Rooted in empathy, understanding, and active listening, the school’s new Counselling Centre is committed to promoting mental health and well-being.
Our children’s mental health should always be a priority – a sentiment that’s echoed by International French School (Singapore) (IFS), which recently announced the opening of the IFS Secondary School Counselling Centre. This new school facility is designed to provide IFS’ secondary school students with a confidential and collaborative space, where the centre’s team can nurture their social, emotional, and mental well-being.
What does the IFS Secondary School Counselling Centre do?
On top of creating awareness, the IFS Secondary School Counselling Centre takes a preventive approach by equipping students with tools to manage their mental well-being. It provides responsive support to students when there’s a need, and is capable of offering immediate assistance and facilitating healing in times of crisis.
Assistance and support may be provided in the forms of personalised individual and group sessions. These sessions may involve providing emotional support, personalised guidance, and social skill enhancement as well. The counselling team also works closely with IFS educators and students’ parents to advocate for its students’ needs.
Who are the experts leading the Counselling Centre?
Parents can rest assured that the Counselling Centre is led by expert counsellors, each of whom brings a wealth of experience and passion in helping youths. The team includes:
- Piramala Maratheyah, a certified therapist in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and counsellor with two decades of experience in the education and social welfare sectors.
- Natasha Jacob, who has worked extensively over the course of five years with students of all ages in helping them overcome academic, social, and emotional challenges.
- Laura Tarsia, an expert with over a decade of experience in helping children and young adults break free from habits and patterns of behaviour.
Together, these expert counsellors will play a crucial role in helping IFS’ secondary school students navigate the challenges of their adolescent years. Along with the rest of the school’s support services team, the Counselling Centre is committed to nurturing minds and fostering the resilience of students to prepare them for a bright future.
A school that’s committed to nurturing academic excellence and mental well-being
As its Principal, Mr. David Binan, shared, IFS is a school that prioritises its students’ academic performance as well as social and emotional well-being. He elaborated, “Our holistic approach, which includes the newly established IFS Counselling Centre, ensures that our students receive the support they need to thrive academically, develop meaningful relationships, and become emotionally resilient individuals – all essential qualities for their success today and in the future.”
Families are welcome to reach out to the school to learn more about its new Counselling Centre and the support it offers.
This post is in partnership with International French School (Singapore).
