Primary School Therapy

Thinking about how best to support the mental wellbeing of your pupils?

Pupil mental wellbeing is one of the biggest concerns for school Principals and staff throughout the UK and Ireland today. At PossAbilities Network we’ve noticed that the best schools are now less likely to think that a change in a pupil’s presentation is simply down to ‘bad behaviour’. They want to know what the behaviour is ‘about’ and what it is trying to communicate. Schools recognise that a change in emotional presentation and behaviour is often a sign that a child is struggling to cope with a significant change in the family, a difficult social experience, online bullying or the pressures of school work. And schools know too that when emotion is in the driving seat, the focus for learning goes offline.

If you are a school that prioritises the pastoral needs of your pupils and recognises the inextricable link between their emotional well-being and learning, then think about how the PossAbilities Network can support your school community. School-based therapy is a really effective early intervention, helping pupils address their support issues, improve self-esteem and relationships and build resilience for the future. It really helps switch pupils onto learning again.

Primary School Therapy

PossAbilities Network has provided therapeutic supports to school communities for over two decades. Forging partnerships with primary and special schools, we build on and extend their pastoral provision to support pupils coping with:

  • anxiety

  • bereavement

  • family stress

  • school pressures

  • friendship and social difficulties

  • online challenges

We offer a menu of different services to improve pupil emotional and mental health. This, in turn, helps children achieve more of their learning potential. Children are more switched on to learning when they are not ‘highjacked’ by high levels of emotional arousal. This has benefits for the whole class and its teacher too. A calmer and more emotionally regulated class are more focused on learning.

Schools choose from a range of PossAbilities services depending on their identified needs:

  • individual therapy

  • drop-in (Key Stage 2 upwards)

  • group work

  • parent/carer consultation

  • school staff consultation

  • staff training

At PossAbilities we work in a highly collaborative way with pupils to establish clear intervention goals and to agree on the therapy methods that work best for them. PossAbilities therapists offer a range of evidence-based tools and approaches for pupils to choose from, including: talking, art, music, story, sand-play, cognitive therapy worksheets etc.

Sessions occur weekly and usually last between 40 and 50 minutes. We use a feedback-informed approach in our therapy, checking in on progress in relation to goals at the start of each session using a standardised wellbeing measure called the Child Outcome Rating Scale (CORS). The therapy is also reviewed after 4 or 6 weeks following which another period of support may be contracted. Interventions work to a planned ending based on the progress towards the agreed goals. There is a final closure session where everyone provides feedback on the impact of the therapy. Most interventions last between 8 and 10 sessions.

PossAbilities interventions actively engage key adults - parents/carers, school staff and other professionals - as well as the child. Our experience shows this approach achieves the best therapy outcomes. Children need the buffer of a supportive team during periods of adversity. Together we can support a child to learn new coping skills, increase self-esteem and build resilience.

PossAbilities interventions utilise a strengths-based approach based on Positive Psychology. We do not shy away from the difficulties and problems. We also actively encourage everyone to identify the child’s strengths and coping resources. Feeling caught in a cycle of ‘what’s wrong with me’ stories is one of the main reasons young children require therapeutic support. Children, families and schools can feel stuck in a state of ‘learned helplessness’. We know from our work that employing a what’s right with you strengths-based approach can help turn the corner. It reinstates hope and agency, promoting coping and resilience in the face of difficulties and problem-only narratives.

Woman sitting at a desk smiling at a young boy standing next to her in a classroom setting with colorful dots on the wall.
Child talking to a therapist holding a notebook, seated on a couch, with a teddy bear.
A young boy in a green shirt plays with colorful construction toys on a mat indoors, interacting with a woman sitting nearby.
Smiling child in a yellow shirt holding a book on their head against a pink background.

“Happy pupils are easier to teach!”

— Primary School Teacher comment after observing the benefits of primary school therapy

Group of elementary school children in uniforms running on grass, wearing backpacks, smiling and enjoying outdoors with trees and buildings in background.