School counselling: The evidence for what works

School counselling services are a common response to mental health and wellbeing challenges, not least those caused by COVID-19 and lockdown. New research findings have shown us exactly when and how counselling can be most effective, Professor Mick Cooper explains.

Counselling Pupils for Social Justice

Along the dynamic freedoms of democracies of the 21st century, counselling pupils for social justice is a radical democratic process of learning. This is within awareness of metacognitive application of critical thinking that transforms prior obtained frame of reference. It also ignites, without imposing, critical self-reflection as a deliberate cognitive activity on experiences that bring about perspective transformation. Ironically, that school counselling continues to be less regarded as a management role in schools is a misconstrued perspective that not only disadvantages the pupil but also alienates counsellors while also deflating effectiveness of teaching efforts. The teaching and learning process is a collaborative effort that can only succeed when existing school's networks are utilised in the most effective manner especially for a transformative and democratic education. This chapter explores avenues of school counselling along post-constructivist perspectives determining a democratic pupil as sought to be a change catalyst for good citizenship in the society.