Our Service
We provide bespoke mentoring and counselling packages for schools. Often this support could be as little as for 1 pupil for 1 hour a week, but many schools choose to buy in a mentoring package for multiple pupils each week.
The mentoring sessions are delivered and led by Alex Cameron, who has 17 years of experience working with individuals with additional needs. Alex's training includes a Masters in Psychology, qualifications in Counselling and extensive training in Behavioural Psychology. Alex is a member of the British Psychological Society.
Support follows the core 'Therapeutic Needs Hierarchy' concepts, that a framework of safety, trust and understanding is required for effective mentoring.
Bespoke services can also be provided for individual pupils, or for those currently not attending school. This can include sessions at home, whilst working to re-integrate into school.
Greater detail is provided below, or email:
alex@acementoring.co.uk for more information.
1:1 Mentoring in Schools
All young people benefit from the opportunity to have 1:1 time to be listened to and talk through what is on their mind. In general mentoring sessions focus on key difficulties and challenges in the young person’s life. The young person has the opportunity to talk through this and the mentor will help them order and rationalise their thought processes. Sessions include planning on how best to handle these difficulties and also strategies should be discussed on how to make them less of a challenge.
Specialism in supporting young people with additional needs
Individuals with additional needs, such as Autism can often find it a greater challenge to build a trusting relationship with a counsellor or mentor.
Our experience has been solely focused on enabling young people who may find it difficult to communicate and rationalise their thoughts in a supportive and approachable way.
Session Structure
Typically, the first half of a mentoring session focusses on:
- How the pupil is currently feeling
- Discussing any important events that have taken place since our last session
- Whether anything is currently bothering or upsetting them in their life
The second half of a mentoring session focuses on any specific objectives and discussing any guidance, support or strategies that is needed.
Outcome-Based Approach
All mentees will have identified expected outcomes from the sessions. Common outcomes will involve the following areas:
Anger Management
Anxiety
Low Self-Esteem
Difficulty Managing Behaviour
Difficulty with Relationships
Schools will have input into outcomes. Following sessions we will provide updates on progress towards these outcomes.
Research-Backed Approach
School-based mentoring programmes have been proven to have positive impacts on:
Academic performance
Attendance
Behaviour
Confidence
&
Self-Esteem
Contribution to EHCPs & IEPs
We can provide short updates that can be used as supporting evidence for IEPs and EHCPs.
Additionally, more comprehensive reports can be provided for EHCP reviews. We can also attend these reviews and provide updates to the mentees family.