New mural to encourage mental health therapy
Only three in 10 Irish men say they would go to counselling or psychotherapy.
This is compared to two in five women who say they would 'very likely' attend if they were struggling with their mental health.
The Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy survey coincides with the launch of their latest campaign “Look After Yourself”.
A new mural has been unveiled in Dublin to encourage people to seek support.
The mural unveiled was created by well-known Irish Illustrator and Street Artist, Joe Caslin who said:
“The figures that populate my murals are ordinary people, that in turn become spokespeople for their own experiences."
"The ‘Look After Yourself’ campaign is all about ordinary young males and encouraging them to be vulnerable and speak to a therapist."
"It isn’t something they should be ashamed of or see it as a sign of weakness; it’s actually a sign of huge strength.”
GAA star and founder of the charity Half Time Talk, Philly McMahon, added,
“Your mental game is just as important as your physical game and the younger generation need to learn this from an early age, that looking after your mental health is key to your overall health."
"There is no failure in going to see a therapist.”
Many thanks for Joe Caslin's amazing work on the mural. Here are some BTS photos of the launch of #lookafteryourself. Thanks so much to Philly and Shane for coming out and braving the rain with us. #mensmentalhealth pic.twitter.com/MxGPgVqaZK
— Irish Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (@IACP_ie) July 7, 2020
The IACP encourages young males to see therapy as normal and not something that "has to be done" but rather something you do for yourself.
