We have three School Counsellors. Each one is here one full day per week. Counselling is available to all students and they can either speak to a teacher or Houseparent to be referred or they can self-refer via the link found on the student's Firefly dashboard.

DEBORAH FYRTH MBACP

Debbie has been working as a School Counsellor at Gordon’s since 2012.

She says: “Counselling offers a safe space where you can talk about anything in your life that’s troubling you or causing you to have difficulty coping.  Respect and confidentiality are central to the counselling relationship.  Talking with someone who is accepting and supportive can help you clarify those difficult thoughts and feelings. I really enjoy working with young clients, seeing them develop their individual personalities and grow their potential. It’s never easy to seek help from a counsellor, but if a young person has a positive experience of counselling, it can serve as the foundation for their life-long development and help them find their own road-map for life’s journey.”

LYNN BANNISTER BSc(hons) (MBACP)

Lynn qualified from Roehampton University and has been practicing as a psychotherapist for over 14 years and as a coach for 3 years. She has a wealth of experience gained across various roles, within the NHS, Macmillan, the mental health charity Mind and has also worked in various schools and colleges both on a 1-1 basis and running groups and courses. 

Lynn has been running her own successful practice for many years working with adult, and young people. She specialises in working with children with Asperger Syndrome, ADHD and trauma, along with target intervention working with young adults and their family for managing self- harm, suicidal idolisation, disordered eating, OCD and intrusive thoughts. 

IAIN DAWSON MBACP

Iain has been a counsellor for over ten years and in that time he has worked in both state and private schools.  His training and work is person-centred which means that the individual has control over what they talk about and it is at their pace.  He seeks to validate each individual’s thoughts and feelings.