Counselling and Art Therapy

Foyle College pupils have been availing of the Independent Counselling Service for Schools’ (ICSS) provision for a number of years, and we have well-established procedures for effective working with our counsellor. Pupils can speak with any teacher or staff member about their wish to avail of counselling, or drop a note into the self-referral box, and they will be contacted in a discrete way about their appointment. Our counsellor is Lynsey and she works with us on Thursdays – she is available for five appointments as well as a morning drop-in service for which no appointment is necessary. The service is usually fully utilized, and pupils have been very positive about their experiences.

Art therapy is an expressive medium that uses the creative process of ‘making’ to help improve a person’s physical, mental and emotional well-being. It allows clients to put difficult words, thoughts and feelings into art form and to work through emotions that they might be otherwise unable to express. Pupils don’t need to be skilled in this area or have a background in Art, all that is needed is an open mind and a willingness to experiment and create. It was our pleasure to work with Jennifer our Trainee Art Therapist for a year until January 2023, in partnership with Ulster University. We are currently delighted to have the service of Rebecca Duddy as our Art Therapist, doing group work with some of our Key Stage 3 pupils.