Students get counselling ahead of school reopening

Approximately 4,000 students at the primary level will benefit from counselling support sessions provided by the Ministry of Education, as they transition back to in-person classes from next Monday.

This revelation from senior psychologist at Student Support Services in the Ministry of Education, Juanita Brathwaite-Wharton, who spoke to the media on Thursday at a service of blessing at Queen’s College, following the use of the school as a COVID-19 isolation facility for several months.

She insisted that the mental health of students and teachers was of great importance, and work had begun several months ago on making sure that was catered for, through increasing the staff complement at Student Support Services.

“Prior to 2020, persons responsible for mental health and wellness support in the Ministry were three persons – myself and two social workers – but in the pandemic, we were given additional support staff in the Student Services. Our staff complement has increased by more than 100 per cent. We were given 23 new officers in Student Services and they span from special needs education to school safety officers who are essentially social workers placed in the secondary schools.

“So, in those schools that were used as facilities, the school safety officers along with the secondary school counsellors and guidance counsellors continue to provide support to students who were identified as needing such, in addition to the universal support that was given through the Health and Family Life Education classes,” Brathwaite-Wharton explained.

She said although the pandemic has been a testing time for students and staff alike, children who had been referred to counselling through the Ministry had been responding well to the mental health services.

“Persons would have discussed the fears and anxieties that they may have had. Some children did express that they had those concerns, but I would say that the majority of children are keen and eager and excited and ready to go back to school, based on the forums that we would have put in place to support the students,” the psychologist said.

Teachers have also been provided the opportunity to speak with professionals outside the island.

“In addition to the support for students, we have also spent quite a heavy emphasis putting support in place for staff, and this did not just start. This would have been ongoing throughout the pandemic.

“In 2020, for example, we partnered with UNICEF and they offered support groups for any teacher – primary or secondary school – who indicated that they needed some guidance, some assistance in managing with the pandemic, managing with COVID, and managing with teaching online. There also was a facility if persons were not comfortable with working with the network services because they are a local-based organisation, where they could have benefited from what we call tele-counselling from professionals who operate from outside of the region,” Brathwaite-Wharton disclosed. (SB)