming inclusive and accessible.

In this episode, Paula and Adam chat about his experience, how he founded the organisation and the work they do today. They also talk about the mental health impact of living with Autism and the Stigma often attached to this. This is a really interesting and informative chat - we hope you enjoy!

To learn more about Adam and AsIAm, please visit: www.asiam.ie/

Don't forget to 'follow' the Connections podcast on Spotify and other streaming platforms! Search for Connections: Conversations worth having

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A fantastic discussion about the menopause, what it is, how it affects people and what you can do to help. Hear stories of personal lived experience and learn more about how the menopause can have an impact on mental health and the stigma attached to it.

To learn more about Loretta and the Menopause hub, go to: https://www.themenopausehub.ie/

To learn more about SOS and the Eden programme, go to: https://suicideorsurvive.ie/programmes/eden-programme/

Don't forget to 'follow' the Connections podcast on Spotify and other streaming platforms! Search for Connections: Conversations worth having

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Helen is a Professor of Applied Languages in the School of Modern Languages and Applied Linguistics. Helen's research concerns sociolinguistics, the study of language in society, and focuses on the interrelationship between media, markets, technologies and languages and the management of these relationships.

Join the SOS team as we talk with Helen about the use of language in everyday life, how important and impactful it is and how it contributes to the labelling of people, often at times enforcing stigma and contributing to the 'othering' of people in society.

To learn more about Helen and her work, go to: www.ul.ie/research/prof-helen-kelly-holmes

To learn more about Suicide or Survive, go to: www.suicideorsurvive.ie

Don't forget to 'follow' the Connections podcast on Spotify and other streaming platforms! Search for Connections: Conversations worth having

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A fantastic discussion and a great way to start this new campaign. Please enjoy and hit the follow/subscribe button to stay informed as we release more episodes every month.

Use #ConnectionsPodcast and tag us in your social media posts!

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Join in on the conversation by using #ConnectionsPodcast on social media and tag us!

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