Calls for school counsellors to help reduce suicide rate

ALL schools should have counsellors who are trained to deal with the problems facing young people to help reduce suicide rates, a conference will hear today.

The call will be made at the annual congress of the Irish Vocational Education Association (IVEA), representing the 32 city and county Vocational Education Committees (VECs) further education courses.

Co Wexford VEC and IVEA’s standing council will call on Education Minister Mary Hanafin to provide schools with trained counsellors who have relevant experience, in light of the number of suicides among young students.

“Guidance counsellors should be specifically trained with issues which affect young people. We have a national suicide prevention strategy and schools should be used because that’s where young people congregate,” said IVEA general secretary Michael Moriarty.

He said there have been tragedies associated with exam time, including a Dublin teenager who took her own life after receiving her Junior Certificate results this month.

“Society places too much pressure on young people to succeed and can make them feel that if you fail, you can’t survive. It’s a phenomenon across the world and we need to address that at school level,” he said.

There will also be calls on Health Minister Mary Harney to ensure out-of-hours social workers and mental health services are urgently made available across the country.