Mental Health & Wellbeing
Evidence based resources to support your mental health at university and beyond.
Browse the topics below, or search the Mental Health and Wellbeing theme in the DEVELOP course index.
| Addiction |
Addiction (Live Wise Book Therapy Collection)
This link is for The Live Wise Book Therapy Collection which consists of ebooks and print titles which are located in the Cregan Library, DCU St Patrick's Campus and in the O'Reilly Library on the Glasnevin Campus and aims to promote and support students and staff in strengthening their own self-care and maintaining their physical, emotional and personal wellbeing.
Adult Children of Alcoholics (Booklet)
This text-based guide offers information for adult children of alcoholics from the DCU Counselling and Personal Development Service.
| Anxiety & Stress |
Anxiety & Stress (Live Wise Book Therapy Collection)
This link is for The Live Wise Book Therapy Collection which consists of ebooks and print titles which are located in the Cregan Library, DCU St Patrick's Campus and in the O'Reilly Library on the Glasnevin Campus and aims to promote and support students and staff in strengthening their own self-care and maintaining their physical, emotional and personal wellbeing.
Balance your thinking (Course)
This Togetherall course teaches you how to manage and reframe negative thoughts using techniques like cognitive restructuring to achieve a more balanced and positive outlook.
This video will help you to identify signs that your stress and anxiety is too high and learn ways to ground yourself and come back to a calmer state.
From Challenges to Strengths (Audio Exercise)
This audio file is a guide to building on existing strengths.
Grounding Exercise (Audio Exercise)
This audio file is a exercise to help people re-ground themselves.
Managing Anger (Course)
This Togetherall course supports members to become more aware of their anger warning signs, triggers and consequences of angry behaviour.
Managing Emotions (Course)
This Togetherall course explores emotions. You'll learn how to talk about, identify, and manage your feelings, and build emotional literacy through journaling and goal-setting. The course also provides worksheets to help you develop these skills.
Managing Health Anxiety (Course)
This Togetherall course is for individuals with persistent health worries, teaching them to challenge unhelpful thoughts and use behavioural strategies like Exposure Response Prevention to make their concerns more manageable.
Managing Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) (Course)
This Togetherall course provides a variety of techniques and strategies to help members with OCD manage obsessive thoughts and reduce repetitive checking and reassurance-seeking behaviour.
Managing Panic (Course)
The Togetherall course combines thought strategies which Graded Exposure to relieve the emotional distress caused by panic attacks, drawing on Mindfulness techniques and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.
Managing Social Anxiety (Course)
This Togetherall course helps you manage social anxiety and shyness by challenging negative thoughts, becoming more assertive, and using exercises to step outside of your comfort zone.
Managing Self Harm (Course)
This Togetherall course addresses self-harm by dispelling misconceptions, providing first aid advice for injuries, and teaching evidence-based distraction and emotional regulation techniques, along with a diary for self-monitoring.
Managing Stress (Course section)
Part of the Discover Self Management course, this practice-focused section will give you some great tools for your academic, personal and professional lives in the coming years and help you stay balanced. Take the time to enjoy each exercise so that you can call on them at any time if you need them.
Managing Stress & Worry (Course)
This Togetherall course supports members to utilise a range of evidence-based techniques and strategies to manage high stress levels and chronic worrying.
Managing Worry (Course)
This Togetherall course provides evidence-based techniques and strategies to help members manage high stress and chronic worrying, including Mindfulness, time management, sleep hygiene, problem-solving, and the Worry Time technique.
Mapping you Psychological World (Booklet)
This text-based guide is designed to help people better understand their inner psychological world.
Safe Place Visualization (Audio Exercise)
This audio file is a guided visualization exercise to help people relax and reduce stress.
Self Awareness (Podcast)
This audio podcast is part of the DCU My University life podcast series, and discusses what we mean when we speak about ‘self awareness’ and how we can begin to take steps towards increasing it. S1 Ep4.
Self-Care Evidence-based Approaches to Wellbeing and Mental Health (Booklet)
This text-based guide examines evidence-based approaches and techniques to well being and mental health.
Tracking Unhelpful Thinking (Booklet)
This text-based guide offers strategies and techniques to help with unhealthy or negative thoughts and thinking.
Working with Unhelpful Thinking (Booklet)
This text-based guide offers techniques to help identify and manage unhealthy or negative thoughts.
