Mrs Kate Benoiton

Primary Counsellor

Ms Merna Mondon

Secondary Counsellor

At ISS, we believe that the emotional and social wellbeing of all students has a direct impact on their ability to learn and reach their full academic potential. The school benefits from the services of 2 full-time counsellors, one in primary and one in secondary.

At ISS the school counsellors work closely with teachers and staff to offer individual and group counselling to students who are going through a period of emotional or behavioural instability. This instability could be triggered for a variety of reasons including difficulties at home such as parental separation, grief, family relationships or difficulties at school such as friendship issues, bullying or stress due to schoolwork or exams.

Counselling can provide a safe space for the student to explore their emotions and underlying conflicts so they can work towards building more effective coping strategies and reach a point of stability.

For primary students a variety of mediums are used in counselling to help the students express themselves and their feelings. These include art, writing, playing as well as talking.

For secondary students, more in depth discussions about the root cause of issues takes place and proactive strategies are discussed.

Referrals for counselling are accepted from staff at school, from parents and carers, from outside agencies and older students can request to be seen themselves. An initial appointment would be set to explore initial concerns and plan the most appropriate support. Parental consent would also be gained if ongoing counselling is indicated for students under the age 15 years.

As parental support is crucial, frequent communication and feedback is provided to parents, both over the phone and through appointments when needed.