The Support System:
1.Individual and group counselling
2.Consulting services for parents, teachers and students
3.Student Transitions
4.Crisis Intervention
5.Value Education
The Counselling Team: The counselling team in the school has been working to develop the all-round personality of the children, in addition to rendering a strong support structure towards handling any problems that the children may manifest. The team’s activities cover the various areas of individual and group counselling for children, parental counselling, teacher training and guidance, resource room co-ordination and other initiatives. Each of these is described below.
Classroom: Observations The student counsellor and her team periodically conduct classroom observations. Observing the children, either individually or as a group, in their natural classroom environment provides valuable insights into their general behavioural patterns and actions. Classroom Observations are of two types:
Overall classroom observations: The entire class is observed at the beginning of each academic year to identify any children who may be expressly manifesting behaviour problems. Such observations are done for primary classes only.
Individual Observations: Following the overall class observation, the identified children are also observed by another member of the team individually to get a holistic and unbiased report based on which specific interventions can be designed.
Teacher Meetings: The Child counsellor regularly meets the teachers for the following purposes:
Validate Observation Findings: Based on classroom observations, the corresponding reports are prepared, and the teachers of the relevant classes are requested to meet with the child counsellor to provide further details and supply the relevant referral forms for the identified children. Further to discussions with teachers, the list of the children in need of interventions is often narrowed down.
Follow-up: The child counsellor also meets with teachers periodically to review the progress of the referred children and suggest additional interventions if necessary.
Personal guidance and support: Teachers are welcome to approach the child counsellor to discuss any personal issues or to talk about handling specific children in class. The child counsellor also trains the teachers in classroom management, handling parents, etc.
Sessions with children: A member of the counselling team addresses the children in groups during class hours, and the child counsellor meets some students one to one for individual counselling.
Group Mentoring: The Group mentoring program comprises regular 40-minute sessions once a month with students of class 6 and above, covering topics such as:
Some children need extra support and help, for which the child counsellor meets them one-on-one. Their problems may range from emotional and psychological disturbances to family concerns, grief over the loss of a parent etc.
Meetings with parents: For some of the identified children, parental counselling is required. Parents of such children are sent for and the child counsellor meets with them to discuss the specific concerns relating to their children. They are also given parenting tips and advised on appropriate interventions.
Resource Room Co-ordination: To provide additional academic support through remedial intervention, a Resource Room is set up at the school. A special educator comes in twice a week to help these children. Continuous co-ordination efforts towards the smooth functioning of the resource room is an ongoing activity of the Counselling team, and continues throughout the year.
Other Tasks: In addition to the above, the following other activities are carried out by the Counselling team regularly:
1.Design and distribution of after-task worksheets for under-challenged students of class 2 and 3.
2.Drafting of reports and creation of presentations about learning difficulties and other counselling-related issues prepared on a need-basis for the school.
3.General follow-ups about the referred children with respective class teachers.
4.Filing and documentation of all cases handled in a particular month.
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