Sutton Park School is committed to addressing the needs of the whole school in relation to the mental wellbeing of our students. In such commitment Sutton Park has a dedicated counselling service.
“Schools carry an increasing responsibility to address the needs of children and young people in distress as a result of emotional concerns, behavioural problems, social and peer pressure, family tensions, bereavement and normal developmental issues. Where school counselling is available, surveys have shown that the services are well used by young clients and that early intervention can assist future wellbeing and emotional and psychological health.”
Good Practice Guidance for Counselling in Schools [4th Edition], BACP (The British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy)
Deirdre Mullen and Jenny Ryan maintain responsibility for the school counselling and therapeutic service and are both registered with their professional therapeutic bodies.
They work to their ethical guidelines and are subject to accreditation renewal with their respective professional organizations such as Psychological society, Family therapy association of Ireland and Irish association for Counselling and Psychotherapy.
They have significant experience working with teenagers. They are experienced at managing a case load, maintaining confidentiality where appropriate, and are able to articulate advice to relevant staff without disclosing confidential information. Both counsellors contribute to providing mental health support and consultation to the school, participating in the student support team meetings.
Parents can refer students to the school counsellors and Sutton Park staff can also refer through our internal staff referral form. Students can and do refer themselves.
Please see the school’s counselling policy for further information on confidentiality, duty of care or parental involvement in the schools’ therapeutic services.
You can contact Jenny (1st – 3rd years) or Deirdre (4th – 6th year students) at the following email address;
