Guidance and Counselling

Last updated: 15th February 2023

Guidance and Counselling

The Education Act of 1998 (Section 9) states that a school shall use its available resources to: ensure that students have access to appropriate guidance to assist them in their educational and career choices.

Guidance in schools refers to a range of learning experiences that assist students to develop self-management skills which will lead to effective choices and decisions about their lives. It encompasses the three separate, but interlinked, areas of personal and social development, educational guidance and career guidance.

The Department of Education promotes a whole school approach and provides a guidance allocation to post primary schools (for students aged 12 -18 years) based on student enrolment and type of school. Guidance is a whole school activity where each school forms a team, in which the guidance counsellor has a pivotal role, to collaboratively design and develop a whole-school Guidance plan as a means of supporting the needs of all students.

Guidance counselling in post primary schools is holistic and may include personal counselling, educational counselling, career counselling or combinations of these and ‘is a key part of the school guidance programme, offered on an individual or group basis as part of a developmental learning process and at moments of personal crisis. Guidance counselling has as its objective the empowerment of students so that they can make decisions, solve problems, address behavioural issues, develop coping strategies and resolve difficulties they may be experiencing.

’The Junior Cycle programme must include guidance education. Many schools choose to include guidance education as part of their provision for Wellbeing. Guidance is provided in senior cycle programmes.

All of this information is provided on the Department of Education website at https://www.gov.ie/en/policy/655184-education/#post-primary-education

Teacher Education Support Services

Note: From 1st September 2023 the JCT service will be integrated into the new support service named Oide. Oide | Supporting the Professional Learning of School Leaders and Teachers

The four individual teacher education support services to be integrated into this new support service, Oide are the:

  • Centre for School Leadership (CSL)

  • Junior Cycle for Teachers (JCT)

  • National Induction Programme for Teachers (NIPT)

  • Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST)