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Hello Suzie Sounds like the pupils are perfectly happy to talk to you. When you say you are bound by BACP, does this mean that you are a member? Nobody has to join or abide by their code, except voluntarily. Best Gerald -----Original Message----- From: s.macer <[log in to unmask]> To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]> Date: 07 April 2003 15:21 Subject: Re: counselling young people >Mo, > >Apart from being counselling student in training, I'm also a peripatetic >music teacher in a school that provides a counselling service for >pupils. The counsellor comes into school in response to a pupil having >anonymously marked an 'X' on a chart of her available times. > >Obviously my role is to teach not offer counselling to my pupils, but >working one to one in a boarding school creates a closer relationship >where they are more likely to quite unexpectedly splurge out all sorts >of things to me. I've never known any of them accept my tentative >suggestion that perhaps the school counsellor might be able to help them >though. Most have looked horrified and a few have reacted with total >derision by way of response. > >I think this may be partly due to their knowing that pupils who have >seriously infringed school rules have been 'made' to have counselling >with resultant feedback to fellow pupils that the woman is an 'old >dragon', and quite probably their fears about confidentiality or the >small possibly of another pupil spotting them coming or going from the >counselling room (even though it's located in the san) doesn't help >either. > >So I can only say that from my own teaching experiences that pupil >perception of the school counsellor is pretty poor. > >From my own perspective I'm always having to weigh up the 'duty of care' >as a teacher, plus being bound by BACP codes of ethics and practice as >to whether I'm able to keep what a pupil tells me confidential or >whether there is an obligation to report the matter. > >Kindest, >Suzie.