Guidance

Guidance aims to support and encourage young people to attain their potential in education and to develop students into socially aware, contributing, and fulfilled adults who are able to manage their life, whatever their circumstances. Students are empowered to make wise decisions, enjoy healthy relationships, to follow their dream, keep focused, manage change, and never stop learning.

All counsellors counsel students at every year level. To make an appointment, students should click on the book an appointment icon below and fill out the online counselling request form.  Once the form is filled out it will be logged with the Guidance Department who will endeavour to see students as soon as possible. Please note that at different times of the year, there is a greater need for counselling services so there can be a waiting period to be seen by a counsellor. 

Note: students need to be logged into their cloud accounts to access the online form to book an appointment. Parents are encouraged to contact their child’s dean or HOD Guidance, Mr Jay Smith, if they want to have them referred for counselling.

The Guidance Department provides a private and confidential service for students at all levels. Students may self-refer, or are referred by teachers, deans, senior management staff, or parents.

The four qualified counsellors who are all members of the New Zealand Association of Counsellors (NZAC) offer counselling over a wide range of issues – anxiety, depression, relationships, anger, conflict, eating issues, and substance use are some examples. Students benefit from discussing difficulties they are experiencing at College, or issues that may be happening outside school.   

The Guidance Department offers a counselling service for mild to moderate levels of distress. For acute or severe levels of risk we will refer students to external agencies, who specialise in specific areas of need. Throughout this process the student will remain in connection with their counsellor in the Guidance Department.
There are many different agencies we refer students to, e.g. Marinoto Adolescent Mental Health services, the CADS- Altered High programme (alcohol and drugs use) and many others depending on the issue and level of need. Parents are welcome to contact the Guidance counsellors for advice and information about these, or other, agencies for young people.

The student and counsellor meet in the counsellor’s office and the counsellor will introduce her/himself.  At this point, it is usual to outline confidentiality and autonomy and explain to the student what that means for them personally.  All four counsellors take an eclectic approach to counselling – that is they draw on many approaches to counselling.  These may include narrative therapy, sand tray therapy, interactive drawing therapy, solution focused therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Positive Psychology.  Depending on the student, some are more open to creative approaches while others are more comfortable with direct face to face counselling.  The aim is, always, to connect well with students, both male, female and gender diverse, of different cultures and with different personalities.  One counselling session may be sufficient but more often a number of sessions are required. 

Counsellors are bound by the NZAC Code Ethics  to undertake frequent professional clinical supervision.  This is for a measure of accountability, and the maintenance of safe, ethical and effective practice.  The NZAC annual renewal of membership for counsellors is dependent on appropriate attendance at supervision.  Another key part of annual renewal of membership is for the counsellor to be able to show a record of professional development undertaken in the past twelve months.

The Guidance Department engages in professional development internally and through attending courses throughout the year.   The counsellors attend external professional development with local or overseas speakers presenting on a topic of particular interest at a one day, or longer, workshop.  The counsellors share their external professional development experience with the team on their return.