Throughout my carrier, my work has connected to schools in various ways, either through consultancy or through school based therapy. The drive behind my work was to support children in succeeding at school by helping them to overcome their personal and interpersonal problems.

 

A great percentage of the children, who are stalling in their educational progress, often experience difficulties at home, with peers, or with their teachers. Most common problems are parents' marital discord, divorce, custody issues, substance abuse, gang affiliation, sexual and physical abuse, neglect, economic issues, an overwhelmed single parent, minimal structure in the home, disability, young carer, communication issues, anger management issues, and negative peer influence.

 

Often a therapist involvement through school can be interpreted negatively by parents, due to the implicit message that the parent(s) is at fault. My job is to connect with the parent(s) with a common goal, which is to support the child's progress in school. 

 

My consultancy work included joining with teachers through learning about mental health issues and disability, and working together on how these can be managed in a school setting.