COUNSELLING
Information on our School Counsellor and Counselling resources
Welcome from Elaine....
Hello, my name is Elaine and I am the counsellor at the Gracemount High and cluster primary schools. I am a counsellor who has trained specifically to work with children and young people.
I understand that some children and young people might feel worried about meeting a counsellor for the first time and might not know what to expect……
What does a Counsellor do?
Counsellors in schools are members of a Counselling Association or Organisation which ensures that they follow specific guidelines to provide a service which is safe and ethical. An important part of this is keeping what their ‘clients’ talk about confidential. This means that what is talked about during a counselling session is kept between you are the counsellor.
All counsellors have a supervisor who meets with them to ensure that everyone (and the counsellor) are receiving the best possible support. Everyone’s identity is kept confidential during supervision sessions too.
On thing however, that counsellors are not able to keep confidential would be if someone was to mention that he/she was not safe or that they were at risk of harm, or that they know someone else who is at risk of harm. In these cases the information would have to be shared but the counsellor would always explain to the client what would happen next.
The most important thing in counselling is that you feel comfortable and safe. You will never be judged for what you say and you should never feel rushed or under any pressure to talk about difficult things.
Sometimes children and young people know why they feel the way they do and sometimes they are not sure. Counsellors listen very carefully to what you are saying and help you to make more sense of your thoughts and feelings, which in turn will help you feel less worried and more in control.
When working with children and young people Counsellors look for an approach that is individually tailored to your needs, This is done by considering your life experiences and relationships, your age and stage of development and of course your personality. This is important because everyone is so different!
Sometimes the counsellor will suggest strategies that might help you, but they will not tell you what to do. They might suggest using different creative resources such as arts or crafts or games, to help you feel more comfortable and to help you understand what you are feeling or experiencing. This would be for you to choose – or not! The counsellor will respect you and follow your choices.
I look forward to meeting you.