Working with Unhelpful Thinking: Daily Record to work with Cognitive Distortions and Dysfunctional Beliefs (Worksheet)
This downloadable PDF is a daily record to work with cognitive distortions and dysfunctional beliefs from DCU Counselling and Personal Development Service.
| Depression |
Coping with Low Mood (Course)
This Togetherall course encourages you to explore the meaning of mood and develop a coping plan to manage the highs and lows, with a daily Mood Journal to help you build skills.
Depression (Live Wise Book Therapy Collection)
This link is for The Live Wise Book Therapy Collection which consists of ebooks and print titles which are located in the Cregan Library, DCU St Patrick's Campus and in the O'Reilly Library on the Glasnevin Campus and aims to promote and support students and staff in strengthening their own self-care and maintaining their physical, emotional and personal wellbeing.
Easing Low Mood (Video)
This video assists in identifying signs of low mood and offers tips for raising your energy.
Managing Depression & Low Mood (Course)
This Togetherall course teaches you how to manage and reframe negative thoughts using techniques like cognitive restructuring to achieve a more balanced outlook.
| Grief & Loss |
Coping with Grief & Loss (Course)
This Togetherall course helps you cope with grief and move forward after a significant loss by covering the stages of the process and providing strategies to help you navigate changes in your life.
Grief & Loss (Live Wise Book Therapy Collection)
This link is for The Live Wise Book Therapy Collection which consists of ebooks and print titles which are located in the Cregan Library, DCU St Patrick's Campus and in the O'Reilly Library on the Glasnevin Campus and aims to promote and support students and staff in strengthening their own self-care and maintaining their physical, emotional and personal wellbeing.
Loss and Grief (Booklet)
This text-based guide explores grief, loss and transition including resources for support.
| Health & Illness |
Health & Illness (Live Wise Book Therapy Collection)
This link is for The Live Wise Book Therapy Collection which consists of ebooks and print titles which are located in the Cregan Library, DCU St Patrick's Campus and in the O'Reilly Library on the Glasnevin Campus and aims to promote and support students and staff in strengthening their own self-care and maintaining their physical, emotional and personal wellbeing.
| Mindfulness & Self Compassion |
5.2.7 Breathing Practice (Audio Exercise)
This audio file is a guide to practicing the short 5-2-7 breathing practice.
A Short Breathing Space Practice (Podcast)
This audio podcast is a guide to introduce a short breathing space practice.
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (Handbook)
This text-based guide examines and offers ways to reduce stress through mindfulness practices.
Mindfulness of Breathing (Podcast)
This audio podcast is a guide to take you through the mindfulness of breathing.
Mindfulness & Self Compassion (Live Wise Book Therapy Collection)
This link is for The Live Wise Book Therapy Collection which consists of ebooks and print titles which are located in the Cregan Library, DCU St Patrick's Campus and in the O'Reilly Library on the Glasnevin Campus and aims to promote and support students and staff in strengthening their own self-care and maintaining their physical, emotional and personal wellbeing.
Mindful Movement Practice (Podcast)
This audio podcast is a guide to practice mindful movement.
Sitting Meditation (Podcast)
This audio podcast is a guide to practicing a sitting meditation.
The Body Scan Mindfulness Practice (Podcast)
This audio podcast is a guide to a body scan mindfulness practice.
| Psychological Wellbeing Skills Toolkit |
Welcome to our series of short evidence-based techniques for emotional regulation, distress tolerance, mindfulness and effective communication. By engaging with each technique at your own pace, you may develop a personalised toolkit for better managing stressful situations in your academic and personal life.
Explore each technique and select those that work best for you.
Tools for Emotional Regulation
A Distress Tolerance Skill, the STOPP Skill (Video)
This video will guide you through how to create a space between a situation occurring and your response to it. (STOPP stand for Stop, Take a breath, Observe, Pull back for Perspective, and Practise what works).
This video is a grounding exercise to manage anxiety, calm anxious thoughts and keep you focused and mindful in your environment.
The Self Soothe Technique (Video)
This video will explore how you can use self-soothe technique using your five senses.
Fact or Opinion, Challenge your Thoughts (Video)
This video will explore how to challenge our thoughts and discusses facts and opinions.
The Opposite Action Technique (Video)
These videos will introduce a technique for changing an emotion you are experiencing by acting opposite to your emotional urge.
