Brighton & Hove City Council has launched a new citywide school-based counselling pilot for Year 9 students in Brighton & Hove secondary schools.
The council says it's investing in the pilot to provide additional support to young people who have difficulty accessing learning due to their mental health.
The pilot will run alongside the council's Schools Mental Health Service, which offers a range of interventions for children, young people and families in Brighton & Hove.
The school counselling pilot will run until August 2025 and will be fully evaluated by the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP).
The pilot has been created following a campaign from the Brighton & Hove Citizens UK group to improve mental health support in schools.
A 2022 Public Health report on mental health and wellbeing in Brighton & Hove highlighted that young people in the city with social, emotional and mental health needs are higher than the England average.
The pilot will be monitored throughout the course of the year and the findings will help inform how the council continues to offer emotional wellbeing support in schools.
Councillor Emma Daniel, Cabinet member for Children, Families and Youth Services, said:
“We’re delighted to have launched the counselling pilot in secondary schools throughout the city.
“When young people told us this was a priority for them, it became our priority. We hope that this pilot is a pathfinder for the government’s promised mental health support in schools nationwide.
“Mental health is a crucial factor in children and young people’s overall wellbeing, with poor mental health impacting attendance and attainment in school and putting some students at a disadvantage.
“We hope this pilot will provide additional support for those pupils who have found it challenging to access learning due to their mental health, giving them the tools they need to help them to lead happy, healthy and fulfilling lives.”
On Friday 11 October, Varndean College and Brighton & Hove Citizens UK hosted an event to mark the launch of the citywide schools counselling pilot.
The event included testimonies from young people and was attended by Councillors Daniel and Andrei Czolak.
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