A guide to providing school or college-based counselling

This resource offers guidance for mental health leads and leaders when offering school or college-based counselling. It has been developed by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), the professional association for members of the counselling professions in the UK.

The guidance is designed to equip schools and colleges with the knowledge needed to embed a counselling service within their setting.

The resource provides an introduction to school or college-based counselling and outlines the key components of effective provision. The guidance covers:

• considerations when employing or contracting counselling services
• qualifications and experience required of counselling professionals
• processes and resources required to run a schools-based counselling service
• safeguarding, confidentiality and consent
• counselling referral and administration.

Staff may wish to use this resource as a reference point to review current practice, or when seeking to employ or contract school or college-based counselling services.

Using this resource

This resource is designed for: 

• use by school leaders and mental health leads working with students aged 5 to 19+.

Learning outcomes

This resource addresses the following learning outcomes: 

• Work in partnership with local service providers and mental health professionals (including Mental Health Support Teams where these are in place) to ensure the needs of pupils and students and relevant adults are known, understood and used to shape the local support offer.
• Identify and access the most appropriate statutory or independent mental health service provision available in their local area.
• Make or support effective referrals to children and young people’s or adult mental health services, or other services as appropriate.