Managing Catastrophising Techniques (Video)
This video will explore the cognitive distortion known as catastrophising.
Accessing your Wise Mind (Video)
This video explores how to achieve a more centred state of mind by balancing your emotions and your reason.
Radical Acceptance (Video)
These videos will examine how to turn your mind away from avoidance and move to a space of radical acceptance.
Tools for Mindfulness Practice
Why is Mindfulness a Superpower? (Video)
This video will explore Mindfulness as a powerful wellbeing practice.
Mindfulness of Current Emotions (Video)
This video will discuss how to manage an emotion in a difficult moment.
Tools for Distress Tolerance
TIPP skills to help reduce strong emotions quickly (Video)
This video will explore four TIPP skills that will help you to regulate intense emotions.
Calm your worries and sleep better (Video)
This video will offer strategies to calm your mind and get a better night sleep.
Grounding Exercise for a Racing Mind (Video)
This video is a grounding exercise mediation to help you calm a racing mind.
IMPROVE the Moment (Video)
This video will equip you with a tool to improve the moment when in a stressed situation. IMPROVE stands for Imagery, Meaning, Connecting to a Higher Power, One thing in the moment, Vacation, and Encouragement.
Tools for Interpersonal Relationships and Communication
PLEASE Skill (Video)
This video will introduce the Please skills to help reduce vulnerability to negative emotions and increase emotional resilience. PLEASE stands for Physical Illness (treat it), Eating (balanced), Avoid mood-altering substances, Sleep (balanced), and Exercise.
DEAR MAN - Skills to support communicating assertively (Video)
These videos introduce the DEAR MAN skill as a structured communication technique to help you to assert your needs and boundaries. DEAR MAN stands for Describe, Express, Assert, Reinforce, Mindful, Appear Confident, and Negotiate.
G.I.V.E Skills (Video)
This video introduces a set of strategies to connect and maintain healthy relationships and communicate effectively. GIVE stands for Gentle, Interested, Validate, and Easy Manner.
F.A.S.T. Skills (Video)
This video will introduce the FAST skill, designed to support interpersonal relationships and boundaries. FAST stands for be Fair, no Apologies, honour your Values, be Truthful.
THINK Skills (Video)
This video introduces the THINK skill, a tool designed to support managing conflict. THINK stands for Think, Have empathy, Interpretations, Notice, Kindness.
| Relationships |
Relationships (Live Wise Book Therapy Collection)
This link is for The Live Wise Book Therapy Collection which consists of ebooks and print titles which are located in the Cregan Library, DCU St Patrick's Campus and in the O'Reilly Library on the Glasnevin Campus and aims to promote and support students and staff in strengthening their own self-care and maintaining their physical, emotional and personal wellbeing.
Intimate Relationships: A Guide to Common Issues and Concerns in Intimate Relationships (Booklet)
This text-based guide explores common issues and concerns in intimate relationships.
| Therapy & Trauma |
Speak Out is an online anonymous reporting platform. It enables you, as a member of our DCU University community, to report incidents of bullying, cyberbullying, harassment, discrimination, coercive behaviour/control, stalking, assault, sexual harassment, hate crime, sexual assault and rape in a way that is safe and secure.
Coping and managing your reactions following a critical incident (Booklet)
This text-based guide examines how to manage your reactions following a critical incident.
Crisis Management (Booklet)
This text-based guide examines what a crisis is and how to manage or intervene.
Suicide Awareness/Prevention Guidelines
This text-based guide explores suicide including warning signs and how to respond when facing someone at risk of suicide.
Therapy (Live Wise Book Therapy Collection)
This link is for The Live Wise Book Therapy Collection which consists of ebooks and print titles which are located in the Cregan Library, DCU St Patrick's Campus and in the O'Reilly Library on the Glasnevin Campus and aims to promote and support students and staff in strengthening their own self-care and maintaining their physical, emotional and personal wellbeing.
Trauma (Live Wise Book Therapy Collection)
This link is for The Live Wise Book Therapy Collection which consists of ebooks and print titles which are located in the Cregan Library, DCU St Patrick's Campus and in the O'Reilly Library on the Glasnevin Campus and aims to promote and support students and staff in strengthening their own self-care and maintaining their physical, emotional and personal wellbeing.