School Counsellor Interview Questions

Trust takes time, and I try not to rush it. My starting point is visibility: I make sure students see me in low-stakes situations, in the corridor, at lunch, at form time, before they ever need to walk through my door with a problem. When a student does come in reluctantly, I keep the first session light. I am genuinely curious about them as a person, not only about what brought them in. I avoid leading questions and let silence do some of the work. I also explain confidentiality clearly and honestly at the outset, including its limits, because students who understand what I can and cannot keep private are more likely to test what honesty feels like with me. The students who have been hardest to reach have almost always come round when they realised I was not going to push, judge, or report back to their teacher the moment they left the room.

I triage by risk level, not by who arrived first or who is loudest. My first step is to quickly assess whether anyone is at immediate risk of harm. If so, that student is my priority and I involve the designated safeguarding lead straight away so the others are not left without oversight while I manage the acute situation. For the students who are in distress but not in immediate danger, I make sure each one is physically settled and knows when I will get back to them, usually with a specific time, not just "soon". I keep a clear record of everyone I am holding at any point. I also debrief regularly with my line manager or clinical supervisor, because managing multiple crises without support is a fast route to burnout, and a counsellor who is running on empty is not much use to anyone.

My approach depends on what the disclosure involves and whether contacting parents would put the student at greater risk. For most serious disclosures, I explain to the student early in the process that I may need to involve their parents, and I try wherever possible to bring the student into that conversation rather than going around them. I give them some agency over how and when it happens, even if the outcome is not negotiable. When I do speak to parents, I am direct and clear, but I frame the conversation around the student's welfare rather than blame. I prepare for a range of reactions and I do not back away from difficult responses. I always record the conversation and any decisions made. If there is a safeguarding dimension, I follow the school's protocol and involve the DSL before contacting anyone outside the school.

I work on two levels: the practical and the psychological. On the practical side, I help students understand how anxiety works physiologically, because demystifying the physical symptoms often reduces their grip. I teach concrete regulation skills, breathing techniques, grounding exercises, structured study breaks, things they can actually use in the moment. On the psychological side, I explore what the anxiety is attached to. For many students it is not really about the exam but about what failing would mean: letting down their family, losing their sense of self-worth, losing a sense of control. Working on those underlying beliefs tends to produce more lasting change than coping strategies alone. I also liaise with teachers and the SENCO where appropriate, because sometimes the right intervention is an adjustment to assessment conditions, not just counselling.

A student came to me presenting with what seemed like low mood, but something about the way she described her home situation made me want to ask more careful questions. She disclosed, over two sessions, a pattern of behaviour from a family member that met the threshold for emotional abuse. I made detailed notes during and after each session, keeping my language factual and descriptive. I consulted with the designated safeguarding lead before the second session had finished, because I wanted guidance on whether to continue gathering information or refer immediately. We agreed I would complete a referral to children's social care that day. I told the student what I was going to do and why, as clearly and gently as I could. It was a difficult conversation, but she had already told me she did not feel safe, so the referral was not a surprise to her. The case was taken on by the local authority within 48 hours.

I was working with a student whose presentations across sessions indicated symptoms consistent with a more serious mental health condition than school-based counselling was equipped to address. Over several weeks he was experiencing intrusive thoughts and what sounded like dissociative episodes. I was transparent with him that I thought he needed a level of specialist support I could not provide, and I spent time explaining what that might look like and why I thought it would help him more than continuing with me alone. I made a referral to CAMHS with the student's knowledge, wrote a detailed referral letter, and kept working with him in a bridging capacity while we waited. I also supported his parents through the process because the referral system was confusing to them. He was seen within six weeks. I stayed in contact with the school's pastoral team throughout so he had consistent support even on days when things were hard.

A student I had been seeing disclosed something in session that triggered a safeguarding referral. I was the one who called the parents to inform them of the referral before the social worker made contact. The father's first response was anger, directed at the school and at me personally. I stayed calm, acknowledged how shocking this must feel, and kept bringing the conversation back to the student's wellbeing. I did not become defensive or apologise for the decision to refer, because the referral was right and necessary. I also made clear that I was not going away: I would continue to be available to the student and I was happy to speak with the parents again once the immediate shock had settled. By the end of the call the father had moved from anger to distress, and I felt we had reached a point of at least basic cooperation. The family later engaged positively with the support plan.

My primary training is in person-centred counselling, which I find particularly well suited to working with young people because the emphasis on unconditional positive regard and the student's own capacity for growth fits the relational demands of a school setting. In practice I draw on elements of cognitive behavioural therapy where a student is ready to work on thought patterns and behaviours, particularly for anxiety and low mood. For students who present with more complex backgrounds I have found trauma-informed principles essential: understanding how trauma affects the nervous system and adjusting my pace and style accordingly. I also use psychoeducation regularly, giving students language and frameworks to understand their own experience. I am always guided by what the student can engage with in a given session rather than applying a single model rigidly across every case.

I keep session notes that are factual, dated, and focused on what the student said and what I observed, rather than my interpretations. I store records in line with the school's data protection policy, in a secure system that only the counsellor and the designated safeguarding lead can access. I do not leave notes in shared spaces or send identifiable information by unsecured email. I explain to students at the start of our work how notes are kept and who might ever see them, because transparency about this actually builds trust rather than undermining it. For welfare cases that involve ongoing monitoring, I keep a brief chronological log of contacts and any changes in the student's situation, which is invaluable if the case ever escalates and another professional needs to be brought in quickly. I review open cases regularly so nothing falls through the gaps.

Group work requires a different set of skills from individual counselling. My first step is always to assess whether group work is appropriate for the students involved: some presentations are better addressed individually, at least initially, before a student is ready for a group context. When I do run groups I set a clear contract at the first session covering confidentiality within the group, respect, and participation expectations. I design sessions with a clear structure, an opening activity to create safety, a core focus, and time to close and regulate before students go back to class. For whole-school programmes I try to work with pastoral leaders and form tutors rather than parachuting in as an outside expert, because the staff who see students every day are the ones who can reinforce the messages long after the session ends. I also evaluate what I deliver, gathering feedback from students and adjusting based on what actually lands.