Social Democratic and Labour Party MLA for Mid Ulster, Patsy McGlone, has added his support to a call for investment in therapeutic mental health interventions for our children and young people. The case for long-term investment in therapeutic mental health interventions has been made in a report by a new coalition established following the ending of the Healthy Happy Minds primary school programme alongside the reduction in funding for counselling and therapy provision through the Extended Schools Programme.
The coalition includes representatives from the professional bodies for counselling, art therapy, play therapy, music therapy and dramatherapy, as well as leading providers of the full range of therapeutic interventions in schools across Northern Ireland, plus mental health charity and campaign group, Pure Mental.
Mr McGlone said, “I wholeheartedly support the call for long-term investment in therapeutic mental health interventions for our children and young people.
“These are essential services to ensure that our young people have a healthy and supportive learning experience throughout our education system.
“Timely and therapeutic interventions can also help prevent further and escalating problems that could require more intensive treatment.
“The Healthy Happy Minds project provided a crucial therapeutic and counselling service for young people. When the decision to end the project was made public earlier this year, despite the SDLP’s best efforts to persuade them otherwise, the Department of Education and the Department of Finance cut funding for this important education support programme.
“The new report contains a few recommendations for any replacement primary school counselling and therapy services. Among them, the need to address the difficulty accessing services experienced by schools located west of the Bann and in rural settings.
“There remains a compelling case for the need to re-establish counselling and therapeutic services in our primary schools, and for the continuation of post-primary services.
“In the continued absence of an Executive, I urge all parties to support the necessary long-term investment in these essential services.”
ENDS
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