The Scottish Borders Council (SBC) has awarded MYPAS, a charity working to improve the health and wellbeing of young people, the contract to deliver School Counselling services with young people across the Scottish Borders.
Starting in the new school term, MYPAS will provide counselling to young people aged 10-18 years old across SBC’s 9 High Schools and 60 Primary Schools. Counselling will be offered to young people experiencing mental health difficulties by professionally qualified and experienced Counsellors. The service, commissioned by Scottish Borders Council through a competitive tendering process, utilises direct funding from the Scottish Government.
Young people will be able to access the service all year round and at times and places that suit them – this can be in places like youth centres as well as school and can be at times outside of the school day.
The Counselling provided will be an opportunity for young people to express their emotions and thoughts in a safe, confidential environment. Through sessions young people will be given a space to explore their feelings, make sense of their existence and formulate ways forward. The counsellor will meet them at a time where a young person recognises that they have poor emotional health and require support and are willing and able to engage in change. This will enable them to work things through, helping make sense of difficult feelings and emotions. The counselling sessions will also:
- Check in with them to see how they are managing their lives
- Identify sources of positive support in their lives and effective resilience strategies
- Work with multiple issues that the young person is presenting with
- Explore managing relationships within families, school/work, and with their peers which affects the young person’s ability to focus on tasks and on their own development.
Dave Evans, MYPAS’ Chief Executive, talks about the contract award: “We’re delighted to have been successful with our tender to deliver School Counselling throughout the Scottish Borders. This follows on from our successful completion of a School Counselling pathfinder with Galashiels Academy over the last 18 months. We are very much looking forward to working on a wider basis in the Borders and continuing our positive working relationship with Scottish Borders Council”.
Councillor Julie Pirone, SBC’s Executive Member for Education, Youth Development and Lifelong Learning said: “Following a competitive tendering process, I am delighted that Midlothian Young Peoples Advice Service (MYPAS) has been awarded the contract for SBC’s School Counselling Service, with service delivery commencing in our schools in the new term.
“MYPAS shall provide professionally qualified staff to support children and young people, and a service which is accessible all year round.
This initiative supports the Scottish Government’s commitment to providing counselling for pupils from Primary 6 upwards, ensuring access to qualified mental health support when needed”.
“We have young people in need of this qualified professional support and this will help them tackle the issues they are facing and ultimately get many of them back in school and learning.’’
MYPAS will recruit for the new School Counselling team over the summer with services starting in the new school term.
