School counselling pilot being evaluated

More than 170 primary school children in County Cavan have accessed one-to-one counselling and emotional well-being support as part of a national pilot programme first launched by the Department of Education and Youth in 2023.

Cavan was one of seven counties included in Strand 1 of the Counselling in Primary Schools Pilot, alongside Laois, Leitrim, Longford, Mayo, Monaghan and Tipperary. Under this strand, schools were supported through access to panels of pre-approved private counsellors who deliver professional, school-based counselling sessions.

Since its inception, the pilot has shown significant growth in both uptake and delivery. In the 2023/24 academic year, more than 2,800 counselling sessions were delivered to 371 children across the seven counties.

That figure more than doubled during the 2024/25 school year, with over 6,100 sessions provided and 730 children availing of the service to date.

In Cavan specifically, 174 children received individual counselling, while in neighbouring Monaghan 135 children availed of the service.

Currently, 45 counsellors are on call to support the schools in the participating counties.

According to the Department, the programme has been "warmly welcomed" by school staff and communities, with the pilot viewed as a vital resource in supporting children’s mental health.