Trauma Informed Approaches for FET Settings
Jigsaw is a youth mental health charity which offers a range of mental health supports and services to both young people (aged 12-25 years) and those around them in the settings where they live, learn, work and play.
The Jigsaw Youth Mental Health Promotion team for FET and Higher Education aims to increase the mental health knowledge, skills, and resources of young people, and those around them across FET and higher education settings.

Trauma-informed practice uses knowledge and understanding of how trauma affects people’s lives (biologically, psychologically and socially) to ameliorate rather than exacerbate these effects. Any teaching or person-helping professional can become trauma-informed in their work, and in doing so support the development of psychologically safe learning environments for all.

Session Objectives:
• Understand trauma and its impacts on FET learners
• Consider behaviour as communication
• Explore factors which contribute to being a trauma informed FET learning setting
• Receive tips on creating a trauma sensitive environment and trauma informed relationships with learners
• Consider your own self-care in this context

*Note that while Jigsaw focuses on supporting the mental health of young people aged between 12-25, the strategies and approaches from this workshop can be applied to all age groups*

The target audience for this event is: All FET staff members, including FET staff including management, teachers, tutors, trainers, instructors, programme coordinators, guidance counsellors, learning support staff and wellbeing officers.

Facilitation: This event will be facilitated by Tara Mulhern and Dr Emma Hickey, Jigsaw

Tara Mulhern is Clinical Lead for Education at Jigsaw, and works primarily on their Further and Higher Education Team. Tara is an occupational therapist with 16 years’ experience working with young people and adults in various community based mental health settings, including having previously worked as a Regional Clinical Manger for Jigsaw. She has significant experience supporting learners to be effective and fulfilled with their student role through occupational therapy and more recently through mental health promotion. Tara has particular interests in trauma informed practice, occupational balance, sensory integration, mental health promotion and clinical education. Tara has previously delivered content on trauma informed practice to schools across Ireland.

Dr. Emma Hickey is a Clinical Psychologist and Senior Clinician with Jigsaw Limerick. She is interested in making sense of distress collaboratively with young people and is particularly drawn to understanding how we can communicate and reflect on the idea of power in an accessible and meaningful way to support young people to understand what may be maintaining distress levels in their lives. Emma has also been involved in practically implementing the principles of trauma informed working at a local and national level in Jigsaw.

Please note: Pre-booking is essential. Please do not book onto this session unless you are sure that you will attend / have approval to attend (if required). If an emergency arises, please inform us ASAP (cpdcancellations@fess.ie) as we operate a waiting list system and if time allows, we can offer your booked place to another person.