Counselling is an intervention that children or young people can voluntarily enter into if they want to explore, understand and overcome issues in their lives which may be causing them difficulty, distress and/or confusion. A counselling relationship has identified boundaries and an explicit contract agreed between the young person, counsellor and, where appropriate, parent or carer.

Good mental and emotional wellbeing is an integral part of children and young people’s holistic development. When this development is inhibited, counselling can be an effective and important resource.

The aims of counselling are to:

• assist the child or young person to achieve a greater understanding of themselves and their relationship to their world
• to create a greater awareness and utilisation of their personal resources
• to build their resilience
• and to support their ability to address problems and pursue personally meaningful goals.

The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) define school based counselling as:

‘a professional activity delivered by qualified practitioners in schools. Counsellors offer troubled and/or distressed children and young people an opportunity to talk about their difficulties, within a relationship of agreed confidentiality.’

Counselling can be beneficial in a number of ways, for example it can help:

• reduce the psychological distress that children and young people may experience as a result of facing a range of life difficulties, such as being bullied or experiencing bereavement;
• support young people who are having difficulties within relationships, for example, with family or with friends;
• young people who are having difficulty managing their emotions, such as anger; and
• as part of a graduated response to decide whether or not to put SEN support in place where difficulties are caused by events such as bullying or bereavement.

Many pupils report improvements in their capacity to study and learn following counselling and frequently report that counselling helps them to concentrate. Pupils also report an increased motivation for school and schoolwork. Headteachers and pastoral care teachers are also supportive of counselling in helping pupils to study and learn, particularly in facilitating the young person’s ability to concentrate in class, as well as increasing their attendance at school and improving behaviour.

Evidence indicates that in secondary schools the most frequent issue that young people present to school based counselling, as recorded by their counsellor, is family issues. Anger is the second most common presenting issue, and is significantly more common for males, with about one quarter of all males presenting with this difficulty. ‘Behaviour’ is another common presenting issue at school based counselling; as are bereavement, bullying, self-worth and relationships in general. For the young people themselves, the most frequent goal they wish to work on when coming to counselling is increasing their self confidence.

We have a part time counsellor, Mrs Carol Gash, who has recently joined us.  Carol works in school every Tuesday afternoon in order to support pupils in need of this service.

Referrals are made by the children themselves, by staff members and parents and carers. Consent is always gained from the children and relevant parent/carers before 1 to 1 sessions are begun. Group sessions are also provided as some children will prefer this approach. If you think that your child will benefit from counselling then please contact the school to discuss this.

We currently have access to the NHS Piece of Mind mental health support team. They offer a variety of individual mental health interventions and provide support to schools in the delivery of emotional literacy skills.

Family Navigator Leaflet

Piece_of_Mind_leaflet  (PDF)

Emotional health and wellbeing is a very varied and complex area and there are no quick fix solutions. Maintaining every day, regular routines wherever possible, such as, attending school and lessons whilst working towards managing mental health is key. School offers a range of services to help children develop positive mental health and wellbeing and support those experiencing mental health issues. These are:

• All staff support positive emotional health and wellbeing across school.
• Staff are able to spot changes in behaviour that might indicate a problem and offer support and guidance. Many things can cause a change in mental health including traumatic events (e.g. loss or separation, life changes, abuse, domestic violence or bullying).
• Several staff members are trained to deliver ‘Connecting with Children’ listening therapies to support children experiencing emotional difficulties and mental health issues.
• Counsellor who offers a ‘go to’ service for children experiencing mental health issues.
• Curriculum includes mental health topics in order to raise awareness and understanding and provide strategies for developing positive emotional health and wellbeing and managing mental health.
• Curriculum has the flexibility to focus on developing children’s resilience, confidence and ability to learn.
• Constructive links with outside support and specialist agencies (e.g. school nurse, counsellors, CAMHS, Piece of Mind Team- NHS) to provide interventions for those with mental health problems.

Any member of staff, child, parents/carers concerned about the mental health and wellbeing of a child should speak to the head teacher (Mrs Beattie),the Emotional Wellbeing Lead (Mrs Armstrong) or the SENDCo (Mrs Clymo) about their concerns.

