A Workshop on Dealing with Child and Adolescent Mental Health Issues and Basic Counselling

An essential 2Hr workshop for all staff in the education sector. Presented by John Buswell

  • Venue: Your school
  • Time: You choose
  • Cost R 195-00 per member of staff
  • Workbook and full manual
  • Certificate
  • SACE accredited certificate (CPTD allocation/Type 3/10 Points/ Leadership and Management.)

First Aiders save many lives in the world every day, the ability to provide basic CPR to a person having a heart attack, enables the Cardiologist to perform their role as a specialist. Every Educator should have the basic skills to provide Emotional First Aid when needed in an emergency and then refer to a professional. These workshops provide those skills.

INTRODUCTION

Recent studies have found that 24% of South African youngsters surveyed between Grade 5 to Grade 11 had experienced feelings of depression, hopelessness and sadness, while a further 21% had attempted suicide at least once. These studies also state that among school-attendees aged 10 to 15, showed that adolescents experienced a high prevalence of depression (41%), anxiety (16%) and PTSD (21%).

Educators are expected to deal with many of these issues with very little formal counselling or trauma training. A caring Educator can transform the school experience, especially for learners who face enormous home difficulties. The basic ability to counsel, listen, guide and refer when necessary, can transform a learners life forever.

This workshop presented John Buswell will empower Educators to understand how anxiety, depression and trauma effects learners, identify the presenting symptoms and be able to provide  basic counselling to both learners and colleagues. An educator with counselling and communication skills enhances the schools professionalism, affirms a learners dignity and helps develop trusting relationships in times of crises.

Understanding and dealing with Anxiety in the classroom

  • Defining Anxiety Disorder/Separation Disorder/Selective Mutism/Social Anxiety Disorder/Panic Disorder/Generalised Anxiety Disorder
  • Symptoms
  • Assisting the learner in the classroom
  • Working with the child’s family
  • The side effects of prescribed medication

An introduction to trauma

  • An introduction to bereavement
  • Understanding the grief process
  • Definition of trauma
  • Types of trauma
  • Phases of trauma
  • Identifying symptoms presented in the classroom from Gr R – Gr 12
  • Long term effects of a traumatic experience on childhood development

An introduction to basic counselling

  • Defining counselling
  • The goals and aims of counselling
  • The do’s and don’ts
  • Counselling ethics and values
  • Sympathy, identification and empathy

Basic counselling

  • Counselling frameworks
  • Stages of counselling
  • Body language
  • Process of the counselling model
  • Using questions effectively
  • Problems in questioning
  • Dealing with the child’s parent or care giver