School Counselling
Pupils may experience difficulties during their school career and need someone to talk to on a confidential basis. At BHGS, we offer a school counselling service to support those needing help.
Many young people will encounter difficulties at various points during their school career. Difficulties might result from a change in life circumstances, friendship difficulties, or perhaps traumatic events from the past. A young person might feel stuck, unable to make an important decision, or begin to feel that life isn’t going the way they hoped. Whether the issues faced relate to the past, present or future, counselling can help support a young person through what might otherwise be a very difficult time. The School Counselling Service provides a safe and confidential space for a young person to talk openly and honestly. At BHGS we believe that young people have a voice that deserves to be heard. The Counselling service allows for their stories to be shared without judgment, and be greeted with warmth and compassion. Together, the young person and Counsellor explore thoughts and feelings supporting them to find positive solutions. The aim of counselling is to support the young person to learn about themselves and the world around them. Enabling those who attend to feel more content, resilient and able to choose how they wish to respond to life’s challenges, rather than simply reacting in ways which may have previously been unhelpful. For counselling to be successful it is important that confidentiality is maintained between the young person and Counsellor. Building a trusting relationship provides an opportunity for the young person to openly share their experiences. However if an issue is raised that leads the Counsellor to believe the young person or others are at risk of significant harm; confidentiality will be overridden and the school’s Child Protection procedures followed. Students of BHGS can be referred by staff members, parents or choose to self-refer. Counselling sessions last approximately 40 minutes and issued on a rotational basis so that the student does not miss the same lesson each week. All students are responsible for catching up on any work missed due to their counselling session. Drop in sessions also run over breaks and lunch. The number of sessions offered will be dependent on the purpose of the support and when within the school year the young person begins their sessions. Please note there is often a waiting list for this service. For more information about Counselling at BHGS please visit our Policies page and refer to these three file: