School and College Counselling Leicestershire
Each week I can be found in some of Leicester’s Primary Schools, where I am privileged to be providing a counselling and play therapy service to the little people, as I call them.
The young people come to visit me within their school setting and share with me a variety of different issues that they are struggling with. This can include family upsets at home such as a bereavement, parents splitting up, abuse or neglect to either themselves or another family member and not being able to talk to a family member about other worries. Sometimes it can be worries from outside of the home environment, bullying at school, friendship break up’s, struggles with schoolwork, being new to the school and finding it difficult to settle in. Then on some occasions, the young person does not know exactly what they are distressed about but they are manifested as symptoms of an eating disorder, such as anorexia or bulimia, or they are self harming or feeling suicidal. Children and teenagers can become depressed and anxious and it is not always obvious as to why but it is really important that they are able to confide in someone that they trust.
School and College Counselling Leicestershire
I have experience working with young people for the past eleven years and am fully qualified as shown on this website, plus I am qualified to use Play Therapy with children to help them to express their distress with me. I also hold a current Safeguarding in Education certificate.
Usually, a child comes to me when their behaviour has changed and they often are finding it hard to concentrate in their classes. In the safe environment of a counselling session we are able to gently explore what is going on in their life and help them to gain some understanding to enable them to cope better. The earlier a young person is able to come and see me the better, as early intervention is always preferable before there is the opportunity for problems to become more entrenched.
It varies on how long I see a child for, but the outcomes we aim for include, improved self esteem, improved self confidence, better health and emotional wellbeing, better resilience, improvement in the classroom in terms of school work, behaviour and general attendance. Counselling can help to reduce the risks of self harming, depression, suicide, anxiety and eating disorders. Parents and family usually see a difference in the child at home.
How it works is that a contract is set up between myself and the young person. This is to protect the young person and myself and explains the confidentiality agreement and the circumstances that I would need to share with the school’s safeguarding officer. This is put into place to make it as safe as possible for the young person involved.
Each young person is very individual and the way in which I work will depend upon their age, development and their difficulties. Each session lasts for fifty minutes, but it is unlikely that the child will talk for that length of time. This is where play therapy can be incorporated to help the young person to express their difficulties. We use different methods such as reading and writing stories, drawing, sand art or play board games.
Most young people find this beneficial to be able to share in an environment that is away from their home but very safe to share.
To find out more about school and college counselling Leicestershire, please visit our schools page or contact us.
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