Guidance Counselling Overview

There are two fully qualified guidance counsellors in school.

1. Ms Nicole Mc Cafferty

2. Ms Genevieve Hughes

What is Guidance and Counselling?

Guidance

Guidance provides students with information that assists them to make choices about their personal and social lives, their education and about career choices for the future.

Counselling

Guidance counsellors are specially trained in counselling. It involves helping students on an individual/group basis to explore their own thoughts and feelings about their present life situation, about the choices open to them, and about the consequences of each choice. Giving care and support to students learning to cope with the many aspects of growing up.

· Individual and group counselling takes place with students.

· Students may be referred by the Principal/Deputy Principal or the student may ask the guidance counsellor to make an appointment.

· Confidentiality is keep between the guidance counsellor and the student. We guarantee you that we will not disclose anything you tell us in confidence to anyone else, unless you are doing something illegal, or dangerous, or something that could be harmful to yourself or to others.

· Appointments last approximately 20-30mins but may take longer in some instances.

· Some students require a once off appointment and others meet the guidance counsellor on a regular basis (once a week).

· Fourth and fifth year students normally meet the guidance counsellor whom they have for class.

· The guidance counsellor keeps a record of the appointment with the student.

Aims of our school guidance programme

1. To ensure that all students have access to appropriate guidance.

2. To provide a range of learning experiences that assist students to make choices about their lives. These choices may be personal, social, educational or career.

3. All students will remain at school until they are at least 16 years of age and ideally will complete their Leaving Certificate.

4. To raise student aspirations and hopes for the future.

5. Upon leaving school all students will follow one of the following career opportunities: FAS apprenticeship/training course, a post leaving certificate course, go to an institute of technology or university or direct employment.