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	Growing numbers of teen pupils are seeking one-to-one help about mental health issues from school guidance counsellors &ndash; who don&#39;t always have the time to see them.</h2>
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		And even when they do, there may be delays in getting an appointment with the psychiatric service, or a bed, according to the Institute of Guidance Counsellors (IGC).</p>
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		Pupils are being asked to monitor a pupil who may have suicidal thoughts, or other issues, while waiting for health experts to step in, they say.</p>
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		Guidance counsellors raised their concerns about the impact of cuts amid fears of even more staffing reductions in schools after the forthcoming Budget.</p>
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		The service has been under pressure since last September, when schools were stripped of the time allocated to career guidance and one-to-one counselling.</p>
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		It involved the loss of 500 teaching posts in 700 schools. Many guidance counsellors now spend more hours in the classroom teaching a subject.</p>
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		Pupils are increasingly presenting with mental health issues, putting huge pressure on schools, according to the IGC.</p>
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		IGC spokeswoman Betty McLaughlin said there was a definite trend of more pupils seeking help.</p>
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		&quot;Their parents may be under pressure and they do not want to burden them further,&quot; she said.</p>
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		An added problem is that the cuts have applied differently in schools and have led to an uneven and disjointed service, and would &quot;institutionalise inequality in our education system&quot;.</p>
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		The impact is most marked in small schools and schools catering for disadvantaged communities.</p>
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		<strong style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px; padding: 0px; font-size: 1em;">&#39;UNSAFE&#39;</strong></p>
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		As well as the loss to pupils, the cuts have put counsellors under &quot;unsafe and unsustainable pressure&quot; because they were unable to deliver a quality service.</p>
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		Counsellors have reported feelings of anxiety and guilt because of their inability to deal with the workload.</p>
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		&quot;There is a significant danger that such work pressures will inevitably affect their health and well-being and will have knock-on consequences.&quot;</p>
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		A survey found that one-to-one counselling had, on average, been halved in schools, and in some cases eliminated.</p>
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		<a href="http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/rising-number-of-school-pupils-seek-help-with-mental-health-29587057.html">http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/rising-number-of-school-pupils-seek-help-with-mental-health-29587057.html</a></p>
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