MY-Psychology or MY-Psy is a ground-breaking, psychology education programme with a focus on positive mental health and well-being promotion.
Funded by Science Foundation Ireland, MY-Psy is led by Dr Jennifer McMahon, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at University of Limerick, and Director of SCY-Lab (School, Child & Youth Mental Health and Well-Being Lab).
It is a collaborative partnership between the SCY-Lab, the Junior Health Sciences Academy (UL Hospitals Group, Mid-West Community Healthcare & University of Limerick) and the Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board, bringing together research, education, and healthcare specialities.
Other key stakeholders include Jigsaw Limerick, the Limerick Youth Service, and teaching staff in the Limerick and Clare area.
MY-Psy has been created with youth stakeholders, who have informed the design of the 12-session programme for Transition Year students. The programme focuses on the science of managing social media, understanding emotions, and building relationships. It also includes sessions on changing health behaviours, and how to engage in research.
Speaking about MY-Psy, Dr Ruth Freeman, Director of Science for Society at Science Foundation Ireland, said: “MY-Psy is an exciting and innovative programme that introduces students to the importance of mental health and wellbeing promotion in an engaging and interactive way.
Another key aim of the MY-Psy programme is to expose transition year students to psychological science and encourage them to view it as a potential career pathway.