Research shows that one in five children want access to a school counsellor and 85 per cent of parents think school counselling should be available free of charge when needed. Yet, a 2018 study by children's mental health charities found that a third of school leaders did not feel confident about commissioning a counsellor, with widespread confusion about what school counselling is and what best practice looks like.
To help answer these questions, the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) has produced new guidance for school leaders, mental health leads and commissioners.
Across 38 pages, the guide sets out the main elements of a school counselling service, how to commission and contract, the competencies and qualifications of a counsellor, resources and outcomes, and security and safeguarding considerations.
What is school counselling?
School-based counselling has been described as “a form of psychological therapy that provides young people with an empathic, non-judgmental and supportive relationship to find their own answers to their own problems”. This is offered within a safe space for children and young people to talk through their difficulties over several sessions (see box). Counsellors work to a core theoretical model, including:
Person-centred – based on the pioneering work of leading humanistic psychologist Carl Rogers, it focuses on the pupil's experience of their situation and how they feel about it.
Psychodynamic – based on the pioneering work of Sigmund Freud and then adapted by psychologists such as Anna Freud, it pays more attention to the past experiences and relational patterns of the pupil and how these are showing up in their current difficulties.
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)– helps recognise negative or unhelpful thought and behaviour patterns and aims to change these as well as developing coping strategies.
What are the benefits?
According to the BACP, speaking to a counsellor can help children cope with the difficult circumstances they face and have a positive impact on their levels of psychological distress, self-esteem and achievement of personal goals over and above the positive effects that a school's existing pastoral care provision can provide. A 2021 study by Exeter and Cambridge Universities found significant improvements in children's mental health two years after the counselling took place.
Meanwhile, research carried out by Pro-Bono Economics in 2022 found that every £1 spent on primary school-based counselling, delivered by charity Place2Be, generated an £8 saving linked to other economic benefits.
Who delivers counselling?
Counsellors will have a diploma or foundation degree in adult-based counselling at Level 4, a top-up children and young people Level 5 diploma if core training was adult based, or a postgraduate diploma, degree or master's in counselling or psychotherapy. To achieve registration with BACP a counsellor must have a minimum Level 4 Diploma and can train up to master's level.
The BACP advises against schools employing newly qualified counsellors if their core training was in adult counselling and “strongly recommends” at least 100 hours of counselling experience when working with children and young people aged four to 18, post qualifying.
How much does it cost?
School counsellor roles tend to attract a salary of £27,000 to £32,000, depending on experience and/or qualifications. Directly employed counsellors require access an external counselling supervisor as part of their contract of employment. This would include a monthly supervision arrangement for at least 90 minutes per month if BACP registered.
For self-employed counsellors, a school would expect to pay a rate of £45 to £70 per session, depending on the counsellor's qualifications and experience.
Why is the guide needed?
Latest data from NHS Digital suggests the number of school-age children who report experiencing a mental health condition has risen to one in six from one in nine before the Covid-19 pandemic.
In response to this rising need, the BACP is calling for there to be a counsellor in every school and education setting in England. Joanna Holmes, BACP children, young people and families lead says: “With the right investment in place school counselling is an easily accessible, non-stigmatising and effective form of early intervention for reducing psychological distress in children and young people.”
IN NUMBERS
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5 pupils is the maximum number a full-time school counsellor should see each day (maximum of 20-24 per week)
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6-10 sessions is the average a pupil and counsellor will work together but some children may need more
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50 minutes is generally the length of counselling sessions, maybe less for pupils with special needs
Source: School-based counselling – the essential guide, BACP, July 2023
