Counselling and Arts Therapy

Counselling

Counselling offers young people a confidential space to explore feelings and experiences and gain a better understanding of themselves. It can also help a young person to make changes. The relationship established with the counsellor is important in establishing trust, respect and empathy. Within this relationship it becomes safe to share difficult memories or experiences and to accept challenges around behaviour and choices.

In this context feelings of fear, pain, self-doubt, loss, anger and confusion can be encountered in a way not possible by other professionals from a non-therapeutic background. Other professionals may share an understanding  of the child’s view point but do not work directly on this emotional and psychological level to effect change.

Counsellors in school are also able to use their understanding of a young person to inform school-based approaches. They can also meet with parents to increase their understanding of their child and help answer questions or ease anxieties regarding their child’s emotional well-being and behaviour.

Counselling can be of benefit for pupils who:

• have a dramatic drop in their standard of work
• have low self-esteem
• have school refusal difficulties
• bully others, or are a victim of bullying behaviour
• are known to be sexually, physically or emotionally abused
• have difficulties due to family breakdown
• have peer group difficulties
• self harm
• misuse alcohol and drugs
• have been bereaved, suffered loss or separation or experienced trauma in their lives
• are subdued or over-excited, have marked mood swings, or behave out of character

Counselling can be delivered through half or full days. It is generally possible to see five children in a school day. Counsellors also offer ‘drop-in’ sessions and group work where appropriate. They are also part of our ‘critical incident’ response, offering support to schools following traumatic events affecting the whole school community.

Counselling is not time-limited but is responsive to need. The length of an intervention can vary considerably and is negotiated between the counsellors, young people and school-based staff. They work only with parental consent except in exceptional cases when they follow Gillick competency principles in line with the BACP code of ethics. All our counsellors are qualified to diploma level and are accredited, or working towards accreditation with the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). They all receive regular clinical supervision and are professionally insured.

Arts Therapy

For children, drama and art therapy offer a play-based model of exploration. This can be non-verbal and is particularly helpful for children whose abstract and cognitive abilities are not yet fully developed or who have not internalised a sense of right and wrong. It is also appropriate to exploring highly charged and traumatic incidents which cannot be addressed directly, but the effect of which is impacting on behaviour and emotional well-being.

Through play, intervention can be both child-centred and non-threatening. Feelings of fear, pain, self-doubt, loss, anger and confusion can be encountered in a way not possible by other professionals from a non-therapeutic background. Other professionals may share and understanding of the child’s point but do not work directly on this emotional and psychological level to effect change.

Therapy is used in school to address emotional distress, often expressed as behavioural difficulties. This can include:

• Aggression
• Withdrawal
• Lack of motivation
• Low self-esteem
• Poor resilience
• Attachment and social difficulties

Therapists can also work with children who may have been traumatised by:

• Domestic violence
• Drug and alcohol misuse in the family
• Physical and sexual abuse
• Bereavement and loss
• Parental ill health, physical and mental

Therapy offers a unique approach to determining the voice of the child or family. This understanding can then be used, not only to make progress for the individual child, but also to inform discussion and action planning. It can also be used, through consultation, to effect changes in the classroom and family.

Arts Therapy is often highly effective when children feel powerless in the face of their own emotions or experiences in their family or school life. By allowing them to determine both the nature, pace and outcomes of the work it intrinsically increases the child’s sense of self-efficacy which is acknowledged as a key component of resilience.

Therapy can be delivered through half or full days. It is generally possible to see five children in a school day. Therapists also offer group work where appropriate. The therapy is not time-limited but is responsive to need. Length of an intervention can vary considerably and is negotiated between the therapists, young people and school-based staff.

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