Strand 1 of the Counselling in Primary Schools Pilot

On the 31st May 2023 the Minister for Education, Norma Foley TD announced a landmark programme of counselling supports to be piloted in all primary schools in counties Cavan, Laois, Leitrim, Longford, Mayo, Monaghan, and Tipperary (Strand 1).

On 23rd October 2024, Minister for Education Norma Foley TD announced the extension of Strand 1 of the Counselling in Primary Schools Pilot to 61 urban DEIS primary schools in Tallaght, Clondalkin, Finglas, Ballymun and Darndale.

The schools that will now be included in the pilot have been identified by the Department of Education as supporting children from areas with some of the highest levels of disadvantage in the State.

This extension will provide access to the Counselling in Primary Schools pilot to 56 DEIS Urban Band 1 schools and 5 DEIS Urban Band 2 schools in two clusters:

1. Dublin Southwest

2. North Dublin City

The Department of Education will establish a panel of pre-approved experienced counsellors to work in the selected schools for the duration of the pilot. School will be allocated blocks of up to six counselling sessions (per child) for a small number of children in the school. Provision is limited to 6 sessions per child. The sessions will be book¬ended by a pre and post session meeting with parents/legal guardians and relevant school staff. Participating schools will be advised centrally of their allocation by the Department of Education.

Each school in the pilot is given access to counselling supports, as determined by the Department of Education. The National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) on behalf of the Department has established county panels of pre-approved private counsellors to provide in-person one-to-one counselling to support a small number of primary school pupils in 7 counties.

The counselling service provided under the Pilot Programme is not a substitute for services provided by HSE Primary Care Psychology and/or CAMHS, nor does it replace the role of the NEPS psychologist within a school. The Pilot Programme is an interim measure intended to supplement these services and meet current urgent needs for counselling support for primary school pupils.

NEPS psychologists support participating schools in identifying the pupils who will access the counselling service (subject to parental/legal guardian consent). In the event that a participating school is awaiting the assignment of a NEPS psychologist, or if the assigned NEPS psychologist is on leave, NEPS will make a psychologist available for this purpose as required.

Email: CounsellingPilot@education.gov.ie for all queries.

Guidelines for Schools -Counselling in Primary Schools - Pilot

County Panel of Counsellors 2024-25

The counsellors on the panel are qualified and accredited members of the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI), the Irish Association of Humanistic and Integrative Psychotherapy (IAHIP), the Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (IACP), the Irish Association of Psychotherapy and Play Therapy (IAPTP) and the Association of Child Art Psychotherapists (ACAP), and those registered with the Irish Council for Psychotherapy (ICP).

Consent and Referral Form

Information for Children

Social Story

Information for Parents/legal Guardians

Principal/Link Person Checklist

Log of Sessions Record Form

Information for Children

Social Story

Information for Parents/legal Guardians

Complaints Procedure

Terms & Conditions of the Department of Education’s Counselling in Primary Schools Pilot (CPS-P) 2023-2025

This document sets out the standards that must be met in the provision of counselling to primary school pupils under the CPS-P to ensure that the counsellor engagement is safe, congruent, and responsive to needs. The standards also ensure that the counsellors have appropriate training, skills and competencies to engage ethically, professionally and effectively with this age group.

NEPS is seeking applications from accredited members of one of the following professional bodies on a rolling basis: the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI); Irish Association of Humanistic and Integrative Psychotherapy (IAHIP); Irish Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (IACP); Irish Association of Psychotherapy and Play Therapy (IAPTP); Association of Child Art Psychotherapists (ACAP) or one of the ten accrediting psychotherapy bodies within the Irish Council for Psychotherapy (ICP).

If you are interested in applying, and consider that you have the requisite qualifications and experience, please complete the attached application form and send to CounsellingPilot@education.gov.ie.

Counselling Application Form 2023-2025

Induction Presentation for Counsellors

Frequently Asked Questions by Counsellors

Useful Links for Counsellors