Mental Health Awareness Week 2024

Healthy Relationship Practises to Improve Wellbeing

Relate NI are focusing on the strong link between healthy relationships and good mental wellbeing for Mental Health Awareness Week.

Healthy relationships are a fundamental cornerstone to our health and wellbeing. We know that people who are more socially connected to family, friends, or their community are happier, physically healthier and live longer. It has also been evidenced that people with healthy relationships have fewer mental health problems than those who are less well connected.

Strong, high-quality relationships that are caring and supportive can reduce stress and in some cases depression (Mental Health Foundation). In Relate NI’s own study, 78% of people in Northern Ireland agreed that poor relationships can have a negative impact on our mental wellbeing*.

However, the relationship with yourself is one of the most important relationships that you have. The relationship that you have with yourself can determine your own happiness, as well as the foundations that you build with others. Although 19% of respondents to our survey told us that the relationship with themselves is bad. A further 37% of people in NI said that they felt undeserving of love and care. Being kind and loving yourself is a practise that everyone should implement to build confidence and boost self- esteem.

Relate NI’s Children & Young People Counsellor Linda Quinn has commented, “As humans we function best around others; we are not meant to be on our own. To benefit from being around others, we require a good, healthy emotional connection and this is achieved by having good, healthy relationships. When this in place, we all feel safer and more secure in our personal world and the world in general. This positively impacts our emotional health and mental well being to help us cope with the tumultuous challenges of society and life.”

For Mental Health Awareness Week 2024, Relate NI have self- help resources available on their website that focus on strengthening our relationships, including the relationship that we have with ourselves, to improve our mental wellbeing.

*This survey, commissioned by Relate NI, polled 1,000 nationally representative general consumers in Northern Ireland between 22nd April – 29th April 2022.

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“How Relate NI helps people”

Our counsellor was excellent and really helped me and my husband to resolve the niggles in our relationshipService Attended Adult Relationship Counselling for Couples

My counsellor was lovely, attentive and supportive. She helped me to understand my worth and for that, I will always be gratefulService Attended Adult Relationship Counselling for Individuals

This service is invaluable. Such lovely people to meet and help you through difficult times.Service Attended Adult Relationship Counselling for Couples

The service was excellent, my counsellor was really good at getting us to open up and helping us to get to the root of our issues. We have definitely improved our communication since attending.Service Attended Adult Relationship Counselling for Couples

I found the Relationship MOT an excellent method of focusing on how we work as a couple and just as importantly, where we need to work. It was professional, insightful and well worth the time. It has reminded us of how much we have to be proud of in our relationship and why it is so important to occasionally review it with experts.Service Attended Relationship MOT

I would definitely recommend using the Relationship MOT service as a bit of a check in with your partner. I thought how the counsellor was able to steer the conversation was very insightful and nuanced. The MOT reminded us about why we are great together but also the importance of communication and respect.” “Our counsellor provided an outside perspective which immediately helped us to agree that we needed to stop and think with more kindness and empathy for each other especially when stressed or pissed off. We both felt that our counsellor’s excellent and gentle facilitation was quite invigorating. So many positives!Service Attended Relationship MOT 2

Very Interesting Content. I like the concept of preparing your relationship before you have problemsService Attended Sustaining Healthy Relationships – Surestart 4

The face to face programme has made me feel connected with others experiencing similar thingsService Attended Sustaining Healthy Relationships – Surestart 3

The workshops made me more confident to balance family life after the baby's arrivalService Attended Sustaining Healthy Relationships – Surestart 2

I now have a better understanding of myself, it is good to know that it is normal to have argumentsService Attended Sustaining Healthy Relationships – Surestart 1

I felt the weekly questionnaire, couples with the counsellor's understanding of my needs help contribute to my own understanding of my mental health and needs throughout.Service Attended Adult Relationship Counselling for Individuals

I loved every session. Our counsellor listened to what we had to say and gave us helpful wee homework - would recommend this service to everybodyService Attended Adult Relationship Counselling for Couples

Our counsellor was a fantastic support - we now feel strong enough to continue working on our relationship togetherService Attended Adult Relationship Counselling for Couples

I had a very good counsellor that helped me through a lot and it has made me come out the other side.Service Attended Adult Relationship Counselling for Individuals

Counselling took us from a bad place to a good one and I would return if neededService Attended Adult Relationship Counselling For Couples

Been a lifeline to help us fall in love again - forever grateful!Service Attended Adult Relationship Counselling For Couples

I would just like to say that when I first came for counselling I felt that I was drowning. I have completed my sessions and I now feel that I can cope a lot better with everything. Thank you for a brilliant service.Service Attended Adult Relationship Counselling For Individuals

Thank you Relate NI for a good nights sleep.Service Attended Relate NI Kids Counselling

Really enjoyed Relate NI and I'm actually going to miss counselling. I Found it helpful to find myself again. Very fair and equal within our relationship.Service Attended Adult Relationship Counselling For Couples

The counsellor was very pleasant to meet with. They had the necessary skills to speak and listen when appropriate. I liked their humour and good personality.Service Attended Family Counselling

Relate NI has helped me move on as well as understand myself and situation more. My counsellor listened to me, facilitated me and was compassionate!Service Attended Relate NI Teen Counselling

I felt the weekly questionnaire, coupled with counsellor's understanding of my needs helped contribute to my own understanding of my mental health and needs throughoutService Attended Adult Relationship Counselling For Individuals

We had four funded sessions and cannot express how grateful we are for the help, guidance and knowledge. Our counsellor was incredibly professional, and her experience and obvious passion for helping couples like us was exceptional. She helped us to understand ourselves and each other like we otherwise never would have been able to.Service Attended Adult Relationship Counselling For Couples

I have tried counselling many times in the past. This time actually made a difference. I was able to complete online sessions as well as some face to face.Service Attended Adult Relationship Counselling For Individuals

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Mental Health Awareness Week 2024

Healthy Relationship Practises to Improve Wellbeing

Relate NI are focusing on the strong link between healthy relationships and good mental wellbeing for Mental Health Awareness Week.

“How Relate NI helps people”

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