Counselling at School
Find out more about the support we offer at schools.
What is counselling?
Counselling provides your child with an opportunity to explore thoughts and feelings and to understand better how they impact their mood, behaviours and relationships. It offers a safe, confidential space to talk through whatever troubles or worries your child has with a qualified and experienced youth counsellor. Counselling will help your child understand why they feel they way they feel and how to manage challenging feelings and situations in an emotionally healthy way.
Where and for how long will my child be seen?
Sessions take place in a safe place designated by the school staff, on the same day each week during term time. Each appointment is 50 minutes long. Your child will receive an appointment reminder on the day they are due to see their counsellor. Your child’s counsellor will decide, in collaboration with your child, about how many sessions they will have. How many sessions are needed may not be clear at the start of the work, but children generally have between 6 and 18 sessions.
Will I be told anything about the sessions?
Confidentiality in a counselling context has its limits. This means that, while most things discussed in sessions remain confidential, if your child’s counsellor is concerned about them, they will ask your child’s permission to share these concerns with you, your GP and/or with the school staff to make sure your child is offered the support they need.
Does WYC offer anything to parents?
WYC offers parent consultations to all of our clients’ parents. These are often single appointments made with one of our senior clinical staff who is not your child’s counsellor. A parent consultation offers a safe space for a parent to discuss ways they can support their child and approach their difficulties in the family context. WYC also organises monthly workshops for parents, called ‘Parent Support Programme’. Each session is focused on a topic related to adolescents and their mental health.
What is counselling?
Counselling provides your child with an opportunity to explore thoughts and feelings and to understand better how they impact their mood, behaviours and relationships. It offers a safe, confidential space to talk through whatever troubles or worries your child has with a qualified and experienced youth counsellor. Counselling will help your child understand why they feel they way they feel and how to manage challenging feelings and situations in an emotionally healthy way.
Where and for how long will my child be seen?
Sessions take place in a safe place designated by the school staff, on the same day each week during term time. Each appointment is 50 minutes long. Your child will receive an appointment reminder on the day they are due to see their counsellor. Your child’s counsellor will decide, in collaboration with your child, about how many sessions they will have. How many sessions are needed may not be clear at the start of the work, but children generally have between 6 and 18 sessions.
Will I be told anything about the sessions?
Confidentiality in a counselling context has its limits. This means that, while most things discussed in sessions remain confidential, if your child’s counsellor is concerned about them, they will ask your child’s permission to share these concerns with you, your GP and/or with the school staff to make sure your child is offered the support they need.
Does WYC offer anything to parents?
WYC offers parent consultations to all of our clients’ parents. These are often single appointments made with one of our senior clinical staff who is not your child’s counsellor. A parent consultation offers a safe space for a parent to discuss ways they can support their child and approach their difficulties in the family context. WYC also organises monthly workshops for parents, called ‘Parent Support Programme’. Each session is focused on a topic related to adolescents and their mental health.
Contact us to find out how to access our support through your child’s school*.
*Unfortunately we are not available at every school in the Winchester District. Please contact us to find out if your child’s school is included.
We do not charge for our services.
But, if you would like to make a donation we would be extremely grateful. Donations help us continue to provide free counselling and therapies.