Various Locations
Vivian Brodie Hayes
Our Yoga and Movement Specialist ‘Vivian Brodie Hayes’ delivers a programme that focuses on dance, movement and yoga as accessible activities for HSE mental health service users enabling well-being and recovery. In 2018, this programme began with one block of dance sessions in Enniscorthy through a Creative Communities grant. In 2019 Vivian was contracted by the HSE and the programme evolved based on clients’ therapeutic needs and interests, to include the modality of yoga as well as dance across the life span including child and adolescent, adults and later life.
In 2020, the WMHA in partnership with the HSE employed Vivian for 14.8hrs per week.
Pre Covid-19, individual yoga and dance sessions continued to be delivered across the county. During Covid, Yoga and Movement Specialist (YAMS) has been an integral resource to the WMHA and the OT department in adapting to respond to service users’ needs across all services i.e. videos, audios, postal packs and outdoor sessions. YAMS, in conjunction with OT, also facilitated individual sessions with clients to focus on specific needs and the therapeutic needs led fund also supported the successful pilot of a yoga programme for MHID service users.
This programme is project managed and supervised by Senior OTs Ciaradh Walsh and Mairead Connaughton.
The WMHA and OTs have received extremely positive feedback from service users outlining the positive impacts this has had in maintaining mental health during this crisis pandemic period. Please see video developed by YAMS and the project team which provides an overview of the YAMS service provision.