Philip McTaggart’s Story
Turning Pain Into Purpose
I wouldn’t wish the pain of losing someone you love to suicide on anyone.
That loss changed my life forever. But from that pain came a purpose to do my small part to raise awareness, break the silence around suicide and mental health, and help people realise that they do not have to face their struggles alone.
I believe one of the most meaningful things we can do in life is help another human being feel safe, heard and valued.
We may not be able to fix everything for someone, but we can listen. We can care. We can reach out. We can give hope. And sometimes, simply being there can make a difference.
One conversation. One act of kindness. One small gesture. It could save a life.
Bio
Philip’s Story
Before the death of his son by suicide in 2003, Philip McTaggart was a hardworking builder whose main purpose in life was to work hard and provide for his family.
His life changed completely when his 17-year-old son, Philip Óg, known as Pip, died by suicide.
Devastated by the loss of his son, Philip experienced the trauma, grief and guilt that can follow a death by suicide. Like many bereaved parents, he searched for answers and tried to understand what had led to his son’s death.
During this difficult time, he also discovered how little suicide was openly talked about. It was still very much a taboo subject, surrounded by fear, stigma and misunderstanding.
Rather than allowing that silence to continue, Philip became determined to do something that might help other individuals and families.
Creating Somewhere Safe
Just weeks after Pip’s death, Philip founded PIPS – Public Initiative for the Prevention of Suicide and Self-Harm in 2003.
What began in the aftermath of an unimaginable personal loss quickly developed into a determination to create something practical that could help others.
Philip did not want PIPS to be simply an idea or a campaign. He wanted to create a safe place where people struggling with their mental health, people experiencing suicidal thoughts and families affected by suicide could walk through the door and know that someone was there to listen.
With that purpose in mind, Philip took an enormous step.
With the support of a good friend, who loaned him £140,000, Philip purchased two properties on the Antrim Road overlooking the Waterworks in North Belfast.
Those buildings represented much more than bricks and mortar. Philip saw the possibility of creating a place of hope somewhere people could feel safe, welcomed and supported during some of the most difficult moments of their lives.
He began applying for funding to transform the properties into a dedicated suicide-prevention and mental-health support centre, providing a place where people could access counselling, therapies and emotional support in a caring and non-judgemental environment.
Those properties would become known as PIPS House.
For Philip, PIPS House became a physical expression of the purpose that had grown from his grief. He could not change what had happened to Pip, but he could use his experience to try to make sure that someone else had somewhere to turn when they felt they had nowhere else to go.
It was about creating the kind of place where a conversation could begin, where someone could be heard and where hope might be found.
From Personal Loss to Wider Change
Philip later helped establish dedicated suicide-prevention services in North Belfast and went on to co-found Lighthouse in Duncairn Gardens, providing another important source of support for people experiencing emotional distress, suicidal thoughts and mental-health difficulties.
Philip also became involved in campaigning for a stronger and more coordinated response to suicide prevention across the Island of Ireland.
One of his proudest achievements, alongside other bereaved families and campaigners, was helping to influence the development of the suicide-prevention strategy, Protect Life, as well as the establishment of the Lifeline telephone crisis helpline and other initiatives designed to ensure that people in distress could access help when they needed it most.
Recognising the importance of education as well as intervention, Philip continued to develop his own knowledge and skills. He completed Train the Trainer education and trained in personal and professional life coaching, alongside further training in suicide prevention, mental health, resilience and wellbeing.
Over the years, Philip has taken his message throughout communities across Ireland and further afield, including London, Boston, Chicago and Paris.
Wherever he has spoken, his message has remained simple:
We need to talk openly about suicide and mental health, challenge the stigma surrounding them, and make it easier for people to ask for help.
More Than Two Decades Later
More than two decades after the death of his son, Philip remains committed to suicide prevention and promoting positive mental health.
His work has developed from his own personal experience of loss, but also from many years of training, community work and, importantly, listening to people who have experienced their own struggles.
For Philip, this work is more than a job. It is a vocation.
He wants people of all ages to know that it is okay to talk about how they are feeling and that asking for help should be seen as a sign of strength rather than weakness.
By sharing his experience and the knowledge he has gained over the years, Philip hopes to continue helping individuals, families and communities and to contribute towards creating a safer, more understanding and supportive society.
One conversation. One act of kindness. One small gesture. It could save a life.
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We provide practical mental health, suicide awareness, wellbeing and personal development support for individuals, schools, communities and organisations. Our services are designed to build understanding, encourage open conversations and give people the knowledge, confidence and practical skills to support their own wellbeing and the wellbeing of others.
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Mind Skills Training provides mental health, suicide awareness, counselling, life coaching and wellbeing training for individuals, schools, communities and organisations across Belfast, Northern Ireland and Dublin, Ireland.
Our services are designed to build understanding, confidence and practical skills around mental health, emotional wellbeing and suicide prevention. We provide suicide awareness training, community mental health and suicide prevention training, positive mental health programmes for schools, teacher training, student training and tailored training for organisations and companies. We also provide counselling and life coaching to support individuals with personal challenges, confidence, wellbeing and positive change.
Our school visits and educational sessions can be tailored to the needs of students, teachers and schools. Mind Skills Training aims to make conversations about mental health more open and accessible while giving people practical tools to recognise when someone may be struggling and understand where appropriate support can be found.
Whether you are looking for mental health training for your organisation, suicide awareness training for your community, support for a school or college, counselling or one-to-one life coaching, Mind Skills Training offers services designed around the needs of the people and organisations we work with.
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We provide mental health and suicide awareness training for individuals, schools, communities and organisations across Northern Ireland and Ireland. From suicide prevention training in Belfast to tailored mental health training in Northern Ireland and Dublin, our programmes are designed to provide practical knowledge, build confidence and encourage positive conversations around mental health and suicide prevention.