We provide early therapeutic intervention for children and young people within mainstream and SEND schools. We tailor the day around the individual needs of each school we work with and the needs of their children. Whilst most counselling services offer time limited sessions, we don't! We understand that counselling can be a longer journey therefore the sessions will be led by the needs of the child themselves.
Whilst some schools may have fantastic pastoral teams, we at The Listening Tree know how big the demand is on them and they don't always have enough hours in their working day to dedicate a regular time to all those children. This is where we can help! We can provide a qualified counsellor to deliver therapeutic counselling sessions to your children on a 1:1 basis.
As well as 1:1 counselling we can run small group sessions working on anxiety, anger, mental health and growth mindset. These would be 45 minute sessions run during the school day.
Depending on how many children you have needing our counselling services, we do have flexibility in how the day could be split. If there are a number of more urgent case which would require a 1:1 service and some which would benefit from a group session, this could be managed to enable all children to be seen in some capacity.
As part of the school package you will receive for the children, we also like to encourage the parents to be more involved and informed. We do this by offering an information session at the start of each term for the parents of all new children starting sessions with our counsellor and this is free. These sessions will include a brief outline of what counselling is, it's importance and how they can support their child.
Whilst looking after children is a main priority, we understand that teachers also need support in dealing with daily challenges. Some days can be psychologically and mentally draining and the mental health of the teacher can also be contributing factor to the success of the students.
During the time that our counsellor is under contract with the school, our team is also available for direct contact for the teaching staff of the school. Our team will be on hand for support, guidance and to help with signposting for specific needs.
Reflective supervision will provide Teachers and pastoral staff with a confidential space to address the impact your work is having on you. It helps with the emotional demands of your work by improving self-care skills, stress avoidance, burn out and sickness absence.
Supervision will help you feel supported emotionally enabling you to deal with the complex demands that are presented by pupils on a daily basis for example; mental health issues, safeguarding, suicide, and self-harm. This will increase confidence in managing your own wellbeing by providing strategies to help you in school and at home.
When you are actively promoting a culture which promotes good mental health within the school, this then creates a ripple effect to the children and their families directing them away from the stigma attached to ‘talking about your feelings’ and creating a mentally healthy school.