Sixty-nine percent of primary school principals want counselling for pupils according to new DCU research

Sixty-nine percent of primary school principals have said that they are interested in availing of individual counselling and psychotherapy for their pupils and over 67% would like to avail of counselling support for staff members.

Family problems were cited as the most common issue affecting pupils followed by the breakdown of parental relationships.

Principals also described their own experience of managing critical incidents in their schools, ranging from child protection issues to drug overdoses and children self-harming.

The findings are from an online survey, launched in June 2015, by DCU’s School of Nursing and Human Sciences as part of a research study into Counselling Provision and Demand in Primary Schools in Ireland.

This is the first research study of its kind in Ireland and is led by Dr. Rosaleen McElvaney of DCU’s School of Nursing and Human Sciences. Researchers are encouraging school principals from 3,261 primary schools across Ireland to take part in the second online survey which was launched in October.

At present, the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) is the provider of psychological support to primary schools in the area of learning, behaviour, social and emotional development. Each psychologist is assigned to a number of schools.

Commenting on the research to date Dr. Rosaleen McElvaney:

“We have had terrific co-operation from principals and from the Irish Primary Principals Network. Over 700 responses have been received to date. However, this constitutes less than 25% of the total number of schools in Ireland. To really get a picture of the national landscape we need more principals to take the survey.

A better response rate will mean more reliable findings that can better influence policy development in this area. We are therefore re-launching the survey in the hope of getting a higher response rate. We appreciate principals are very busy and it’s difficult to take the time to complete surveys. However, the findings of this study could help schools argue for better resources to support their work in promoting the psychological wellbeing of their pupils.”

34% of primary school principals revealed that they have no access to counselling services and that anxiety, anger and a lack of self-esteem also affected pupils. Principals also responded to a query on critical incidents outlining a wide range of events such as the birth of a baby in a school; bereavements; a siege in a local housing estate beside a school; child protection issues; violent behaviour by children in a school; children having suicidal thoughts and a homeless family presenting at a school seeking help.

Commenting on the nature of critical incidents Dr McElvaney said:

“When tragedy visits a family it is not just the family that is affected; the school community is where children spend their days. Teachers are faced with the ongoing challenge of supporting the children concerned and addressing the ripple effects throughout the school community. Often teachers feel ill-equipped for this mammoth task. Access to support, not just for children, but for the teachers themselves is vital.”