Student welfare
Student welfare services are provided by Varha (the wellbeing services county of Southwest Finland). For further information on student welfare curating, psychologist's services in student welfare and student health care services, please visit Varha's website.
School counsellors
School counsellor services are available to all comprehensive school students and their parents. School counsellors work together with student, their guardians, teachers and the entire school community, social and health services and other support personnel.
School counsellors are employees at the school who individuals can turn to when battling with various problems. The goal is to provide educational support and promote well-being in schools. The work of school counsellors includes both individualised and community-based student care.
Individualised student care refers to, for example, conversational and dynamic support visits. Community-based student care includes, among other things, working with different student groups and school years. School counsellors cooperate with various municipal actors, such as youth services, welfare and family counselling, child protection, the local psychiatric outpatient clinic for children and adolescents, the parish and school police. School counsellors work together with students and their guardians, teachers, principals, school psychologists, school nurses, the school's family workers and tutors.
Students can contact a school counsellor directly or be directed to the counsellor by a guardian or teacher. All conversations with school counsellors are confidential. If necessary, the school counsellor will direct students to other available services.
Why get in touch with a counsellor?
- Lack of study motivation
- Being a victim of bullying or engaging in bullying
- Afraid of going to school
- High number of absences
- Cooperation at school is not going well for some reason
- Worrying about something going on at home
- Difficulties with friends
- Sadness, worry, anxiety
- Feeling lonely
- Experiencing physical or psychological violence
- Worries related to free time
- As a parent, I am worried about my child’s well-being
- Difficulties concentrating
- Experimentation with drugs
School psychologists
The job of school psychologists is to promote and support students’ psychological well-being, growth and development, school attendance and learning in cooperation with their parents and the school community. You can contact a school psychologist, for example, if you are worried about issues related to a child's studying, learning, emotional life, mental health or interpersonal relationships.
The work of school psychologists includes investigating the need for study support, psychological tests, conversational support, as well as guidance and counselling of parents and teaching staff in matters related to a child's development, for example. School psychologists also work to improve community welfare at schools, communication with cooperation agencies and, if necessary, directing children and their families to other services. School psychologists can contacted directly by students, by one of their parents, or a teacher. All interaction is voluntary and confidential.
