Guidance

A comprehensive guidance and counselling service is available to students at Skerries Community College. The Guidance Department offers students a one-to-one counselling and a guidance service. Mr Duignan was appointed to the position of Guidance Counsellor in September 2019. He, together with school management, is developing a ‘Guidance Plan’ for the students of Skerries CC.

‘Guidance’ provided by the Mr Duignan is one of many supports which aim to reach all students with different degrees of service depending on student needs. It is a specialist support. 

 

The philosophy behind the guidance service includes an approach which empowers students to take responsibility for their own development. Equal opportunities are promoted.

The Guidance service is reviewed regularly and will adapt in line with the needs of students and parents into the future.

In Skerries Community College the Guidance Service aims to:

  • Foster a sense of personal responsibility in students for identifying future goals.

  • Provide experiences that promote career development

  • Focus on an individual’s strength and potential so as to create a strategy for promoting discussion around their education / careers / personal development in order to discourage irresponsible action.

  • Introduce and foster a process of evaluating personal / career / educational goals.

 

The Guidance Counsellor strives to provide students with ‘opportunities to work in self-defined ways towards living in a more satisfying and resourceful way, as members of the broader society.’

Effective Learning

A primary objective of the Guidance Counsellor, is to support students in acquiring the knowledge, skills and attitudes that contribute to effective learning.

All guidance activities are designed to assist pupils in making choices about their lives and to assist students in making transitions consequent to these choices.

 

The Role of the Guidance Counsellor

Guidance and counselling may be categorised into three separate but interlinked areas:

Within this continuum, students are supported in line with their individual needs.

 

The Role of the Guidance Counsellor can be further outlined as follows:

Educational Guidance:

Educational guidance includes the provision of information on educational opportunities and the guidance of students in decision making and the support of students in their individual education goals. 

The Guidance Counsellor will provide students with information and assist in any way possible with various choices. However the Guidance Counsellor does not make decisions for students.

Educational counselling helps students to recognise a range of options and assists them to develop skills to consciously shape their path. It also fosters a sense of personal responsibility for identifying future goals.

The Guidance Counsellor is there to assist, but students must take the responsibility to participate fully in both the research and decision making process around their future career paths.

Students can discuss all pathways and options with their guidance counsellor. In addition, to help students reach an understanding of their opportunities / goals, the Guidance Counsellor may explore the following with students:

  • Interests and abilities

  • Time management

  • Stress Management

  • Subject choice/ Levels / Combinations

  • Study skills/ Exam techniques

  • Learning Problems

  • Motivation

  • Testing (aptitude and interest inventories)

  • Decision making skills

  • Goal setting skills

  • Motivational Skills

  • Study Skills

  • Self-esteem and confidence

  • Educational Links

Vocational Counselling:

Vocational Guidance aims to equip students with skills and information to make informed and appropriate choices with regard to their career development.

The Guidance Counsellor helps students to develop the skills to consciously shape their own career path.

  • The Guidance Counsellor will provide students with information and assist in any way possible with various choices. However they will notmake decisions for students.

  • Vocational counselling helps students to recognise a range of alternatives and assists them to develop skills to consciously shape their career path. It aims to overcome the information deficit on careers and educational opportunities. It also fosters a sense of personal responsibility for identifying future educational and career goals.

  • Information in class and individual consultation is there for students to think and act upon their future and to discourage irresponsible actions. It helps one to evaluate realistically, attainable career and higher education goals.

  • The Guidance Counsellor is there to assist but students must take the responsibility to participate fully in both the research and decision making process around their future career paths. Students have a vast range of choice in relation to career and educational opportunities but with choice comes responsibility and the consequences of making certain choices. 

The Guidance Counsellor makes information available to the students but, more importantly, teaches the students about how to access the relevant information for themselves.

The Guidance Counsellor supports students in their decision making with the overall aim that of facilitating ‘informed choice’ for students and parents.

Vocational Counselling includes, but is not limited to the following;

  • Career planning: routes and paths

  • Career and occupation investigations

  • Attendance at Open Days

  • Careers Evenings

  • Professional Development

  • Third level colleges and PLCs

  • Curriculum Vitae

  • Interview Skills

  • Work Experience

 

Personal Counselling:

The Guidance Counsellor is available for personal counselling to students who may be in difficulty or crisis, and individual counselling is available to all students on request and / or referral. Personal counselling is a learning process concerned with addressing specific issues, making decisions and forming positive action plans in order to tackle the issue in question. This is achieved through supportive listening in an environment which attempts to promote the student’s self-esteem and self-knowledge. Sometimes it is easier to talk to someone about a problem who is not directly involved as they can offer non-biased advice and listen with clarity.

  • This service is there to help students make decisions, to allow them to declare and accept dilemmas, and to assist students in developing an action plan in order to progress.

  • The Guidance Counsellor is helps students explore issues that may be causing concern in order to promote both self-esteem and self-knowledge.

  • The Guidance Counsellor will endeavour to develop a student’s strengths and discuss things that may impede progress.

  • Counselling can generate self-awareness and develop personal freedom / responsibility and create a positive self-identity.

  • The Guidance Counsellor is here to Listen, Accept, Respect, Understand and Respond.

The Guidance Counsellor listens in a caring, empathetic and sensitive manner appropriate to the individual student’s needs and development stage. 

It is of primary importance that individual counselling is provided in an atmosphere where the student feels secure, accepted and understood. 

Confidentiality is guaranteed, except where a student’s safety or the safety of others is of concern. In these cases the Child Welfare Act 1991 / ‘Children First’ 2011 / Child Protection Guidelines 2017 legally require the Guidance Counsellor to report the situation.

The Guidance Counsellor will engage with students in line with IGC policy, on any personal issue, which students wish to discuss.

The counselling related issues for students may include, but are not limited to:

  •  Issues related to low self-esteem: Shyness, bullying related issues, aggression, anger management, depression and dealing with conflict.

  • Family related issues: Relationship problems, bereavement, coping with separation and coping with alcohol problems within the home, physical abuse.

  • Personal issues: Traumatic relationship break ups, substance abuse, homosexuality, unexpected pregnancy and other emotional upset.

  • School related problems: Absenteeism, poor punctuality, relationships with teachers/students and problem behaviour in the classroom.

  • Promotion of self-awareness and self-development

  • Other Areas.

 At times when the guidance service cannot adequately address the needs of certain students due to the specialised expertise required or time constraints, appropriate referral is arranged.