Mental Health provision

Here at The Village School, the Counselling Psychotherapies Team supports the emotional, social and mental health needs of children and adolescents with complex physical disabilities and learning disability.  Our team brings together years of expertise in this field with a breadth and depth of training and specialist knowledge. We are fortunate to have a qualified Dance and Movement Psychotherapist, Counsellor and a Music Therapist on the team. 

The Mental Health provision is a specialist service where students are referred to from class teachers or families. Referrals will be prioritised and assessed for suitability. The families and class teachers work closely with the therapist, in addition to individual or small group work with the students to support the student's development of their emotional wellbeing. 

The ability to appreciate and respond to music is an inborn quality in human beings. Music therapists use the power of music to make connections with people, to help them overcome their difficulties and draw out their potential.

Counselling is like lending another brain to help you think, process and make sense of what is going on in your life. Counselling can help develop emotional intelligence and remove barriers to becoming emotionally attuned in relationships with family, friends and partners. Most importantly, it will help nurture a relationship with yourself; building confidence and self-reflection skills, and so improve how you feel about yourself as a person in this world.

Dance & Movement Psychotherapy uses physical movement to help you feel a greater connection between your mind, your body, your emotions and your capacity to communicate. It is based on the principle that movement reflects an individual’s patterns of thinking and feeling. The therapist acknowledges and supports the child’s movements, encouraging and supporting the development of new movement patterns and emotional experiences. Words are only a small part of how we communicate. Movement is a universal means of communication. For non-verbal children their movement, including movement of the face, can be their main language.

Drama Therapy is a form of psychological therapy in which all of the performance arts are offered within the therapeutic relationship. Therapy provides a platform for students to express their feelings, solve problems, and achieve therapeutic goals

 

Parents are invited to telephone the school office if they wish to make an appointment to discuss their child’s emotional and mental wellbeing. Staff on our mental health team are on site Thursdays.