School Counselling and Wellbeing Service

What Is Counselling?

School-based counselling is a professional “talking therapy” delivered by qualified Counsellor’s in schools. Our counselling service offer a safe containing space to students who are experiencing a range of mental health and emotional issues which may include or be related to; loss/changes in life/or transition’s at home, anxiety, panic attacks, low mood, low self-esteem, friendship issues/bulling, young carers issues, anger/challenging behaviour, exam stress, low level disordered eating, gender identity and sexuality to name just a few. Our counselling service offers our young people an opportunity to explore and understand their difficulties within a relationship of agreed confidentiality. Counselling can help students to cope with “difficult life circumstances” they are currently facing (or have faced in the past) and can assist them in going on to flourish in their studies and their future paths in life (B.A.C.P, 2022).

Counselling within secondary schools has been shown to bring significant reductions in psychological distress in the short and longer term (D.O.E, 2016) and to help young people move towards their personal goals that are agreed together with their counsellor during their first appointment. During our first session, our Counsellors are able to access if a more specialised service is more beneficial to support a student i.e. where risk of harm to self or others is disclosed, a referral to the EWMHS (Emotional Wellbeing Mental Health Services)/CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) or the local CRISIS team would be most appropriate. Different kinds of trauma and bereavement can also require long term therapy to enable students to explore their distress at their own pace over a longer period of time. Eating disorders can also be part of underlying complex emotional issues and a referral into EWMHS for a more specific therapy intervention alongside support from our school nurse is the most beneficial form of treatment.

Where, when and for how long are sessions held?

Sessions are free to attend and last for up to 45 minutes per week within one of our confidential counselling rooms on the school premises. 

Offering a weekly session on the same day (wherever possible) during the school day provide students the opportunity to build a trusting relationship with their counsellor and offers continuity and clear boundaries around when our sessions are held. This can feel containing and reassuring for student’s around knowing when their sessions will be booked in and can provide a feeling of safety and security.  We are able to offer up to 6 sessions of counselling per block of sessions, however students are very welcome to be re-referred into our service should they wish to access counselling during their student life at Thurstable. 

We kindly ask that a 3 month period passes prior to a new referral being made through one of the school’s Pastoral Support Officer’s or Head of Year group. The 3 month period allows space for students to process what has come up in their sessions and gives students the opportunity to put into practice therapeutic skills they may have learnt to help to manage their emotional distress. Our counselling team also offer a timetable of emotional wellbeing workshops that run throughout the academic year to students which include:

• 2 week understanding and managing Anxiety course

• Exam stress management workshop

• 6 Week Person Centred Creative Arts course

• 3 week Building self-esteem, Building resilience and Building and maintaining healthy friendships course

• Adapting to life changes workshop

• Managing anger workshop

• Positive Affirmation Art workshop

• 2 week Meditation skill's course

• Dog therapy sessions

• 4 Week Yoga for Anxiety courses 

Please note that we endeavour to book sessions with students at the soonest time following a referral, however due to high demand during the second half of the academic year there could be a long waitlist of up to 8 -12 weeks. We work closely with external agencies and have contact details that we can provide for parents should students require more urgent support and wish to access outside of school counselling agencies.

Please always contact your family GP and/or the Mental Health CRISIS team if you are worried about your child’s mental health or if your child has disclosed suicidal ideation or risk to self or others in the first instance:  0800 953 0222 Referrals can be made at: SET-CAMHS.referrals@nelft.nhs.uk CRISIS team: 0300 555 1201.

In addition to Form Tutors, PSO’s and Heads of Year there are a number of dedicated professionals who can support the specific needs of our students. These include;

• The Safeguarding Team, Mrs H Watling - Click Here

• The SEND Team and the SENDCo, Mr D Raleigh - Click Here

• The Attendance Team, The Director for Attendance Mr A Woodcock, The Education Welfare Office and the Student Services staff

They all work closely with a range of external agencies who can add to our pastoral provision. This includes the School Nurse service and appointments for this can be made through the Pastoral Support Officer Team.

Please find to follow the link to the British Association of Counselling & Psychotherapy Code of Ethical Framework that our Counselling Team work within: BACP Ethical Framework that our school counsellors work within.pdf

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