Counsellors in schools are a proven solution to lifting attendance and wellbeing

Backing students’ success, attendance, and wellbeing doesn’t require a rehashing of another attendance service, says the New Zealand Association of Counsellors (NZAC).

While NZAC welcomes recent Government investments in education, it believes a critical part of the solution is still missing.

Evaluation of Counselling in Schools showed eight in 10 students (84%) reported that their attendance had improved as a result of counselling.

Greater investment in the already well-established school counselling workforce could bake in these positive results, NZAC President Sarah Maindonald says.

“Counselling is one of the most effective early interventions we have for tackling a myriad of wellbeing issues facing our tamariki, including lifting their attendance and academic achievement.

“They are a specialist workforce already well established in many schools, who could complement the Government’s current attendance initiatives with a little more support.”

NZAC estimates that an investment of $66.5 million over two years would allow the Government to reduce the student-to-counsellor ratio to 1:400 across the country.

This would more than double the current school guidance counselling workforce from around 300 to 700.

“Students can't learn if they’re anxious, hungry or distressed. School Guidance Counsellors are trained to support students through these challenges.

“For many, we’re the first and only mental health professional – and sometimes the only adult – they’ll ever talk to,” says Maindonald.

Other analyses of counselling, like the 2020 research jointly funded by NZAC and the Ministry of Education, showed that school counselling directly supports student success.

“It is a little disappointing to have successful pilots, data, and research proving what we’re advocating, yet the Government doesn’t see counsellors as a practical, and significantly cheaper, solution that will help them lift attendance and achievement.”