Contacts Counselling and Therapy is a service designed to offer placements to counsellors/therapists in training, working with children & young people in schools. Qualified counsellors may choose to have a placement with us as a way of gaining experence with this client group.

We also have a team of Associate Counsellors/Therapists who are qualified and experienced in working with children & young people in schools. Associate Counsellors work on a self-employed basis and are generally able to work with more complex needs of the child/school.

Counselling and therapy is a skilled way of helping children & young people with personal and development issues and difficulties. Counselling/therapy gives individuals an opportunity to explore, discover and clarify ways to live in a more satisfying and resourceful way. It offers children & young people the opportunity to increase their self-awareness, develop their personal resources and understanding of their own problems as well as developing strategies to cope with change.

                                                                                                                  

We aim to link trainee and qualified counsellors/therapists, qualified supervisors and schools to provide a competent and efficient counselling service for children & young people. Our vision is to see counsellors/therapists becoming a permanent part of every school setting; and for schools to recognise their value in supporting the emotional wellbeing and mental health of their whole community.  Some schools have, as a result of our work, gone on to employ their placement counsellor.

All counsellors/therapists and supervisors are members of a recognised professional body and as such adhere to the guidelines and ethics of their organisation.

EG: BACP, UKCP, HCPC.

Resources for schools:

This is departmental advice from the Department for Education (DfE). This advice is nonstatutory, and has been produced to help school leaders set up and improve counselling services in primary and secondary schools.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_

data/file/497825/Counselling_in_schools.pdf

The success of a school based counselling services depends upon adequate funding, which must be sustainable in order to ensure positive personal, social, health and educational outcomes for young people. It also depends upon a good working relationship between the counsellor and a senior member of staff with responsibility for working in partnership with the counselling service. The role of this member of staff is addressed by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. 

This person is likely to be responsible for the organisational aspects of setting up the service: in any partnership the roles and responsibilities of all involved must be clear and understandable.

The service is a universal service and must be available to all school pupils giving them confidence that their needs will be heard and addressed. This will complement the range of approaches already available in schools that help to support the health, emotional and social needs of pupils and lead to a healthy school culture.

The counsellor must be aware of, and involved in the needs, demands, policies and practices within the school, and be a supportive part of the school community. The counsellor must also be seen as independent, this is particularly important when dealing with pupils alienated from school, and with parents who may feel uncertain about approaching the school to discuss difficulties.The counsellor will also need to work with the client in a dedicated room which is free from interruption and appropriately equipped.