What we do...
- Therapeutic counselling for 5-25 year olds (1:1 and groups)
- Mental health, well-being and resilience training for education staff
- Staff well-being INSET
- Staff counselling
- Participation in PSHE programmes
- Peer Massage (5 -12 yrs)
- Transactional Analysis in Education (1 term whole-class programme)
- Mindfulness Meditation (8yrs - adult)
- Various Training Days & Workshops for staff, families and counsellors
How we do it...
- Rigorously identifying needs, both individual and whole school. E.g. through CORE-YP assessment and working with staff and young people to raise awareness about accessing support when needed.
- Offering a 'safe space' for individual therapeutic work - to explore difficulty and build long-term emotional resilience.
- Working together with school and home, proactively and sensitively sharing whatever is in a person's best interests.
- Tailoring training days and workshops to individual school requirements and needs.
Why we do it...
- 1 in 5 children today suffer sexual or physical abuse or severe physical or emotional neglect (NSPCC Report 2013). Depleted statutory services fail to meet the needs of very many of these children.
- Neuroscience has proven that emotional distress precludes learning and healthy development.
- Effective early intervention can change the brain, and therefore lives, forever.
- Sharing therapeutic knowledge and strategies empowers young people and those who teach and care for them.
- Spiralling absence, illness and retention levels are testament to the high levels of stress in schools. Staff matter too! Healthy, happy staff result in healthy, happy young people achieving their potential.
Why choose us?
- We are a specialist therapeutic service working in schools and training with a well-established team of qualified, experienced counsellors and trainers, hand-picked for both their excellent therapeutic and inter-personal skills.
- We reject an external or "drop-in" style service as impersonal in favour of a school-based service which puts good communication and the building of trusting, long-term relationships with children, families and school staff at the heart of sustainable change.
- We approach change through assessing and meeting needs systemically, transparently and in manageable steps.
Feedback from young people and parents...
Children's comments on the TA & Mindfulness Project:
“Meditating! I just actually really concentrate on sensations in my body and I think it actually helps my work and sport.”
(Yr 6 boy)
“I enjoyed the warm fuzzies and cold pricklies because it makes you think and be aware about what you say to people.” (Yr 6 girl)
“I enjoyed the meditation most… because it was soothing and calming.” (Yr 6 boy)
“I would recommend this project to all the school!” (Yr 6 girl)
Primary school parent/guardian comments:
"The counsellor is very knowledgeable and very approachable. The meetings between us have been great. They enable us to talk through progress and new ideas and to give each other feedback.” (Guardian of Yr 1 boy)
"I'm OK, YOU' re OK offers a second to none service to anyone who touches it." (Primary parent)
"They formed a lovely bond and she helped enormously. A big thank you for this service.” (Parent of Year 1 boy)
“The counselling increased his confidence as he settled easily into Year 3. He is now more confident to speak out in class… Was just what we all needed through the last very difficult year.” (Parent of Year 3 boy)
“She has become much more comfortable coming to school and is no longer in tears or panicky on arrival.” (Parent of year 4 girl)
"He is much more confident now, and many of the little issues that go on in school just stay as little issues rather than being blown out of proportion. He is so much happier now, and able to deal with life's little incidents with a positive attitude." (Parent of Year 6 boy)
“Meditating! I just actually really concentrate on sensations in my body and I think it actually helps my work and sport.”
(Yr 6 boy)
“I enjoyed the warm fuzzies and cold pricklies because it makes you think and be aware about what you say to people.” (Yr 6 girl)
“I enjoyed the meditation most… because it was soothing and calming.” (Yr 6 boy)
“I would recommend this project to all the school!” (Yr 6 girl)
Primary school parent/guardian comments:
"The counsellor is very knowledgeable and very approachable. The meetings between us have been great. They enable us to talk through progress and new ideas and to give each other feedback.” (Guardian of Yr 1 boy)
"I'm OK, YOU' re OK offers a second to none service to anyone who touches it." (Primary parent)
"They formed a lovely bond and she helped enormously. A big thank you for this service.” (Parent of Year 1 boy)
“The counselling increased his confidence as he settled easily into Year 3. He is now more confident to speak out in class… Was just what we all needed through the last very difficult year.” (Parent of Year 3 boy)
“She has become much more comfortable coming to school and is no longer in tears or panicky on arrival.” (Parent of year 4 girl)
"He is much more confident now, and many of the little issues that go on in school just stay as little issues rather than being blown out of proportion. He is so much happier now, and able to deal with life's little incidents with a positive attitude." (Parent of Year 6 boy)
See this video of Dan Siegel, neurobiologist and author, on why we need "mindsight" for wellbeing:
