Overview
The primary mandate of a School Counsellor is to act as an advocate for all students from Primary to Grade 12 by creating a caring environment that supports their personal, social, career and educational needs.
School Counsellors work with all grade levels in various ways. Much of the work of a School Counsellor is “guidance” or “developmental” in nature. School Counsellors can work with individual students, small groups, large groups or whole classes of students.
Consent
Parental consent is required for School Counselling services if the child is under 12 and has been seen more than three times. Parental consent is not required for students over the age of 12 to access a School Counsellor.
Confidentiality
Counselling relationships and information resulting therefrom are kept confidential. However, the following exceptions to confidentiality:
- when disclosure is required to prevent clear and imminent danger to the client or others
- when legal requirements demand that confidential material be revealed
- when a child is in need of protection
(Taken from CCPA Code of Ethics)
At other times, it may be in the best interests of the student for information to be shared with parents or teachers, but there is no legal requirement. Student permission is required before such information is shared.
School Counselling in Nova Scotia
The current program for Nova Scotia is Comprehensive Guidance and Counselling Program. To view this document, click here.