Irish Cancer Society launches Mental Wellbeing Workshop for cancer research students

The Irish Cancer Society is pleased to announce that it will be hosting a “Mental Wellbeing Workshop” for our funded PhD students. The workshop will be facilitated by a mental health professional who specialises in graduate student counselling. The PhD students will be equipped with practical skills to support and maintain their mental wellbeing throughout their research careers and beyond.

This workshop is free to attend for all Irish Cancer Society funded PhD students but registration is required as places are very limited. 

TOPICS:

  • Positives/Negatives of working in research
  • Building personal awareness
  • Tools to help support mental wellbeing 

The importance of mental health has long been recognised as being vital for a person’s wellbeing. In recent years there has been a surge in the discussion around mental wellbeing and its importance. Due to a variety of factors including stigma and lack of services, many people in psychological distress do not receive the care they need. In turn, this greatly impacts the workforce, resulting in loss of productivity due to mental health-related absences, staff turnover and lack of job satisfaction.

As a result, employers are being called upon at a national level to establish appropriate mental health dialogue and services in the workplace. 

Over the last decade, emerging evidence has shown the rise of mental health problems in academia, especially among graduate students. A paper published last year directly examined the mental health of PhD students and found that approximately half of all PhD students suffer from psychological distress. The strikingly high rates of anxiety and depression in this group support a call to action to establish and expand mental wellbeing and personal development resources for graduate students. 

The Irish Cancer Society has recognised that research without action in this area can only do so much. As part of our continued commitment to promoting mental wellbeing in the research community, the Irish Cancer Society is hosting this "Mental Wellbeing Workshop" for our funded PhD students.

Please email researchevents@irishcancer.ie for information about registering