Niamh shares resilience tips at Psychology Conference talk

ALMOST 200 members of the public attended a free talk, facilitated by the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI) when they held their 2018 annual conference in White’s Hotel.

‘Resilience in the Real World’ was delivered by PSI member Niamh Fitzpatrick, who is no stranger to Wexford, having been the team psychologist for the Wexford All Ireland winning hurling team in 1996. She is also the sister of the late Captain Dara Fitzpatrick who tragically lost her life when the Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 116 crashed in March 2017.

The talk was supported by the ASK mental health awareness campaign and was aimed at making psychology accessible to the public.

Ms Fitzpatrick delivered a heartfelt and honest portrayal of her personal story of resilience in the past 20 months since her sister’s passing. By letting the audience in on such a personal and life-changing event, she was able to outline a number of coping mechanisms for people to use in challenging times.

She stressed the importance of controlling the controllable things, and realising that it was normal for a person to feel how they did. She encouraged people to practice self-care, gather support and seek professional help.

She told the gathered crowd not to turn the hard times into full stops in their life.

Brendean O’Connell, Niamh Fitzpatrick (guest speaker) and Terri Morrissey at the conference.

Niamh Hannan, Margueritea Lally and Sharon Travers at the conference in Clayton White’s Hotel.