The CLD Trust, formerly CLD Youth Counselling Trust, has been providing services to schools and colleges since 1994. We are a registered charity and our counselling service is accredited with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. We subscribe to their Ethical Framework For Good Practice in Counselling and Psychotherapy.
Our counselling team are highly qualified counselling therapists drawn from health, social and educational backgrounds, with significant experience of working with young people.
Counselling therapy provides an opportunity for young people to talk to a qualified and trained professional in a confidential and safe setting about things that are worrying them.
School/College based counselling services complement the pastoral approaches that individual institutions already provide. Qualified counselling provides an integral part of the provision of a whole school approach to the health and well-being of students.
Amongst the documented evidence, early mental health intervention has been proven to:
• Increase focus and attainment.
• Reduce anxiety and enable young people to manage their emotions.
• Increase ability to manage self and behaviour.
Our organisation is committed to ensuring the highest quality of service and outcomes for clients. We use validated outcome measurements to monitor work and independent research into our outcomes has shown us to be as effective as Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) with whom we share a pathway for mental health services.
We have an experienced management team who ensure that the work of the Trust is carried out to the highest quality standard.
The Trust’s Quality and Professional Practice Managers ensure that the counselling therapy is appropriate to clients’ needs and that professional notes and records are undertaken and are in place. All our staff receive case management supervision in addition to clinical supervision, and are supported to undergo continuing professional development in areas which will benefit young people.
The Trust offers a range of therapeutic counselling approaches including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Systemic Family Practice. We work on a seven session brief intervention model with requests for extensions agreed, and intensively monitored, by senior managers. But we can also offer a drop-in service if the school thinks that would work well for them.
We are able to offer counselling clinics within schools and colleges which enable staff to directly refer students. In the event that a school/college site is not appropriate we can offer appointments at our suite of offices in Hereford or at other locations agreed with the school/college.
In the event of critical incident or bereavement we can provide additional support to coordinate a managed response to support heads/principals and governors in ensuring that staff and students are appropriately cared for.
Client record management is closely monitored and all schools/colleges are issued with an annual report which includes an overview of the presenting issues dealt with during the academic year, counselling outcomes and feedback from young people.
Services are offered to both students and staff:
Students
• Counselling therapy including the provision of dedicated counsellors and regular school clinics.
• Groupwork and training for students eg anger management, wellbeing, basic CBT techniques.
• Emergency and Crisis Support – when a school/college needs a speedy response to an unforeseen event eg death of a student.
Staff
• Individual counselling therapy.
• Training and bespoke training courses – counselling courses, basic CBT, recognising and supporting young people with mental distress.