Page 14 - Pastoral Guide 2025-2026

Counselling
Mrs Lucy Davies is our full-time counsellor
and she is supported by Mrs Rebecca Allport, who is our part-time counsellor. Rebecca also provides counselling at The Downs Malvern.
As well as counselling appointments, the
role of the counsellors includes mental health screening, detailed referrals to appropriate external agencies, for example CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services), risk assessments and staff training. The counsellors are based in the Medical Centre, and they work closely with the College doctor and nursing staff. They can also provide drop-in clinics
in Houses which increases accessibility of counselling services to pupils.
Pupils can be referred to counselling for
a variety of reasons ranging from mild difficulties to moderate to severe mental health issues. Examples include friendship issues, homesickness, family issues, study stress, assertiveness skills, family issues, low mood, disordered eating, self-harm, anxiety, grief
and loss.
The Safeguarding and Pastoral Teams work closely with the School Counsellors. Pupils
can self-refer or they can be referred to see a school counsellor by College staff. It does not have to be a huge personal crisis, and it could be a relatively simple matter of talking a problem through with someone who is independent from other College staff.
Information that a pupil chooses to share in counselling is confidential. Confidentiality will only be broken if the counsellor is worried about a pupil’s safety or the safety of someone else. Information will only be shared with
other College staff or parents on a ‘need to know’ basis. Our counsellors are bound by strict standards of confidentiality set by their professional governing bodies, the BABCP. Confidentiality is made explicit at the start of sessions and if information does need to be shared the pupil will always be told of the need for this, unless there is a safeguarding issue that prevents this.
Referrals often happen via the Safeguarding Team, nursing staff or via the College doctor. The first three sessions are free of charge
and additional sessions are usually charged
to parents on the school bill. A counselling referral will often comprise six counselling sessions. Pupils can also be referred to a wide range of other external counselling and mental health services including CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service). The College has strong links with the Malvern Hills Private Practice, which provides us with additional support and access to psychologists and psychiatric assessments. If the counsellor, College doctor, medical centre staff and safeguarding team believe a pupil requires specialist mental health support, a psychiatric assessment by a psychiatrist will be advised and recommended. We can provide further information on private psychiatrists in the area. There are occasions when we need to consider whether a mental health issue affects whether a pupil is safe to board. In these circumstances a thorough risk assessment may be necessary.
14
PASTORAL GUIDE TO MALVERN COLLEGE