Mental Health Report highlights folly of cutting School Guidance Counsellors – Deputy Seán Crowe

Sinn Féin Education Spokesperson Seán Crowe believes the findings of a survey on young people’s mental health highlights the dangers of forcing schools to drop their guidance counsellor.

Deputy Crowe said: “The My World Survey by youth mental health advocacy and support organisation Headstrong and the UCD School of Psychology highlights the folly of forcing schools to drop their guidance counsellors.

“The report shows that if young people are unable to confide in a reliable adult there is an increased likelihood of self-harm, suicide and higher levels of depression.

“6,000 school-going young people aged 12-19 as well as 8,000 young adults aged 17-25 who were in third-level, training courses, unemployed and employed were surveyed and examined to ascertain the distress, problems and risk factors they encountered. It found that being able to speak to a responsible adult helped address mental health issues, depression and anxiety. Encouraging at risk young people to talk was seen as very important so that issues can be identified and addressed.

“The Government’s decision earlier in the year to no longer provide School Guidance Counsellors on an ex-quota basis removes a vital support to vulnerable young people. This short-sighted policy fails to recognise how counsellors provide a professional counselling service to students at a fraction of the cost of other state funded services. It is a service that represents exceptional value for money as they provide a wide range of supports for students who might otherwise have to wait for up to 2 years before being seen by outside agencies.

“Adult services fail to adequately deal with young people and the gap in services will widen further now that School Guidance Counsellors have been targeted by Government cuts,” concluded Deputy Crowe.”