Mental Health - Pastoral Care

St Vincent’s works with The Counselling & Family Centre, based in Altrincham. In partnership we aim to help children to explore their emotions and feel better about themselves. Our school counsellors are Fran Bills and Annalisa Marini.

Children can take part in sessions where they express themselves by making art, playing or talking. At St Vincent’s we use a room called our ‘Angel Room’ and it is based in our Year 4 suite.

When is counselling useful?

Sometimes children can feel sad, confused, scared or angry. Maybe something difficult happened at home, like losing a family member or parents separating. Or perhaps they’re struggling with something at school. This can make them behave differently, lose confidence in themselves or find it difficult to concentrate in class. Counselling is there to help children find ways to cope, so their worries don’t get in the way of their friendships, their learning or how they feel about themselves.

What do the counsellors do?

The counsellors are trained professionals who work with our children one-to-one or in small groups, giving regular support for pupils who need it. Teachers and parents are able to make referrals based on the needs of children in their class. If you feel this is something your child would benefit from please discuss with their class teacher, one of our ELSA’s (Mrs E Sutton or Mrs Gee) or a member of SLT. At St Vincent’s we follow a graduated response to mental health and wellbeing. We can work together to find the appropriate level of support for your child.