'A little bit of help goes a long way' - the OT students breaking the mould

"We're at an age where you can have lots of worries and anxieties, and a little bit of help and tips on how to cope goes a long way."

PJ, 17, is part of a group of students from a rural school who have been involved in a groundbreaking project connecting pupils with occupational therapists (OTs).

"It might be a bad day at school, or maybe at football training that night, or you're stressed at your part-time job - stopping to think about what is stressing you and breaking it up into sections has really helped me," he said.

OTs often work in hospitals or within people's homes.

They help patients of all ages overcome physical, mental, or social challenges to perform daily activities.

Their work normally focuses on restoring independence through practical adjustments and it is rare for them to be based in mainstream schools in Northern Ireland.

However, increasingly schools in Northern Ireland are having to find ways to meet pupils' needs beyond the classroom.

In recent years, a small number of schools have employed social workers.

Meanwhile, in January this year, a number of schools announced they had to suspend some small, social and emotional support classes for children due to a lack of funding.

But now a new project has seen a number of final year Occupational Therapy students from Ulster University carry out a five-week programme at St Colm's High School, Draperstown.

The principal of the school says the positive impact on the staff and pupils, even in such a short period of time, has been "immeasurable".

McAllister added: "We've been extremely lucky to have had three OTs in the school, and I think they've virtually shadowed all our students, and the impact has been phenomenal.

"Just making small adjustments in the classroom and around their learning, I can see how students are now able to talk very eloquently about their feelings and it has really built up their confidence."

Ryan Greene is one of the occupational therapists who has been working at the school since earlier this year.

He said: "The first thing you learn as an OT is that you are there to look at the whole person, body and mind.

"As part of our course, we're tasked with carrying out work in a non-traditional OT setting, and we've been very lucky to have St Colm's open their doors to us."

Within the first two weeks, Ryan and his OT colleagues had observed almost 400 pupils over 140 lessons.

He added: "A big stressor that would come up is anxiety around exam time, and worries about making friends, so we would give them coping mechanisms around that.

"So with anxiety, it's just getting to think about where you feel it, how often you feel it, what first comes to mind and what the physical and emotional responses are, breaking it down like that can really help."

Sixth form student PJ took part in a number of the OT sessions.

"Just even stopping and breathing in for a couple of seconds in, thinking of one bad thing that happened that day, but then thinking of two better things that went well, helps you realise it's not all negatives.

"I've learned a lot about myself."

Euan, 16, said he has found the sessions really useful, saying they have encouraged him to pause and think "about how and why negative thoughts impact me".

He added: "I'm definitely coming away with new coping mechanisms to help me manage a busy schedule and actually recognise when I'm feeling stressed and trying to stop it becoming overwhelmed."

Aimee-Lee, 17, said she had limited knowledge about occupational therapists before now, but says working with the students has had a positive impact.

She added: "It has helped me understand my emotions more, and that is really useful, especially around exam time.

"I know when I go to sit my exams I'll be using some of those mindfulness and breathing techniques, to help remind myself a problem is never as big as it first seems."

Misha, a first year pupil, said the OTs were easy to talk to.

"I really like my teachers, but it felt like the OTs really understood what I was going through. I think they should be in more schools."

Thirteen-year-old Frank said he enjoyed the practicalities of the OT sessions.

"In one of the exercises we traced out our hands on a piece of paper and wrote inside the things that made us unhappy, and then we flipped it over and found those positives, it was really good," he said.

The OT placement students also provided advice to staff about the importance of the physical school environment, such as classroom set up, desk layouts and the impact this can have on everyday learning.

The latest OT project came about through the group Thrive Sperrins and a partnership with Ulster University.

Thrive Sperrins is a collaboration between social enterprise group - The Workspace and the Northern Trust.

Mairead Gribbon is the principal OT for Mental Health in the Northern Trust.

Speaking to BBC News NI she said: "This has been a great opportunity to show that occupational therapy isn't just hospital-based and it's about making people thrive in their own environment.

"So where better to do that than at a secondary school when your habits and your identity is forming and you can give young people the essential skills moving into adult life."

A spokesperson for Ulster University said they were "extremely proud" of the work carried out by their students at St Colm's High School.