HSE and ATU Mayo Looking Out for Students on World Suicide Prevention Awareness Day this September

The 10th of September 2026 marks ‘World Suicide Prevention Day’ and the HSE has teamed up with lecturers and staff in Atlantic Technological University (ATU) Mayo campus to raise awareness and learn new skills around suicide prevention. The initiative is led by Seán Conneely, Senior Health Promotion Officer, HSE West and North West, Rev Daniel Caldwell, Chaplain ATU and Jennifer Corbett, Mental Health and Well-being Project Officer ATU, and is supported by the HSE National Office for Suicide Prevention (NOSP).

The need for accessible mental health support for students has never been more important. The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) National Report on Student Mental Health in Third Level Education (2019) found that students were experiencing extremely severe levels of anxiety (38%), depression (30%) and stress (17%). The report also found that almost one-third (32%) of students had received a formal diagnosis of a mental health difficulty at some point in their lives.

Mental health is everybody’s business and ATU lecturers and staff are uniquely placed to play an important role in supporting student wellbeing. While lecturers and staff are not expected to be mental health professionals, they can provide a vital first point of contact offering a listening ear, recognising when a student may need additional support, and signposting them to the appropriate mental health and wellbeing services available.

Let’s Talk About Suicide is a free online suicide prevention training programme from the HSE (https://traininghub.nosp.ie/). It helps people to develop their skills to keep others safe from suicide. It helps identify people who may be at risk, to confidently broach the subject of suicide and connect them with resources that can help them stay safe.

ATU lecturers who have completed the online training have also received a resource pack containing further information to help signpost students to additional support services.

Seán Conneely said, “The response from the ATU has been fantastic. Lecturers and staff were very interested in the initiative and when talking to them I could see that they really cared about their students and were eager to learn more about suicide prevention and mental health”. Feedback from participating staff has also been very positive. One ATU staff member that completed the programme said it highlighted “key features when talking to someone showing the signs of considering suicide”.

Jennifer Corbett said, “By building the confidence and awareness of staff, ATU can strengthen a whole-university approach to student wellbeing and help ensure that students feel supported, connected and able to access help when they need it.”

Following the success of the pilot programme in ATU Mayo Campus and the overwhelmingly positive feedback received, plans are now underway to roll out the programme across ATU’s other campuses. 

Dr Justin Kerr, Vice-President, Mayo Campus said, “I was delighted to support the pilot of the Let's Talk About Suicide on the ATU, Mayo campus. Partnership with the HSE West and North West, ATU Mental Health Project Office and the National Office for Suicide Prevention demonstrates the importance of interagency working. I look forward to this initiative being rolled out across ATU.”

While this initiative involved ATU lecturers, anyone over the age of 18 years can complete this free online course available from ‘https://traininghub.nosp.ie/’. For further information on mental health supports visit www.westbewell.ie.