Guidance
St. Peter’s Guidance and Counselling Service
A guidance and counselling service is available at St. Peters to address and support the needs of students. Each student has access to individual meetings with the Guidance Counsellor, Ms. Siobhan Murphy, for personal counselling, educational counselling, and career guidance.
In Ireland ‘guidance’ is an umbrella term, which covers the full range of interventions which assist pupils to make choices about their lives. The service is provided to empower students to make informed decisions, solve problems, change behaviours, and resolve issues which may arise in their lives.
Classroom guidance is provided to 1st year and Transition Year students.
Parents are welcome and encouraged to contact the Guidance Counsellor for a meeting at smurphy@stpeters.ie.
Career Counselling
These one-to-one meetings relate to career choice. Typical topics discussed and helped with are potential third level courses and colleges these are offered in, levels of qualification, interviews, aptitude testing, CAO applications and applying to colleges in Northern Ireland, the UK and Europe. Assistance is also provided with the securing of a wide variety of apprenticeships. Furthermore, students and parents are helped with DARE/HEAR applications.
Educational Counselling
The emphasis here is on the progress and performance of students in St. Peters. Key areas are guiding students in recognising their aptitude, subject choice (matching aptitude and potential with specific subjects), managing homework, study skills and focus for the inhouse and certificate examinations.
Personal Counselling
The student speaks to the guidance counsellor in a confidential* way about concerns or questions they have. These generally include the areas of relationships, coping with loss or change, anxiety, bullying, identity, parental expectations, or body image. Naturally there will be other issues beyond this list. (*While personal matters will remain private between the student and counsellor, serious issues that may involve danger to the student or others may need to be brought to the attention of others).