Counselling Service
LAE Tottenham’s pastoral team of Tutors, Heads of House, and the Deputy Head are pleased to be able to work with A Space for Support to facilitate access to on-site counselling for students.
What is 'A Space' for Support?
'A Space' is exactly what the name describes; students are provided with ‘a space’ at school to meet with a counsellor during school time.
What does the 'A Space' Counsellor offer?
The counsellor can help you stand back and examine your life so that you are able to see where the challenges are and how best to meet them. You don’t have to have a specific issue or problem that needs to be dealt with. Appointments can also be used to share troubling feelings, thoughts or anything that is preoccupying you that you feel unable to discuss with your tutor or another member of staff.
Who goes to 'A Space'?
Everyone can benefit from having space and time for reflection. Life is complex and we all have challenges to deal with at some point or another.
This means that students might choose to book appointments at 'A Space' for many different reasons. For example, school, home, or social life could be causing concerns, or perhaps just thinking about the future brings up uncertainties. Sometimes we need to talk things through with someone who is trained to listen and who can help us make sense of personal difficulties without judging.
How are appointments made?
An appointment might be made following discussions with your tutor or directly and confidentially by means of you emailing counsellor@laetottenham.ac.uk
How often are appointments attended?
Appointments are generally attended on a weekly basis. Students’ appointments are arranged so that they don’t miss the same important lessons regularly. Students are encouraged to attend for an initial block of 3 sessions.
What does 'A Space' offer?
- the same 'A Space' counsellor to see you at a scheduled time in school
- the chance for a confidential conversation with enough time set aside to explore your concerns and your feelings in detail
- time and space to work through painful feelings
- help with seeing where changes can be made and to think about how best to achieve this
- an opportunity to think about your strengths and what is going well in your life and to build on these
'A Space' asks that you:
- accept that everyone have occurrence when life doesn’t go well or when changes have to be made (seeing a counsellor isn’t shameful or embarrassing, it is a common way of dealing with life’s challenges)
- be prepared to talk openly and honestly about your situation and about your feelings
Coming to 'A Space' might feel quite difficult at first but adults and young people alike often have mixed feelings about seeing someone for help and support. As a result, It can take time to get used to counselling, therefore you may want to think about what you want to get out of your sessions and set goals to work on with your 'A Space' counsellor.
Having time to reflect with someone who understands life’s challenges works best if you choose to take an active role.