Primary School Counselling Service

We offer a counselling service for pupils as part of our arrangements for helping children with problems of a personal nature. This page is for their parents or carers and explains what counselling is about.

If you feel that yor child might benefit from counselling, please speak to his/her classroom teacher. If we feel that s/he needs counselling lasting more than a couple of sessions we will let you know before we do anything about it. Please feel free to ask for an appointment to see the school counsellor when s/he is at the school to answer any question you may have.

What is counselling?

Counselling is a private chat with a qualified counsellor about things that concern us. What is discussed depends on the person being counselled, but it is often about issues like loneliness, bullying, bereavement, relationship issues or other distressing events.

What does a counsellor do?

Counsellors are trained to listen to people, without judging them in any way, and help them sort out their thoughts and feelings about whatever is concerning them.

Who are the school counsellors?

They are fully qualified and experienced children's counsellors with a wide experience of working with children.

Why have a counsellor in school?

Often, when we are stressed, worried, or just plain unhappy, we cannot work out why we feel so low. This is especially so for children. Our experience is that counselling helps children as well as adults, and a little counselling help for an unhappy child early in his/her school career can have an immensely beneficial impact on his/her life chances.

How long will counselling last?

Counselling is often just for a few sessions, but the child and the counsellor together review their progress after a few sessions and may decide to go on meeting every week if they feel that it would be beneficial for the child to do so.

Where and when does counselling take place?

Counselling takes place in a small, private room at school. For primary school children, the sessions are usually about 35 minutes long. Appointment times may be varied so that your child does not miss important class activities, breaks or lunch.

What if my child refuses to have counselling?

Counselling is voluntary, and children can refuse to accept our offer of counselling if they wish.

How can I support the counsellor's work?

We welcome and appreciate your support. If your child is offered counselling, it will assist us a lot if you are able to:

  • Help your child to understand that counselling is a normal and useful activity.
  • Show an interest if your child wants to tell you about a counselling session.
  • Not press them in any way if they don't want to talk, or clam up part way through.

We realise that parents often worry about what may be said about the family in a counselling session. Please remember that the school counsellor will not be judging you from what your child tells them. S/he knows that children may get it all wrong, and that it is part of a counsellor's job to help children unravel their feelings and work out the truth for themselves.

How are referrals made to the Counselling Service?

Referrals are made through the schools contact person (usually Head of Pastoral care) to the school counsellor, but the original request may come from you, a teacher, or in some cases, the child. Please feel free to talk to your child's teacher or [the school's counselling contact person], or ask for a confidential appointment with the school counsellor, if you want to discuss the possibility of requesting counselling for your child.

The signs that a child may need counselling include bed wetting, withdrawal, mood swings, unexplained bruises and aggression.