Neatherd High School: Self-Esteem Counselling Service with Shelly. Hello everyone, my name is Michelle Savage but most people call me Shelly. I’m covering the maternity leave of the school counsellor Mrs Hall and I will be with you for the whole school year. I’m based in the old Link Office in the entrance to the Humanities Building (by the way, we’re trying to think of a more catchy name for the room so let me know if you can think of one). My job is to listen to pupils who are going through tough times or need a little bit of extra support. My training is in person-centred counselling which was pioneered by an American psychologist called Carl Rogers. He said “when someone really hears you without passing judgement on you, without trying to take responsibility for you, without trying to mould you, it feels really good.” So my job is to create a safe space where pupils can talk without fear of being judged. The sessions last 30 minutes and we start with six sessions and then do a review to see if the pupil needs more. If you would like to see me, you need to contact Mr O’Brien. There could be a waiting list but don’t forget I’m not the only source of emotional support in the school. The reason I wanted to work at Dereham Neatherd is because I love the whole school approach to mental health. Why do people call me Shelly? Well for many years I’ve been a community filmmaker called Shelly Telly. I’m a creative person and I believe that one of the best ways to learn any skill, whether it’s filmmaking or self-care, is to have fun. I’ve been creating some resources with pupils to develop confidence – we are very proud of our new game “Self-Esteem Jenga”. Every brick has a top tip or word of wisdom taken from “The Little Book of Self Esteem” by Anita Naik. I’ll be doing some assemblies across the school year so I look forward to meeting you all at some point. Take care…..