Counselling in Schools Service Guidance
Counselling in Schools Service (CISS)
We provide Counselling and Art Therapy for 5-19 year olds across Hertfordshire (both in and out of school), with our counsellors having play therapy skills allowing them to work with younger aged children. Sessions last 50 minutes and we usually work with the child/young person for a minimum of a term (12 sessions), however this can be longer or shorter depending on the client’s needs. This is a traded service meaning funding is needed in order for the work to go ahead. The majority of work is funded by schools direct, however depending on the circumstances of the child or young person, alternative funding may be available to support the work.
Brief Therapy
Brief Therapy is a free to access service for 11-19 year olds across Hertfordshire that uses a solution focused approach with clients. This means the work focuses on the positive changes the young person would like to make and how these can be achieved rather than their past. Young people who have accessed the service have been referred for issues such as anxiety, confidence, relationships, family and coping.
Sessions can take place in school, college or at a Youth Connexions building. The young person must have ‘multiple concerns and not a ‘single issue’ only; i.e. if the young person has a school issue such as exam stress, then this is not a suitable Brief Therapy referral as other services are more appropriate.
We have two Brief Therapists that cover the whole County so availability for the service varies from area to area and so it may be that there is a slight waiting list in some locations.
Mentoring
A mentor is available for 11-19 year olds (up to 25 for young people with learning difficulties/disabilities) across Hertfordshire. Typically a mentoring relationship lasts for between 3-6 months and involves meeting with the young person for an hour or so a week in a public place such as a café or library or engaging in a social activity, to give them the opportunity to talk about anything they wish to discuss, or want advice on.
All of our mentors are volunteers who have gone through a thorough recruitment process, training programme and DBS check to ensure they are suitable to work with the young people. As our mentors are volunteers their availability is limited and so there can be waiting lists in certain areas of the County.