A NEW counselling service across North Ayrshire’s schools is helping reduce the stigma of mental health for our young people.

Since the start of the school year in August, six full-time counsellors have been employed across all North Ayrshire’s secondary schools, with another three set to come on board.

They help pupils deal with a range of issues such as anxiety and low moods and are also putting on sessions to help the young people deal with the stresses of exams.

And the team of counsellors say the feedback so far has been great. Councillor Joe Cullinane, leader of North Ayrshire Council, met with them during a visit to Ardrossan Academy to learn more about the services they provide.

He said: “It’s really important that we give our young people as much support as possible.

“In Scottish politics we continuously hear about education being a priority. Parliamentarians talk about tackling the attainment gap between the rich and poor but so much of the focus is purely on teaching in the classroom.

“In North Ayrshire our teachers, classroom assistants and educational support staff do great work but there is more to attainment than just teaching. A young person’s general health and wellbeing is so important to their performance in school and to their progression into adulthood.

“I am delighted that we now have this vital resource available in our secondary schools. The counsellors are there to offer professional support and help in any way they can. They have been at the schools now for a few months and have already told me that young people are accessing their support.

“We don’t want there to be any stigma with mental health and we would urge any young person to speak with our counsellors if they are struggling in any way. You do not need to sit in silence, the school counsellors are there to support you.”

Sam March, the council’s principal educational psychologist, said: “We were delighted to welcome the council leader to one of our team meetings to share the progress we’ve made and how we are looking to take the service forward.

“The new counsellors have settled in really well and we are continually looking at ways they can increase their support to pupils. For example, we’ve recently introduced sessions to help the young people prepare for exams. We think these will be invaluable now.”

Appointments can be made through any teacher or guidance teacher, in the strictest confidence.