For schools
Support for your staff, learners and parents
A registered counsellor working alongside your school, in English or Afrikaans, in person in the Western Cape or online.
Alongside your existing support, not instead of it
Most schools already have someone looking after learner support. I am usually brought in for the areas an in-house counsellor has no capacity for.
Staff wellbeing in particular. Teaching is demanding work, and teachers are often reluctant to take their own difficulties to a colleague they work alongside every day. An outside, confidential person is usually where I am most useful.
Parent evenings are the other common starting point, along with the group work a school would like to offer but rarely has time to prepare.
What I offer schools
Available individually, or combined into a monthly arrangement with a set number of hours you use as the term requires.
Teacher and staff wellbeing
Confidential sessions for teaching and support staff, and staff workshops on burnout, boundaries, and managing the emotional demands of the job.
Parent evenings and talks
Evening sessions for parents on anxiety, screens and sleep, exam pressure, communication with teenagers, and knowing when to seek further help.
Workshops for learners
Age-appropriate group sessions on resilience, friendships, stress management, and exam pressure. These are psycho-educational workshops rather than therapy, in English or Afrikaans.
How it works
- A short conversation. Twenty minutes with whoever leads support at your school, to understand what is already in place and where the gaps are. There is no charge for this.
- A proposal. A written recommendation you can take to your head or governing body, with costs and clearances attached.
- A starting point. A parent evening or a staff workshop is often the easiest way to see whether this is a good fit.
Fees
Ongoing arrangements are quoted to your school, based on the hours you would like each month. Most are between R6,000 and R15,000 per month, on a monthly basis with a month's notice on either side.
Workshops and parent evenings can also be booked on their own. These are quoted separately, according to the length of the session and the number of people attending.
Confidentiality and scope
What a staff member discusses with me stays between us. The school receives the number of sessions used, and nothing else. Work with learners follows the school's own consent processes, with parental consent obtained where it is required.
There are three exceptions to confidentiality, which apply to all counselling in South Africa and which I explain at the start: an imminent risk to someone's life or safety; a child at risk of harm, which I am required by law to report; and a court order.
As a Registered Counsellor I offer supportive counselling, psycho-education, and containment. Where a learner or staff member needs psychotherapy, an educational or psychological assessment, a diagnosis, or psychiatric care, I refer them to a psychologist or psychiatrist. I have a referral partner in place for this.
Questions schools ask
Can you work with our learners directly?
I run group psycho-educational workshops with learners. For individual counselling with a learner, I would want to discuss what the school needs first, and make sure it sits within my scope and training. Where it does not, I will say so and help you find the right person.
What clearances do you have?
I am registered with the HPCSA as a Registered Counsellor, and hold the police and child protection clearances required for working with learners in South Africa. Copies are provided with any proposal.
What does it cost?
Ongoing arrangements are quoted to your school, based on the hours you would like each month. Most are between R6,000 and R15,000 per month. Workshops and parent evenings can also be booked on their own, and are quoted separately according to the length of the session and the number of people attending.
When should we be arranging this?
Ongoing arrangements are usually planned in term four or January, alongside the rest of the year’s support provision. A single workshop or parent evening can be arranged at any point in the year.
Parents looking for an exam scribe can find details on the exam scribing page.
Start a conversation
Tell me a little about your school and I will be in touch within one business day. There is no cost to an initial conversation.
If you prefer to email directly, my contact details are here.
Send an enquiry
I reply within one business day.