Role of guidance counsellors in schools

A chara, – What comes to mind when you hear the term “guidance counsellor” in a school context? Leaving Cert appointments, CAO applications, or subject choice, perhaps? However, Irish guidance counsellors operate within a holistic model, meaning that a significant part of our work involves personal and social guidance counselling.

Guidance counsellors are often the only trained professionals with counselling skills on the front line in our schools. In adopting a student-centred approach, many of the trials of adolescence are aired in the safety of the guidance counselling office. Guidance counsellors play a crucial role in addressing small issues at their source, which helps to prevent them from escalating into bigger issues later in life. An appointment could be for career, educational or personal and social purposes, which makes it easier for an anxious student to seek help in the first instance.

Parents and teachers are often unfamiliar with the scope and frequency of guidance counselling appointments, resulting in much of the work going under the radar. As a relatively small group of professionals within the education system, this crucial work is often unnoticed, unacknowledged, and under-resourced.

Since the pandemic, our data shows that the number of students presenting with mental health issues has increased sharply, so much so that those seeking one-to-one support for mental health issues exceed those seeking career decision-making for the first time. The hours available for one-to-one appointments vary hugely depending on the school due to how the allocation for guidance is at the discretion of the senior management team. Guidance counsellors practise within their limits and refer learners to appropriate services when necessary. However, the extent to which referrals can be made is restricted by the availability of appropriate services across the country.

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While we appreciate new initiatives and services, we urge the Government not to overlook the existing infrastructure of the school guidance counsellor. They are already in situ and poised to offer significant support if adequately resourced.

As guidance counsellors prepare to meet with the Leaving Cert class of 2024 for their final interview of post-primary school, spare a thought for the unsung heroes of the Irish education system. Their tireless dedication to supporting students through personal, social, educational, and career challenges often goes unnoticed. – Yours, etc,

Dr EIMEAR McDONNELL,

Researcher,

CATRÍONA RODGERS,

Vice President,

Institute of Guidance

Counsellors,

Dublin 2.