Being a former headteacher in a school privileged enough to offer in-school counselling to our primary students, I entirely resonate with the esteemed psychological, psychotherapy, and school leaders’ demands put forward in their letter dated June 28th.
My previous school was fortunate to be part of the School Completion Programme in Kilkenny. This membership granted us continuous, albeit sometimes restricted, availability to counsellors within the school premises.
These compassionate and confidential professionals extended their support to children who were dealing with traumatic experiences triggered by family losses, including suicide and other heartbreaking deaths, parental separation, school refusal, panic and anxiety issues, and other intense problems.
Allowing children to discreetly exit their classrooms to obtain these supports within the school eased the distress that would accompany visits to dedicated centres during or after school hours. It also eliminated the financial burden or the significant inconvenience it would put on the children and their families.
To put it simply, this structure proved effective time and again in enhancing children’s probability of making a recovery, even if it was part of a prolonged procedure.
In echoing the authors’ sentiments, I urge the Education Minister, Foley, to endorse the implementation of this scheme universally across primary and secondary schools. Such an investment would undoubtedly be worth the expense.
Yours sincerely,
Councillor SEÁN Ó hARGÁIN,
Labour Party,
Greenshill,
Kilkenny.