Care Provision
- Direct access to Guidance Counsellor
- Referral System
- Care Meetings
- Mental Health Awareness
- SPHE/Anti-bullying
Wellbeing
- Guidance
- Digital Communication Skills
- Wellbeing in the Digital World
- Sports Psychology
Careers
- Industry, Third Level, PLC & apprenticeship networks
- Weekly Careers Class
- Parents Presentations on CAO and UCAS
- Advice regarding Subject Choice
- Decision making regarding Career Choice
First Year Induction
- Induction Day
- Mentoring
- Study Skills
The Guidance and Counselling service is a professional service delivered by qualified Guidance Counsellors at St. Gerald’s DLS College.
It includes individual and small group interventions in one or more of the following areas: Personal/Social; Educational and Vocational concerns. It also includes referral and the administration, interpretation and feedback of psychometric tests. The service addresses student needs as they arise.
Mental Health & Wellbeing
Positive mental health enables young people to live fulfilling lives; promoting the mental health and wellbeing of our young people is a shared responsibility and is everybody’s business. We have an inclusive, friendly, open policy at St. Gerald’s DLS College where students are encouraged to talk to any member of staff about any concern they may have.
Schools are in a unique position to promote mental health and emotional wellbeing and to identify young people experiencing emotional distress. Boards of management, school leaders and teachers play a central role providing leadership and direction in implementing a comprehensive and integrated approach to mental health promotion.
In keeping with the ethos of St. Gerald’s DLS College to provide a holistic education in a caring and supportive environment, we aim to promote Mental Health among students and staff. An activity involving the promotion of Mental Health is held every year in the College.
The College participates in the Annual SchoolsGoOrange Campaign which promotes positive mental health. Participation in SchoolsGoOrange part-fulfils the requirement for the prestigious award of Cycle Against Suicide Ambassador School, which St. Gerald’s DLS College has received every year for the past three years. In April 2017, St. Gerald’s DLS College acted as an Anchor School for the annual Cycle Against Suicide event promoting the message ‘That it’s ok not to feel ok and it’s absolutely ok to ask for help’. We were awarded the Amber Flag in acknowledgement for the promotion of Mental Health and Wellbeing for all in 2017.
A Mental Health noticeboard has been erected and can be found in the Foyer, a prominent area of the College which contains information on mental health services available locally.
The Framework for Junior Cycle (2015) provides for a new area of learning at Junior Cycle called Wellbeing. Wellbeing will cross the three years of junior cycle and build on substantial work already taking place in schools in support of students’ wellbeing. St. Gerald’s DLS College has implemented the programme for First Year Students. The Wellbeing Programme consists of Digital Media, Digital Citizenship, Guidance and Sports Psychology.