Student mental health is a huge concern for school guidance counsellors — who these days help kids with everything from stress to substance abuse and have even become the go-to person for families looking to find counselling.A survey by the Ontario School Counsellors’ Association, to be released Monday, found that providing mental health help is the most drastic change the profession has faced, given a general lack of services and long wait times in the community — and it’s the one area they are now urging they receive more training in, given the new realities of their job.Not only do they provide support to students, but are often expected to link families — and even marriages — to community agencies in times of crisis.“The minute somebody’s at my door, I drop everything — they are what matters most,” said Nicole Trotter, a middle-school guidance counsellor with the Peel District School Board and president of the association.With school board social workers and psychologists already stretched among a number of schools, “we can’t diagnose (mental health issues), but we are sometimes the first resource the school comes to — teachers come to, students come to — when there’s an issue.”The survey of 650 school guidance counsellors, who are specially trained, fully certified teachers, found that the top priority for training among those working in both elementary and secondary pertains to student mental health and wellness.They spend more than eight hours a week working with students on social/emotional and interpersonal issues as well as liaising with psychologists and mental health professionals.When asked what they think students’ expectations are, guidance counsellors said “be a mother,” “be a father,” “psychologist,” while parents want them to “be the parent when they cannot get through to their child,” as well as ...
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