Extract

Background and study aims According to a report published by the World Health Organization in 2006, levels of mental health problems in children and young people are increasing. In 2010, UNICEF also reported that Britain is falling behind in promoting well-being in children. A study conducted by the Princes Trust in 2012 reported that 30% of young people aged between 16 and 25 reported that they always or often felt ‘down’ or ‘depressed’, and 21% felt that they did not receive the support they needed from school. Behavioral and emotional difficulties have been shown to negatively affect school attendance and educational achievement, which in the long-term can have a detrimental effect on employment and health. In several small sized studies, school-based humanistic counselling (SBHC) has been found to have good short term potential in terms of reducing psychological distress at a relatively low cost, however larger studies are needed to evaluate its true effectiveness. SBHC is a widely used counselling program which focuses on self-development, growth and responsibilities. The aim of this current study is to investigate the effectiveness of SBHC on psychological distress, and a range of other measures such as self-esteem, symptoms of anxiety and depression, school engagement and other educational indicators; as well as how cost-effective it is to deliver, in young people. Who can participate? Young people aged between 13 and 16 who attend a participating school and are experiencing moderate to severe levels of distress. What does the study involve? Participants are randomly allocated to one of two groups. Young people in the first group receive up to 10 sessions of humanistic counselling with a qualified school counsellor. This is based on the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy’s competencies framework for 11-18 year-olds. Young people in the second group receive their school’s usual pastoral care. After six-nine months, these participants are offered the opportunity to have up to 10 sessions of humanistic counselling with a qualified school counsellor. All young people taking part in the study are asked to complete some questionnaires at the beginning of their involvement, then 6, 12 and 24 weeks later in order to assess their mental health and educational attainment. Additionally some young people are also asked to take part in an interview with a researcher which aims to explore their experiences of counselling in more depth. What are the possible benefits and risks of participating? Participants benefit from the opportunity to access counselling, to contribute to the development of the researcher's understanding of counselling, and may also learn more about themselves. The majority of young people find that counselling is helpful to them. Additionally, participants will have the opportunity to provide their opinions and ideas about what is helpful to them when they are experiencing distress. Counselling sometimes involves talking about painful and difficult feelings. In addition, the questionnaires or researchers' questions may touch on some sensitive issues, so there is a small chance that this might led to upset or worry. The questionnaires may also feel boring or irritating to fill out. Where is the study run from? The study is run from University of Roehampton and takes place in 19 secondary schools in London, England (UK) When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for? April 2016 to March 2019 Who is funding the study? Economic and Social Research Council (UK) Who is the main contact? 1. Miss Megan Stafford (public) [email protected] 2. Professor Mick Cooper (scientific)

Inclusion criteria

• psychological distress

Links

• isrctn
• ictrp