How to help someone manage disappointment after getting Leaving Cert results

Child psychotherapist Joanna Fortune has some advice for anyone who wants to support a disappointed student this week

If your young person is disappointed with their Leaving Certificate results, here's how you can help. Picture: Howard Crowdy

When it comes to Leaving Cert results, we need to be careful about rushing to minimise the impact of exams. So often, we will hear immediately about how exam results don't decide outcomes (true) and that many highly successful people didn't do well in exams (also true). But our Leaving Cert graduates have been educated in a system that is a big lead up to this exam and these results. The time for these other reflections will come, but it is not results day.

If results day goes well for your young person, wonderful, congratulations to them. Ensure that you celebrate their efforts and join them in their joy.  If, however, results day is a disappointment, there are a few key considerations to support them (and you).