Mental Health Charity - parents should be ‘Supportive and Quietly Kind’ during Leaving Cert

Turn2Me, a national mental health charity, has stated that parents should be ‘supportive and quietly kind’ during the Leaving Certificate period. Thousands of students across Tipperary will sit their exams this month.

In many European countries the method of assessment is by continuous learning which takes a lot of the stress out of school  however in Ireland, the Leaving Certificate period is stress filled for many sitting the exams in a short two or three week period.

The charity has seen an increase in parents whose teenagers are sitting the Leaving Certificate sign up for its services.

“Many parents feel lost,” Fiona O'Malley, CEO of Turn2Me said, “They’re not sure what to say or how to get the balance between being supportive and not putting too much pressure on their teenagers. You don’t need to give a long Ted Talk every time you see your teenager but giving them words of encouragement can be really powerful.

“Popping into their room every hour when they have a study break with a cup of tea, a glass of water, healthy snacks and being quietly kind can make a hugely positive difference.”

The company is running support groups for both students and parents until the end of the Leaving Cert, for anyone who needs free professional mental health support.

The Turn2Me Leaving Cert Students support group will run on Wednesdays at 6pm, and the Turn2Me Leaving Cert Parents support group will run on Thursdays at 6pm. To sign up, go to https://turn2me.ie/