Could counselling in schools turn-around the youth mental health crisis?

A review has been released which shows children receiving counselling at school show improvements in mental health, achievement and school attendance.

The report released by the Education Review Office looked at The Counselling in Schools – Awhi Mai Awhi Atu programme which began in 2021. The programme provided counselling support for primary, intermediate and small secondary schools identified as high needs, and its effectiveness has been reviewed in the new report.  

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The programme was found to be effective at addressing mental health issues, including reaching groups that were usually not able to access counselling like Māori students and boys. The review found that 80 percent of students reported improvements in psychological health following counselling. Teachers and whānau reported lasting improvements in mental health for students up to six months after receiving counselling.  

In primary schools which received counselling support, teachers reported improvements in learning progress for over half the students who received counselling. Four in 10 students also showed improvements in attendance, and teachers noted that overall classroom behaviour improved.  

These improvements were partly attributed to the counselling’s focus on teaching emotional management, relationship building and building self-esteem. Of students who received counselling, 96 percent reported improvements in how they felt about themselves, over 90 percent said they could better understand and manage their feelings, and 86 percent said they were better able to get along with others.  

The Counselling in Schools programme evolved over its tenure to provide both mental health and social support to students, with 15 percent of sessions being larger group counselling sessions.  

The report recommended investing in site-based counselling support in primary schools, ensuring that students receive more than three hours of support. Multiple referral pathways are important to catch students who may not exhibit obvious signs of distress such as behaviour.  

The New Zealand Association of Counsellors (NZAC) President Sarah Maindonald says the results aren’t surprising, as research has shown counselling to be effective in schools before. Maindonald says she would like to see government investment into counsellors in schools.  

“This is an important body of research that proves what we’ve been advocating for years; funding counsellors on school grounds, within their communities, provides greater and more equitable access to mental health services. 

“Even better, ERO’s research shows the positive follow-on effects of counselling in students’ attendance and achievement and improves the wider classroom’s overall engagement.”  

Maindonald notes that the Counselling in Schools programme used 70 percent unqualified counsellors, though they were supervised by a qualified counsellor. She says a fully funded programme of qualified counsellors would show even greater benefits.  

“Now is the time to invest in our children’s futures; if the government committed to the long-term funding of qualified counsellors on school grounds, this programme and its results would be the envy of the world.”