We will monitor and support them, and refer to outside agencies, if appropriate, for further intervention to offer the tailored help needed.

What is a Young Carer?

A young person under 18 years of age who helps to look after a family member who is disabled, physically or mentally ill or has a substance misuse problem. Caring can involve physical or emotional care, or being responsible for someone’s safety and wellbeing. The level of responsibility assumed by a young carer is often inappropriate to their age and beyond the level of simply helping out at home as part of the process of growing up.

Young Carers might experience:

• Being late or absent because of responsibilities at home
• Concentration problems, anxiety or worry in school
• Emotional distress
• Tiredness in school
• Lack of time for homework
• Poor attainment
• Becoming angry or frustrated
• Isolation-feeling no-one understands
• Bullying
• Low self-esteem

Therefore, it is extremely important that we support our Young Carers in any way that they may need.

Self-help websites for young people

KoothFree online support for young people. Kooth counsellors are online Monday-Friday, 12 noon till 10pm and weekends, 6pm till 10pm.

Young Minds
YoungMinds is the UK’s leading charity committed to improving the emotional wellbeing and mental health of children and young people. Just as people’s bodies can become unwell, people’s minds can become unwell too. Mental health problems are more common than you might think – three children in every classroom have a mental health problem. Young Minds offer information to young people and children about mental health and emotional wellbeing. If you need to talk, they can let you know about organisations that listen, plus they offer online support and info.

ChildLine
Childline is the UK’s free helpline for children and young people. It provides a confidential telephone counselling service for any child or young person with a problem. It comforts, advises and protects. So, if you are worried about anything, big or small – don’t bottle it up. It can really help if you talk to someone. If there is something on your mind, ChildLine is there for you. You can visit the Childline Explore section for advice and information on a range of topics. Also, you can get support on the online message boards. ‘Everyone helps each other out and is going through the same things as me – it’s a really welcoming place’  Freephone 0800 1111 (24 hours and the call won’t show on your phone bill)

The Mix
Free, confidential telephone helpline finding young people the best help whatever the problem. Provides free connections to local or national services, and can text information to callers’ mobile phones. Visit The Mix website or Freephone 0808 808 4994 (7 days a week 1pm-11pm)

Samaritans
Samaritans volunteers listen in confidence to anyone in any type of emotional distress, without judging or telling people what to do. Call 0116 123 (24 hours, 7 days a week)

FRANK
Confidential information and advice for anyone concerned about their own or someone else’s drug or solvent misuse.  Visit the FRANK website or Freephone 0800 77 66 00 (24-hour service, free if calling from a landline and won’t show up on the phone bill, provides translation for non-English speakers)

B-EAT youth helpline
Online community information, help and support for anyone affected by eating disorders. Visit B-EAT website or call 0845 634 7650 (Monday to Friday evenings, from 4.30pm to 8.30pm, and Saturdays, 1.00pm – 4.30pm)

Kidscape
Kidscape are the first charity in the UK established specifically to prevent bullying and sexual abuse. The website offers advice and practical skills on how to deal with bullying. Remember, no-one deserves to be bullied. Nearly everyone is bullied at some time in their lives: by brothers and sisters, by neighbours, by adults or by other children/young people. If you are being bullied, you may feel scared, vulnerable and quite alone but you owe it to yourself to try and sort out the situation so that the bullying stops.

It Gets Better Project
Project created to inspire hope for young people facing harassment. A place where young people who are lesbian, gay, bi, or trans can see clips of other people’s coming out stories.Visit Talk To Frank website.

Brook Advisory Service
Brook is the UK’s leading provider of sexual health services and advice for young people under 25. The charity provides free and confidential sexual health information, contraception, pregnancy testing, advice and counselling, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections and outreach and education work.

Winston’s Wish
The death of a parent, brother or sister is one of the most fundamental losses a child will ever face. At Winston’s Wish, they believe that bereaved children need support to make sense of death and rebuild their lives. The Winston’s Wish Helpline offers support, information and guidance to all those caring for a bereaved child or young person.  Helpline 08452 03 04 05 (Monday – Friday, 9am to 5pm, and Wednesday evenings, 7pm to 9.30 pm)

Additional Websites

• Schools in Mind – The Anna Freud Centre
• Mentally Healthy Schools