As part of the Mental Health Matters 2026 Poster Campaign, Dermot Flatley Recovery Education Facilitator with REGARI Recovery College was named the winner of the workplace category for his entry, More Than an Employee (The Balancing Act). Dermot reflects on the inspiration behind his winning entry, the importance of creating mentally healthy workplaces, and why making space for conversations about mental health matters.

More Than an Employee: (The Balancing Act)

A conversation with Dermot about the person behind the role.

REGARI: Dermot, what inspired you to create “More Than an Employee”?

Dermot: I wanted to capture something I think many of us experience but don’t always talk about: we rarely arrive at work as just an employee. We might also be a parent, partner,friend, son or daughter, carer, provider, or simply someone trying to keep our own lives together.We can walk through the workplace door carrying worries about finances, relationships, family,health, or the future, even when none of those things are visible to the people around us. The poster is really about recognising the person behind the job title.

REGARI: Why did you create the image of someone wearing different hats?

Dermot: The hats represent some of the many different roles we occupy throughout our lives. Each role can be meaningful and rewarding, but each can also bring expectations and responsibilities. Sometimes we move between those roles almost without noticing it. We can be a colleague at 9am, a parent or partner in the evening, a friend who someone needs to lean on, and the person responsible for keeping the household running. There can be a lot of pressure in trying to do all of those things well.

REGARI: And what do the balls being juggled represent?

Dermot: They’re a visual representation of the balancing act many people are experiencing. Some of which may include: Family, Finances, Time, Home, Work and Relationships while managing our wellbeing. It can seem that we are always striving for that elusive work- life balance.

We’re often encouraged to become better at managing everything — better organised, more productive, more resilient. But sometimes the more important question is whether we’re expecting ourselves to keep too many things in the air at once. Perhaps dropping a ball occasionally isn’t failure. “After all we are human beings, not human doings. Our worth extends far beyond what we do, what we achieve or the roles we fulfil.”

REGARI: The poster also features a line of masks. What does that represent for you?

Dermot: The masks represent the different faces we can present to the world. We might smile when we’re struggling. Appear confident when we’re overwhelmed or say “I’m fine” when we’re anything but fine.

In the workplace, there can sometimes be an unspoken expectation that we should leave our personal difficulties at the door. But people don’t work that way, we are not robots! We bring ourselves into work which includes the parts of ourselves that may be struggling.

REGARI: Why do you think it’s sometimes difficult for people to say that they’re not okay?

Dermot: There can be a fear of being judged, appearing weak, being seen as unable to cope, or being treated differently. For some people, saying “I’m struggling” can feel much harder than continuing to struggle silently. And there is something important here: asking for support isn’t necessarily a sign that we’re failing to cope. Sometimes it’s actually an act of self-awareness, recognising that something needs attention before it becomes overwhelming.

REGARI: What does mental health mean to you in the context of the workplace?

Dermot: For me, mental health isn’t simply about what happens when somebody reaches crisis point. It’s also about creating environments where people can talk about how they’re doing before they reach that point. A healthy workplace doesn’t mean that everyone is happy all of the time. It means there is space for people to be human and to acknowledge pressure, uncertainty and difficulty without feeling that they have to hide those experiences.

REGARI: Why is the idea of being “more than an employee” important?

Dermot: Because a job is something we do. It isn’t everything we are.When our identity becomes too closely tied to our work, difficulties at work can begin to feel like difficulties with our sense of self. Remembering that we’re more than our job title can create a little psychological space. We can be struggling at work and still be a loving partner, a good friend, a valued family member, or someone with hopes and interests outside of work.

REGARI: What would you hope someone takes away from this poster?

Dermot: I’d hope they pause for a moment and recognise themselves in it. Maybe they’re the person juggling everything. Maybe they’re wearing one of the masks.Maybe they’ve noticed someone else who seems to be carrying a lot. Most importantly, I’d like the poster to give people permission to have conversations. A simple “How are you really doing?”can sometimes open a door.

REGARI: What does “taking off the mask” look like in life?

Dermot: I think finding that space where you can be yourself and don’t have to perform. You don’t have to convince someone that you’re coping, that everything is fine, or that you have all the answers. You can bring the parts of yourself that might feel messy,uncertain, conflicted or difficult to talk about to that safe space.

REGARI: And ultimately, what would you like people to remember?

Dermot: That none of us are just one thing. We’re human beings navigating relationships, responsibilities, hopes, disappointments, pressures and change. Sometimes we’re coping well; sometimes we’re barely keeping the balls in the air. And that’s okay. We don’t have to wait until everything falls apart before we ask for support. Sometimes the most important thing we can do is simply take off the mask, put down one of the balls we’re trying to juggle, and say: “Actually, I’m finding things difficult at the moment.” That’s not weakness, it’s being human.

CAMHS Discovery College will be running workshops in Castlerea on Mondays from 12 pm to 1.30 pm. For more information see poster.

REGARI is delighted to have been featured in the Roscommon Herald recently. It is so wonderful to spread the word of our service and to reach many more people who may avail of it. Well Done to Noel for all the hard work liaising with James and a Big Thank You to James Fogarty for such a lovely article.

