Counselling is to be provided to primary school pupils in Co. Tipperary as part of the a new €5m pilot programme.
It is the first time a counselling service has been rolled out in Irish primary schools.
The pilot programme will be delivered across two strands.
The first will see one-to-one counselling sessions for primary schools across counties Cavan, Laois, Leitrim, Longford, Mayo, Monaghan, Tipperary, via access to a Department of Education-approved counsellor.
The second will see the introduction of wellbeing practitioners, who will work under the supervision of National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) psychologists.
Deputy Cahill says this service is designed to help those young students who may be suffering from mental health challenges stemming from the pandemic.
