A safe space for students could be described as a place or space in which they feel secure and free to express him/herself in a real, true and open way. The place where students’ feelings are validated and not judged or criticised. The place where student can be listened and accepted. The place where student can be enough. The place where it’s ok not be ok. This is how the school psychologist's office seems to us.
School psychologists are a sounding board for teachers, an advisor to families and a mentor to students. The school psychologist can support a student through a mental health crisis or simply provide a quiet place to spend an hour.
School counselors are all about helping to make students’ school experience the best it can be. Today's counselors are there for students in a broader way. They help students handle almost any problem that might get in the way of learning, guide students to productive futures, and try to create a positive environment for everyone at school:
- Provide individual and small group counseling based on student needs
- Help students understand and overcome social, emotional or behavioral problems
- Answer to a various amount of questions that bother student: puberty, body, mind, sexual health, diseases, drugs and alcohol etc.
- Work out conflicts with teachers/parents/peers/siblings
- Assist students in setting realistic goals, developing decision-making skills, and accepting responsibility for the decisions they make
- Help with adjusting to a new school or class
- Develop strategies with teachers and parents to help students succeed
- Help parents with improving Parent-Child communications
Validation of feelings is an essential component of positive mental health for both children and adults. Positive mental health, in turn, relates to developing adaptive strategies to cope with overwhelming feelings and finding a way to problem solve or way to manage them if they become too intense. What is validation? Validation is the acknowledgement of another person’s thoughts or feelings. It is the communication that what someone is thinking or feeling makes sense given the circumstances. Validation does not mean agreement; it is simply a tool that demonstrates acceptance and empathy.
As humans, being seen and understood is the basis for feeling safe and connected. When we, teachers, psychologists, learning support specialists and parents, understand and validate the child’s experience, we make it safe for them to understand themselves and then be open to learning and growing.
Appointments are arranged directly between the pupil and the counselor, or the class teacher/tutor/ head of year notifies the student of the appointment time. Please contact our lovely school counselor Ms Polina Kozintseva at: polina.kozintseva@internationalschool.ru to schedule your appointment. Appointments are made subject to availability and to urgency. Sessions will generally be weekly, fortnightly, or monthly, depending on the need.