Click here for details of our co-production dates if you wish to be a part of this project. All voices welcome.

Roscommon Discovery College

REGARI Recovery College are delighted to announce the development of an exciting new Recovery Education initiative for young people in Roscommon called The Discovery College. Driven by requests from the community, the project was initially piloted in Roscommon in 2019 and was the first of its kind in Ireland. Following its success, we now have a full time Peer Educator in place to implement the service locally with the hopes of it growing to wider communities.

The Discovery College aims to promote positive mental health and wellbeing in young people, facilitating prevention and early intervention. It introduces a new recovery focussed way of learning where workshops are created and facilitated by young people who have lived experience of mental health difficulties, family members of those who use the services, and mental health professionals. All aspects of the Discovery College take place in a relaxed peer supported environment where everyone is equal and all contributions are respected. As the workshops promote group interaction, participants learn not only from the facilitators, but also from each other.

The workshops will be available throughout Roscommon to two age categories: 14-17 and 18-25. Dates are yet to be confirmed, however the co-productions for the workshops will begin later this month. Co-production encourages diverse expertise and will be open to anybody aged 14 and over. Co-production is an excellent way for young people to voice and share their experiences in a relaxed environment among peers. Topics for the upcoming semester include My Anxiety and Me, Mental Health and the Family, and Living with a Diagnosis.

For more information, please contact The Discovery College Peer Educator Chloe Costello This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 087 4423766

Chloe Costello, Discovery College Peer Educator

We are excited to share REGARI's upcoming Timetable of Mental Health and Well-being Recovery Education modules for Spring/Summer 2023 below.

We will be rolling out a variety of Recovery Education Modules  Programs in:

Roscommon Town,(details coming soon)

Ballinasloe

and

Athlone / TUS

(please click the towns above for details of each venue)

Courses are open to all - those who use services, staff, carers and members of the general public with an interest in Mental Health.

Registration for the semester is requested,  come to our Registration Days (see town links above for more details).

Alternatively you can contact Amanda Hunt (details below) if you cannot make it to Registration Day. There is a registration fee of just €5 and then all courses are free to attend for the semester. 

For more information please contact Amanda Hunt on 086 130 4869 or by mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

We are excited to share REGARI's upcoming Timetable of Mental Health and Well-being Recovery Education modules for Autumn/Winter 2022 below.

We will be rolling out a variety of Recovery Education Modules  Programs in:

Roscommon Town,

Ballinasloe

TUS

and

Ballaghhaderreen.

(please click the towns above for details of each venue)

Courses are open to all - those who use services, staff, carers and members of the general public with an interest in Mental Health.

Registration for the semester is requested,  come to our Registration Days (see town links above for more details).

Alternatively you can contact Amanda Hunt (details below) if you cannot make it to Registration Day. There is a registration fee of just €5 and then all courses are free to attend for the semester. 

For more information please contact Amanda Hunt on 086 130 4869 or by mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Hello All!

We are excited to share REGARI's upcoming Timetable of Mental Health and Wellbeing Recovery Education modules for Spring/Summer Semester 2022 below...Face-to-Face Sessions and some Online sessions. 

We will be rolling out a variety of Recovery Education Modules  Programmes in Roscommon Town and Online

(please see separate posters below for venues/dates for each area)

Registration for the semester is requested,  please contact us on the details below to register or come to our Registration Days (see posters below for more details)

Roscommon Registration takes place on 11/01/22-

REGARI RECOVERY COLLEGE

Athlone Road,

Co. Roscommon

11 - 4 pm

Email us if you need to avoid unneccesary contacts over the next few weeks and we will send you a copy of the registration form to prefill. You can then drop it into the REGARI letterbox.

To register for the zoom modules just send us an email and we will forward you the zoom links closer to the date.

The Good Place mental health app has recently been developed and launched by Mental Health Roscommon, in partnership with Mental Health Ireland, HSE Mental Health Services and Athlone Institute of Technology. The app responds to a community based need for an easily accessible tool empowering people to access the resources available to them in their journey to wellbeing whether it be in recovery, crisis management or simply to be more informed on mental fitness. The app has a mood tracker, gratitude journal and an extremely useful directory of local services as well as links to other community based resources. It is great to see technology being so useful! Well done to everyone involved. 

You can download the app -

• from the App store on your IOS device
  

• from Google play for Android at -

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.app.goodplace

The Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP®) is a wellness and recovery approach that helps people to: 1) decrease and prevent intrusive or troubling feelings and behaviours 2) increase personal empowerment; 3) improve quality of life; and 4) achieve their own life goals and dreams. WRAP is a personalized wellness and recovery system born out of and rooted in the principle of self-determination. WRAP® participants create a personalized recovery system of wellness tools and action plans to achieve a self-directed wellness vision despite life’s daily challenges. Working with a WRAP® can help individuals to monitor uncomfortable and distressing feelings and behaviours and, through planned responses, reduce, modify, or eliminate those feelings. A WRAP® also includes plans for responses from others when an individual cannot make decisions, take care of him/herself, and/or keep him/herself safe.