In the contemporary educational landscape, the role of the school counsellor has become increasingly significant in promoting the holistic development of children.
Beyond academic achievement, schools are now expected to nurture students’ emotional stability, social competence and psychological wellbeing.
In this context, the school counsellor serves as a crucial professional who supports children in managing academic pressure, interpersonal conflicts, behavioural concerns, family-related stress and personal insecurities.
Therefore, the significance of this role lies not merely in problem-solving, but more importantly in creating a safe, inclusive and emotionally secure environment in which every child feels respected, understood and encouraged to thrive.
To begin with, handling children effectively requires patience, emotional intelligence and a child-centred approach. Since each child differs in personality, maturity, family background and coping ability, counsellors must adopt strategies that are sensitive to individual needs.
Most importantly, trust-building should be the foundation of every counselling interaction. Children are more likely to communicate openly when they perceive the counsellor as non-judgmental, approachable and supportive. Consequently, attentive listening, gentle communication and thoughtful questioning become essential skills.
Rather than imposing immediate solutions, counsellors should guide children towards self-awareness, helping them identify their feelings and develop constructive ways of addressing their concerns.
In this way, counselling empowers children to become confident and resilient decision-makers.
Furthermore, compassion remains central to successful school counselling. Many behavioural difficulties displayed by children often stem from deeper emotional struggles that may not be immediately visible.
For instance, a child who appears disruptive or withdrawn may, in reality, be experiencing anxiety, neglect, fear, or low self-esteem.
Hence, it is academically and ethically important for counsellors to interpret behaviour with empathy rather than criticism.
A compassionate response allows the child to feel emotionally validated and psychologically safe. Moreover, even simple acts of kindness, such as words of encouragement, reassurance and consistent availability, can significantly strengthen a child’s sense of belonging.
In addition, the counsellor’s relationship with parents is equally vital. Since parents are the child’s primary caregivers and first educators, effective collaboration between school and home is essential for sustained development.
However, discussions with parents must be approached with sensitivity, diplomacy and mutual respect. At times, parents may respond with anxiety, denial, or defensiveness when concerns about their child are raised.
In such circumstances, the counsellor must remain calm and solution-oriented. Instead of assigning blame, the emphasis should be placed on shared responsibility and cooperative intervention.
Through clear communication, active listening and evidence-based guidance, counsellors can help parents better understand their child’s emotional and developmental needs. Consequently, this partnership ensures consistency in support across both school and home environments.
At the same time, personal experiences shared by several parents of affected children reveal the serious consequences of unprofessional counselling practices.
Some parents reported that counsellors communicated in harsh, insensitive, and highly inappropriate ways when discussing their children’s issues, often using language that felt judgmental rather than supportive.
Such interactions not only deeply upset the parents but also left the children feeling humiliated, anxious and emotionally unsafe within the school environment.
In certain cases, these experiences reportedly worsened the children’s confidence, increased their fear of seeking help and caused lasting psychological distress for both the students and their families.
Finally, professionalism is indispensable in counselling practice. While warmth and compassion are essential, counsellors must simultaneously maintain ethical standards, confidentiality and professional boundaries.
Students and parents should feel assured that personal information shared during counselling sessions will be handled with discretion and respect.
Moreover, professionalism requires impartiality, accountability and fairness towards all students, irrespective of their academic performance or social background.
The school counsellor occupies a profoundly important position in modern education. Through empathetic child management, compassionate care, constructive parent engagement and unwavering professionalism, counsellors contribute significantly to the development of emotionally healthy, socially responsible and academically capable individuals.
Dr Saji Uthuppan
The writer is an English lecturer
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