Mr. Conor Boksberger:

It really depends on the individual young person. I am mindful of the purpose of this sub-committee. Triggers can often happen at points of transition as well. If we consider the tasks and journey of a young person through that period from the ages of 12 to 25, say, we think about those points of time that require something new or different of the young person. There is the first time I have to sit State exams, the first time I face a relationship break-up, the first time I get excluded by a group of friends, the first time I have to start third level education, or if I do not get to go to third level education. That is before we start to consider young people who have those extra layers of challenge, those who are growing up in marginalised communities, poverty or in unstable housing situations and those who have specific health concerns or other levels of diversity that exclude them further. There is any number of triggers.

Rather than us coming from a very expert level and saying we know what triggers young people's distress, we want to hear from young people about what is happening for them. That is both in the session room and how we approach our therapeutic work but also very much in how we approach our youth participation strategy and engage our youth advocates. I am too far away from it to understand what it is like to be aged 12 to 25 but we have young people who have a voice and want to tell us and want to share their experience. We draw quite a lot from that as well to help us understand what is happening.